Local Activities

Montpelier is a 2,750-acre estate that includes farmland, racecourses, a terraced two-acre formal garden, a panoramic landscape, a National Landmark Forest, active archaeological sites, and more than 130 buildings, including the main house.

In October 2003 the Montpelier Foundation announced plans to restore the Montpelier mansion to the home that James and Dolley knew in the 1820s. The restoration project, expected to be completed in 2007, will remove alterations made to the Montpelier mansion after President Madison's death in 1836. Restoration will include removal of wings added onto the mansion by the duPont family in the early 1900s, reducing the mansion from its current 55 rooms to the 22-room Madison home of the 1820s. The restoration is grounded in a two-year state-of-the art architectural and archaeological investigation that revealed that much of the Madison-era home is intact.

During the restoration process visitors will see almost daily changes at Montpelier as the Madison house emerges. During this time guides will present Powerpoint briefings on the restoration and will lead visitors on restoration tours through the mansion. This is a unique opportunity to see the home of a Founding Father and early U.S. President restored.

The furnishings that were in the mansion have been reinstalled in Montpelier's Education Center, and will be open throughout restoration.