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Thomas Jefferson was a man of many varied interests. Join us at the house he deemed "the best dwelling house in the state" as we delve into topics he found particularly fascinating: from travel to culinary, and from leadership to religion. Each talk in the series includes a wine and cheese reception following the presentation. Tickets are $25/each.

Thomas Jefferson and Eliza Trist-friends in Philadelphia-spoke of exploring the Mississippi River territories two decades before Lewis & Clark's expedition. Keeping a detailed journal (that still exists) of her 1783-1785 journey, his close friend Eliza Trist agreed to document her travels west. She ventured from the East Coast to Pittsburgh, and navigated down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers deep into Spanish-owned Louisiana territory. This presentation explores the Jefferson-Trist partnership behind this early western exploration, the extensive details of her pioneering journey, her descendants' ties to Jefferson, and her life-long contributions to the development of early America-culminating in her death and burial at Monticello.