New visitor center at Jefferson's Monticello

Thomas Jefferson didn't like to waste time. The statesman, architect, inventor, writer and gentleman farmer had clocks in almost every room of Monticello, his mountaintop estate near Charlottesville, Va. So he'd probably approve recent changes at Monticello that make the trip to his home more worthwhile.

Last year, the Monticello Foundation opened an on-site visitor center. The complex includes a theater, several exhibits, a cafe with child-friendly fare and a gift shop.

At the new Griffin Discovery Room, kids can wander through re-created parts of Monticello and touch everything. Visitors can lie on Jefferson's alcove bed or try a replica of his polygraph machine which duplicated whatever the prolific letter-writer was composing. They can feel the kind of fabric used to make clothing in Colonial times and try their hands at a loom. A cipher wheel like the one Jefferson invented has a secret message for those who can follow the pattern of letters.

Monticello admission costs $17-$22 ($8 ages 6-11). Details at monticello.org.