Test your mettle on a run through the hills, dales and woodlands of Poplar Forest plantation. Join the Jamerson YMCA and Poplar Forest for the annual Face the Forest 5K Obstacle Course Run and take on the obstacles—climbing walls, balancing teeter-totters, flipping tires and trenching through mud—placed along the way. The competition is open to families and teams of all ages. Face the Forest entry fees support children’s educational programming at Poplar Forest and the Y’s annual campaign, which provides outreach, financial assistance, youth and family programming and many other resources within the community.

Registration fees and race details available by July 1.

Take time for a much-needed time-out to experience the mindfulness of yoga and the natural beauty of the landscape at sunset. Join a teacher from Yoga Goodness for a one-hour yoga class on Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn.

Admission is $10 per person or $35 for a series of classes. Reservations are suggested as classes will be limited to 25 people.

Take time for a much-needed time-out to experience the mindfulness of yoga and the natural beauty of the landscape at sunset. Join a teacher from Yoga Goodness for a one-hour yoga class on Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn.

Admission is $10 per person or $35 for a series of classes. Reservations are suggested as classes will be limited to 25 people.

Take time for a much-needed time-out to experience the mindfulness of yoga and the natural beauty of the landscape at sunset. Join a teacher from Yoga Goodness for a one-hour yoga class on Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn.

Admission is $10 per person or $35 for a series of classes. Reservations are suggested as classes will be limited to 25 people.

Take time for a much-needed time-out to experience the mindfulness of yoga and the natural beauty of the landscape at sunset. Join a teacher from Yoga Goodness for a one-hour yoga class on Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn.

Admission is $10 per person or $35 for a series of classes. Reservations are suggested as classes will be limited to 25 people.

Explore the architectural design, history and restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s Palladian-style villa on this hour-long, behind-the-scenes tour guided by the architectural historian who has overseen the restoration since it began in 1989. Join Travis McDonald, Poplar Forest’s Director of Architectural Restoration, and discover how the restoration architects, architectural historians and craftsmen are meticulously restoring Jefferson’s vision for the “best dwelling house in the state…”

Tours at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Admission is $20 in advance, $25 at the door; reservations are encouraged as spots on the tour are limited.

Explore the architectural design, history and restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s Palladian-style villa on this hour-long, behind-the-scenes tour guided by the architectural historian who has overseen the restoration since it began in 1989. Join Travis McDonald, Poplar Forest’s Director of Architectural Restoration, and discover how the restoration architects, architectural historians and craftsmen are meticulously restoring Jefferson’s vision for the “best dwelling house in the state…”

Tours at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Admission is $20 in advance, $25 at the door; reservations are encouraged as spots on the tour are limited.

Teresa Harris’s original drama returns to Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn. A trilogy drawn from the real-life experiences of men and women enslaved at Poplar Forest, the dramatic presentation explores the complexity of their lives and their struggles to survive. A Q&A with Teresa Harris, the cast and Poplar Forest’s archaeologists follows the performance. Bring your friends and family and experience a part of Poplar Forest’s history brought to life.

Tickets are $15 for adults (ages 18+); $10 for students (ages 6-17 and college); $4 for children (ages 5 and under). Rain date: Sunday, May 16.

Explore Mr. Jefferson’s cherished villa at Poplar Forest and enjoy a special talk offered in honor of Mother’s Day. Docents share true stories, culled from letters, diaries and archaeological finds, about the women—free and enslaved—who lived and worked at the plantation. Meet Martha Wayles Skelton, who with her husband Thomas Jefferson, inherited Poplar Forest from her father in 1773; Cate, one of the enslaved women, and her daughter Hannah; and Sally Watts, who became the mistress of the house in the 1940s. Included with admission to Poplar Forest.

Talks at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.

Eat, drink, shop and explore a gem of American history when the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival returns to Mr. Jefferson’s south lawn. Join Poplar Forest in celebrating Jefferson’s legacy as the father of Virginia wine with tastings from more than a dozen regional wineries. Enjoy live performances by local musicians; graze on foods by local vendors; and more. Tour the president’s private retreat at a reduced rate throughout the day. Funds raised support the ongoing restoration, preservation and interpretation of the historic property.

Thomas Jefferson, who is considered to be one of America’s first astronomers, avidly studied the stars. Join Poplar Forest for an illuminating look at the night sky with an astronomer from Belk Astronomical Observatory at the Claytor Nature Study Center at the University of Lynchburg, on Jefferson’s south lawn. Admission is $15 per person.

Please note: All visitors are required to maintain social distancing protocols and wear masks while on tours and in public buildings. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 protocols, all dates are subject to change; please visit poplarforest.org to confirm the date and time of an event.

Revel in the revolutionary spirt of America’s Founding Fathers at Poplar Forest’s presentation of 1776—the Tony Award-winning comedy by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone based on the events leading up to the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. View these events through the eyes of Ben (Franklin), Richard Henry (Lee), John (Adams) and Tom (Jefferson). Celebrate their contributions to our country’s history. Bring a picnic dinner, a blanket or chairs, and friends and family for an evening of theatre under the stars.

Tickets are $17.76 for adults (ages 18+); $13 for students (ages 6-17 and college); and $4 for children (ages 5 and under). Rain date: Sunday, June 27.

Revel in the revolutionary spirt of America’s Founding Fathers at Poplar Forest’s presentation of 1776—the Tony Award-winning comedy by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone based on the events leading up to the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. View these events through the eyes of Ben (Franklin), Richard Henry (Lee), John (Adams) and Tom (Jefferson). Celebrate their contributions to our country’s history. Bring a picnic dinner, a blanket or chairs, and friends and family for an evening of theatre under the stars.

Tickets are $17.76 for adults (ages 18+); $13 for students (ages 6-17 and college); and $4 for children (ages 5 and under). Rain date: Sunday, June 27.

Revel in the revolutionary spirt of America’s Founding Fathers at Poplar Forest’s presentation of 1776—the Tony Award-winning comedy by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone based on the events leading up to the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. View these events through the eyes of Ben (Franklin), Richard Henry (Lee), John (Adams) and Tom (Jefferson). Celebrate their contributions to our country’s history. Bring a picnic dinner, a blanket or chairs, and friends and family for an evening of theatre under the stars.

Tickets are $17.76 for adults (ages 18+); $13 for students (ages 6-17 and college); and $4 for children (ages 5 and under). Rain date: Sunday, June 27.