The University of Virginia Historical Tours

The University of Virginia offers free guided tours of the historic Rotunda, the centerpiece of the University and Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village. Historical tours, which meet at the main entrance of the Rotunda, are conducted daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. Tours are not available for three weeks in December and January during the Christmas break and from early to mid May, resuming the daily May schedule after gradation ceremonies have taken place. These interesting historical tours are open to the public and are conducted in addition to student admissions tours.

Jefferson's vision for the master plan of the Academical Village resulted in a blend of architectural styles and landscaping, planned to create an atmosphere of daily intellectual interaction and the sharing of ideas and knowledge. The Rotunda, inspired by the Pantheon, is situated at the center point of an original U-shaped area, which is flanked by rows of pavilions designed to house classrooms and living quarters for professors. Two outer rows of buildings, separated from the pavilions by gardens, served as student hotels or rooms. Room number 13, the room in which Edgar Allan Poe resided as a student, is maintained today in commemoration of his time at the University.

Earning its place as one of the top universities in the United States, the University of Virginia was the nation's first nonsectarian university and the first to use the elective course system. In addition, in combination with Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, it was inscribed as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site in 1987, the first collegiate campus in the world to be awarded this designation and one of only eight sites in the United States selected for cultural heritage. See all Southeast U.S. World Heritage Sites

Additional Information:

• UVA Historical Tour Information
  
• UNESCO World Heritage Website
  
• U.S. World Heritage Sites from the National Park Service
  
• World Heritage Sites Travel Information from About.com Travel Guides