MDC and Montpelier Upcoming Events

September/October 2023

Make plans to visit Montpelier during the month of September to recognize and celebrate The Constitution. To find out more about upcoming events, visit https://www.montpelier.org/event-calendar.

Please continue to check the MDC Events Calendar frequently as events are continually being added and updated.

Tuesday – Wednesday

Every hour from

10:00 – 2:00

Highlights of Montpelier Tour

Tour Tickets are Released One Week in Advance

This one-hour guided tour is the most popular way to experience the historic house. Explore the histories and legacies of James and Dolley Madison, the Enslaved Community, and the Constitution as you journey through the landscape and inside the Madisons’ home.

Thursday – Monday

Every half hour from

10:00 – 3:00

Highlights of Montpelier Tour

Tour Tickets are Released One Week in Advance

Friday, September 29th

2:00 PM – Constitution Tour

This one hour tour on the landscape and in the House focuses on the Constitution and how James Madison did more than any other single person to create, secure and perpetuate our revolutionary system of government. Here at Montpelier he found inspiration and conceived many of his initial ideas.

Saturday, September 30th

Sunday, October 1st

11:30 AM – Enslaved Community Tour

Long considered a taboo subject, slavery is a paradox of America: a slave-holding nation that declared to the world that “all men are created equal.” On this outdoor walking tour, visit the sites where multiple generations of Montpelier’s enslaved community lived, loved, and labored, and learn about the varied experiences of those individuals who endured a lifetime of denied humanity.

Saturday, October 7th

11:30 AM – Enslaved Community Tour

2:30 PM – Bill of Rights Walking Tour

This 65-70 minute outdoor walking tour explores James Madison’s critical role as “Architect” of the Bill of Rights. Walking and pausing on the Montpelier landscape, participants will compare Madison’s proposals with selected Amendments as ratified, and consider a few landmark Supreme Court cases delineating the language of the Bill of Rights. A smartphone or device with the ability to access an internet link will be very helpful to participants.

10:00 – 5:00 PM – Fall Fiber Festival

The Fall Fiber Festival will be held across from Montpelier on October 7th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 8th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The address is 11395 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, VA 22957.

Sunday, October 8th

11:30 AM – Enslaved Community Tour

10:00 – 5:00 PM – Fall Fiber Festival

Wednesday, October 11th

12:00 PM – Lunch & Learn

Memorialization and Surveys of the Montpelier Burial Ground

The Montpelier Archaeology Department has been working with the Montpelier Descendant Committee (MDC) on surveying the Montpelier Burial Ground since May of 2023. A major goal of this survey is to understand the appearance of the burial ground in the 1820s and restore the space for memorialization. Henry Anglin, chair of the MDC Memorialization Committee, will discuss memorialization and then Matt Reeves, Director of Archaeology, will give the latest on our finds from Ground Penetrating Radar, Metal Detector, and vegetation surveys. These combined with documentary and LiDAR data have drastically expanded our understanding of this sacred space and provide lots of exciting features to investigate during the 2024 season.