Montpelier brings them in

ORANGE, Va. (AP) — Officials at James Madison’s Montpelier say the estate in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is attracting more visitors.
Since January, more than 6,500 tourists have visited Montpelier. And year-to-date figures show that visitation to the Madison home is more than 50 percent higher than in 2007.
Officials say the increase is a response to a $24 million restoration that’s in its final stages. Since 2003, scores of craftsmen and artisans have been working at Montpelier.
The president of The Montpelier Foundation says it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for visitors to witness what lies beneath — from the original roof line buried within a plaster wall, to the Madison-era paint hidden be-hind a piece of molding.