From Shakespeare and Dickens to presidents ranging from Madison to Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, it’s been quite a summer of Nerd Trips. Here’s a sneak peak of where we’ve been.

Thomas Jefferson’s accomplishments are well-known, but did you know he has his own color? That’s just one of the things we learned at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest (its full name), Jefferson’s country villa in southwestern Virginia. My aunt Viola, uncle Joe and I visited this country estate when I was  visiting them for Easter in 2013.  It...

While most people know Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (check your nickels), fewer people know Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, his country villa in Southwest Virginia. I think of it as a “mini Monticello,” because it looks so much like its more famous counterpart.

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday, here are some facts about July 4th and our only president born on this day – Calvin Coolidge.

The grounds and gardens of Monticello are a living monument to Thomas Jefferson’s interest in nature, including his methodical study of the plants on his property.

After touring the house, we took a separate tour of Monticello’s gardens (offered April through October) where we learned that there are plants growing there today that descended from Jefferson’s time.

After touring the house, we took a separate tour of Monticello’s gardens (offered April through October) where we learned that there are plants growing there today that descended from Jefferson’s time.

What does your home say about you? For Thomas Jefferson, Monticello may be a physical autobiography of this president, statesman, scholar, inventor, designer, writer, gardener, etc. Jefferson was a complex individual, and a tour of his home is fascinating.

Monticello may be one of the most iconic buildings in the United States – it’s even on the back of a coin. Thomas Jefferson famously designed and built his home atop a hill in Virginia (Monticello means “little mountain” in Italian). Monticello is so famous and popular, it is debatable whether it should be labeled as a “Nerd...