Monticello’s new visitor center has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center is one of only five ...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Partially built into the base of a mountain and largely surrounded by trees, Monticello's new visitor center blends into the central Virginia landscape.

A $43 million visitor's center meant to enhance the experience of Monticello's tourists will open tomorrow with just a bit of fanfare.

On a day when Thomas Jefferson likely would have admired the autumnal beauty of his estate, Monticello offered visitors something new to enjoy at the historic tourist destination.

Call it a visitor center, call it an educational center, call it "The 21st-Century Gateway to Monticello," but the real purpose of the new building at Thomas Jefferson's plantation is crowd control.