Three Friends: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe

Great educational and travel opportunity. Extremely well organized!

This program offers a deeper understanding of the three presidents, their lives, their interactions among themselves and their impact upon the creation of the USA. Well worth the time and cost. I highly recommend it.

The program was rich, informative and well-organized. It gave me an opportunity to see for the first time the closely intertwined relationships of three presidents who helped shape our nation in its early years. Never having visited these presidential sites, I gained from this direct experience. Eileen Wells assembled an interesting program and gave it a friendly welcoming face. I personally profited from having read (via audiobook) important biographies of these three men before embarking on the trip: • Jon Meacham, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power • Noah Feldman, The Three Lives of James Madison • Tim McGrath, James Monroe These recommended readings provided much-needed background and context for the lives, interactions and achievements of these Founders, well beyond what I knew about this era of American history. I believe the program could benefit from greater interaction between the presenters and participants in the form of discussion and questions and answers integrated into the body of the presentations and not limited to the end of the session. The schedule could be expanded in this regard. The live performances of period music and of James Monroe were superb and pleasingly interactive. Additional opportunities for discussion of sensitive and contentious issues, above all slavery, would be welcomed, at least by the group I was in. I recognize that this would require deftness to avoid rancor, but also sensed that the program has in recent years increasingly welcomed discussion of such topics. Keep this initiative going. In short, this is an excellent and thought provoking program, well worthy of consideration.

A busy program, very informative. Visits to the Presidents' homes and discussion of their interaction with one another were really helpful in putting the program in context. U VA tour was a real plus.

While Road Scholar offers an abundance of top-notch programs, this one is exceptional. It takes the U.S. History that you may have learned in high school and adds the depth, personalities and connections that shaped our country in its formative years following the American Revolution. Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, three distinct, great men who had the vision of the Enlightenment and were instrumental in shaping the reality. Through talks and visits to their houses, the group learns the about political and social issues of that time and how the friendship and respect of the men intertwined in the political sphere. The information also includes the history of the women and the enslaved men and women who labors helped produce the wealth these men needed to be able to serve as Presidents 3,4 & 5. The visits to Montpelier (Madison) Hilltop (Monroe) and Monticello (Jefferson) further explore the extraordinary lives and times of the early 1800's. Not to be missed, on the final day, President Monroe visits the group and holds a private audience in which he discusses his life and answers questions. If the program were just visits to the presidential homes and the University of Virginia, the program would be worth the trip. Adding the historical context through the lectures/talks adds the perspective of the issues of that day and how they still affect our present day. The leader is excellent in keeping the group informed and making the experience enjoyable. This is yet another Road Scholar program designed for curious, energetic adults who seek to wed education with on the road experiences. It's a short; it is exceptional; it is well worth exploring.

This was a fantastic program! Great educational content in a very interesting & beautiful place! Monticello, Montpelier, and Highlands are testaments to our Founding Fathers and their resilience & ingenuity. I thoroughly enjoyed the program and the various instructors! Do this program & learn more that you thought you could.

Go on this program, it is informative and educational and interesting. Loved it!

A perfect American history program to learn and enjoy!

Besides visiting the presidents' homes, the lectures provided both before and after our visits were outstanding, adding much more dimension to the experience.

"Three Friends" in Charlottesville is a program over a long weekend about three important Founding Father Presidents who have homes nearby to visit. Speakers and performers were very qualified, interesting and thought-provoking. Stay for the President Monroe re-enactor on the last day as he is worth waiting for. Hyatt Place is a nice hotel, but is outside of town and requires either a car or city bus rides (which I did--download the "SPOT" app.) Am very glad I spent my last night at The Graduate hotel near the Jefferson Rotunda as it is near the campus of UVA and historic sites and has lots of restaurants nearby. The UVA buses and the city trolleys are easier than the city buses. The Downtown Transit Station is not where you want to spend much time. The downtown pedestrian mall nearby is worth a walk and has restaurants there, also.

Fascinating but very intense!

This program was packed with wonderful information! Great Value!

***** The "Three Friends: program packed a tremendous amount of material into a compact, well-organized program in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia. The presenters and the sites added depth to the ongoing evaluation of the American experience. And the gorgeous April weather didn't hurt!

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Road Scholar adventure. I learned so much, met interesting people and was able to relax as all the details were handled. I will definitely travel with Road Scholar again!

Another wonderful Road Scholar program. Kudos to Eileen West for keeping us organized and on time. She was a very gracious and knowledgeable guide. All the guest speakers were highly educated in their subjects and allowed time for questions and answers. The field trips provided further insight into the lives of these “Three Friends.” I am now left with a thirst to to learn more about our Founding Fathers.

If you love to study American history and want to go to a beautiful state, then you’ll love this program. It is a perfect mix of lecture, tours, and surprises that will keep you entertained and learning for four full days.

Three friends was a great trip. The program was interesting and informative but would have been better as a longer trip. I would have loved to spend more time at all the presidential houses. There is so much to see. The evening programs added so much to the overall experience. Loved them all! Eileen was an excellent group leader - knowledgeable and professional! She was a great source of information! It was a big group but Eileen kept us moving through the itinerary very efficiently while not seeming rushed. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in presidential or colonial history

Very good program, you learn without being overly strenuous, enjoyable historic sites and nice people.

This program is rich in eye-opening content. You will come away with a new understanding of the role of enslaved workers in the lives of three early presidents and their families as well as of the roles and limitations of women in their lives. In less than three days, you have the opportunity to visit four historic sites with knowledgable guides, augmented with informative lectures. Anyone who is curious about the role of the slave economy in the lives of the founders of the United States will benefit from this tour.

Fascinating trip. Great leader. Hyatt beautiful hotel.

I got a glimpse of all the history Virginia has to offer...and, of course, I want to go back and see more. It was the first time I was so close to the history of slavery and I found myself balancing my love and respect for Jefferson, Madison and Monroe with the hate slavery brings into my thoughts. Seeing Monticello was inspiring and I think I could sit on the grounds all day long. I also saw a small archaeological dig going on there and got to stop and talk to the young people working the site... The group was great, the speakers awesome, and Eileen was everything I could want in a group leader: Nice, but firm; approachable and knowledgeable. I just wish the trip was longer....

Great introduction to Road Scholar tours. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic tour leaders. Well organized tour Learned so many new things!

You cannot ask for a best overview of the subject or better people to show you around. This was an excellent program and exceptionally well run. There are a lot of ways to explore your country this is one of the best.

We participated in our first Road Scholar experience in November of 2021. We very much enjoyed this adventure, and look forward to doing it again, soon. It is an excellent way to visit and learn about a place, at a very attractive cost. Mike and Vicki

If you love understanding how 3 dynamic men were instrumental in shaping the early history of our country, you will really enjoy this program! You'll get both the inside look into their lives as well as the sacrifices each man made.

This program, although short, was jam packed with interesting lectures and presentations as well as wonderful visits to the ‘Three Friends Homes’. Our guide/coordinator Marina was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. Great trip!

We have attended this program twice and highly recommend it to any likewise interested people. Only a few programs have we repeated but this is a must for us