Top Cottages in Albemarle County in 2026

Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who began designing and building Monticello at age 26 after inheriting land from his father. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont region, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres (20 km2), with Jefferson using slaves for extensive cultivation of tobacco and mixed crops, later shifting from tobacco cultivation to wheat in response to changing markets.

Jefferson designed the main house using neoclassical design principles described by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, subsequently reworking the design through much of his presidency to include design elements popular in late 18th-century Europe and integrating numerous of his own design solutions. Situated on the summit of an 850-foot (260 m)-high peak in the Southwest Mountains south of the Rivanna Gap, the name Monticello derives from the Italian for "little mount". Along a prominent lane adjacent to the house, Mulberry Row, the plantation came to include numerous outbuildings for specialized functions, e.g., a nailery; quarters for domestic slaves; gardens for flowers, produce, and Jefferson's experiments in plant breeding — along with tobacco fields and mixed crops. Cabins for field slaves were located farther from the mansion.

At Jefferson's direction, he was buried on the grounds, in an area now designated as the Monticello Cemetery. The cemetery is owned by the Monticello Association, a society of his descendants through Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson.[4] After Jefferson's death, his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph sold the property. In 1834 it was bought by Uriah P. Levy, a commodore in the U.S. Navy, who admired Jefferson and spent his own money to preserve the property. His nephew Jefferson Monroe Levy took over the property in 1879; he also invested considerable money to restore and preserve it. In 1923, Monroe Levy sold it to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF), which operates it as a house museum and educational institution. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1987 Monticello and the nearby University of Virginia, also designed by Jefferson, were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Our top choices for Albemarle County cottages

Massanutten Retreat w/ Double Deck & Mtn View!

McGaheysville

"The property is lovely quiet community nice home to spend vacation with family. Very convenient commute to attractions in Massanutten very close to the water park. The Host was extremely helpful with great hospitality any questions I had I got immediate response really nice. Very quiet nice community if you looking for a quiet community to vacation this is it. Definitely would book this home again. "

Shantel

Family Getaway < 2 Mi to Massanutten Ski Lodge!

McGaheysville

Amy

Resort Home on Mountain Golf Course w/ Deck & View

McGaheysville

Oran

Pet-friendly VA Home ~ 30 Mi to Shenandoah NP

Weyers Cave

Serene Roseland Retreat Near Wintergreen Resort!

Roseland

4 Mi to Massanutten Resort: Family Home w/ Views!

McGaheysville

Teon

Mcgaheysville Vacation Rental: Yard & Fire Pit!

McGaheysville

Stanardsville Cabin Rental ~ 24 Mi to Shenandoah!

Stanardsville

Natosha

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Top Albemarle County Hotel Reviews

Hyatt Place Harrisonburg

10/10 Excellent

"Great!"

Massanutten Resort

2/10 Terrible

"This trip was so awful it’s going to be a story I’ll tell for many years to come I’m sure I’ll run out of characters if I write the full experience so I’ll hit the highlights - staff from high to low is incredibly rude especially bar staff. The front office is almost nothing but teenagers who couldn’t care less about being there. They hang up on you, transfer you to someone else who also will hang up on you and then when you call back they keep declining the call so you have to come to the lobby. Appliances dont work. Maybe half of the outlets work. Was told by one manager “hopefully it works out for you”. The only helpful person there was the manager Anette, and you could tell even she was having trouble getting through the day. Keys to the unit just up and stopped working. Toilets weren’t flushing. Consistent leak in the shower. Maintenance had to send an electrician, plumber and handyman in the first hour we were there. And the timeshare meeting! It’s fun getting told how crazy you are for not blindly buying into a high pressure time share scam early on your first morning there when you experience what’s above not 12 hours ago when you first got in. I do want to give Anette her flowers though. If not for her actually caring and trying to make things up for us I dont know what I would have done. She upgraded us to one of the units they showed us for the timeshare which were nice, but in that model home from Arrested Development kind of way if you know what I mean"