The Poplar Forest Parkway opened at Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home in August 2022, providing public and visitor access to this National Historic Landmark via a two-way entrance road and accompanying trail system. With more than 24,000 visitors arriving for daily tours and special events in 2025, and an average of 225 people using the trails per day, the Poplar Forest Parkway has transformed the visitor experience. We have enjoyed watching the community embrace the trails on your walks and jogs throughout this beautiful historic landscape!

The construction design for the main vehicular roadway dictates building up the layers of paving over time, in order to provide ongoing stability and to periodically renew the surface appearance. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to pave the steep sections of the trails in July 2025 to improve stability and prevent erosion, and raise most of the funds needed to add a second layer of paving to the roadway surface.

We hope you will consider supporting us again this year to fund the remaining costs to resurface the roadway. We have secured $110,000 of the $160,000 needed. Our goal is to raise $50,000 by May 31st and help ensure that Poplar Forest is looking its best for our nation’s 250th birthday by July 4, 2026! This work will represent the final phase of the initial planned improvements through 2030.

Your gift also entitles you to benefits as a member of the Friends of the Parkway–detailed here. For more information, please contact Renée Rose Flowers, Director of Development at 434.534.8129 or renee@poplarforest.org.

Thank you for your support!