Charlottesville, VA Road Trips

Of the eight U.S. presidents who came from Virginia, two — Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe — were from Charlottesville, and two more came from neighboring counties. Central Virginia was a major battlefield during the Civil and Revolutionary Wars. Jefferson, whom locals affectionately call "Mr. Jefferson," or "TJ," continues to cast a long shadow, particularly over local architecture. Many of Charlottesville's public buildings are made of brick and built in a Jeffersonian style, and many private homes are colonial. His home at Monticello and the Jefferson-designed University of Virginia have set the tone for the communities' beautiful buildings. When visiting Charlottesville, be sure to stop by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society to learn more about the area's rich history. The culture of Charlottesville revolves around two points: the University of Virginia and the Historic Downtown Mall. Visit Charlottesville website

1 The University of Virginia, ☏ +1 434 924-0311. AKA "Mr. Jefferson's University" or "UVA", and together with his residence a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arguably the most prestigious public university in America, with a campus that is just as beautiful. The oldest part of UVA's "Grounds" was designed by Thomas Jefferson himself, and includes the iconic Rotunda. Jefferson viewed the university as his crowning achievement, and requested it to be mentioned on his grave instead of his Presidency. Free to visit; expensive to attend. (updated Dec 2021) 2 Monticello, 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, ☏ +1 434 984-9800. Open daily. The residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson. The grounds include the house itself, the gardens, slave quarters, and Thomas Jefferson's grave. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and later President of the United States; he is widely respected for his intellectualism, as well as his political achievements; and he was in many ways a very forward-looking man, who was dedicated to education and to the advancement of the latest science in crop-breeding. However, he was also a large-scale slave-owner, who owned over 600 slaves and had a sexual relationship with one of them, Sally Hemings, and Monticello was a slave plantation. Enslaved people largely built everything you see in Monticello and kept everything operating. Adults $25 (Mar-Oct), $18 (Nov-Feb); children $8; annual pass $50. 3 James Monroe's Highland, 2050 James Monroe Parkway, ☏ +1 434 293-8000, [email protected]. The residence of James Monroe. Open daily.

Hot air balloon rides. Through Boars Head Country Club. The countryside around Charlottesville is filled with dozens of wineries. All are members of the Monticello Wine Trail. There are several companies that provide guided tours. If you're driving yourself, be sure to have a designated driver, as DUI enforcement is strict. If traveling in a large group, call ahead as some wineries have limits on maximum group size. Wish Wish Wine Tours. Wide range of wine and beer tours. Easy online availability, pricing and booking. Blue Ridge Wine Excursions. Monticello Wine Tour & Coach Co. 1 Camryn Wine Tours, 513 E Main St #1323, ☏ +1 434 979-8200, [email protected]. 24 hours. Camryn Wine Tours is a family-owned, Charlottesville-based company established in 2005 and operated by Bill and Cheri Kerr. Specializing in Virginia wine tours, weddings and special events. (updated Dec 2015) Social, Ballroom, Swing, Salsa USA Dance. The Charlottesville chapter of the national ballroom dance association holds monthly ballroom dances, generally the first Saturday of the month Zabor Dance, McGuffy Arts Center, 201 2nd St. NW, Studio 11. Has a variety of partner dance lessons. Terry Dean's Dance Studio, 2123 Berkmar Dr.. Teaches ballroom lessons every weekday. Shergold Studio. Offers group and private dance lessons on weekday evenings and weekends. Charlottesville Swing Dance Society. Holds monthly dances and free practice sessions every Thursday. Swing Cville, 313 2nd St. SE, Suite 108, inside the Glass Building. Weekly swing lessons and monthly workshops.

As a college town, Charlottesville has a plethora of restaurants that cater to both visitors and UVA students alike. From spring through fall, the outside seating on the pedestrian-only outdoor mall is highly recommended. 1 Bang, 213 Second St. SW, ☏ +1 434-984-2264. Higher end Asian-inspired tapas. (updated Oct 2025) 2 Bizou, 119 W Main St, ☏ +1 434-977-1818. Moderately priced French-influenced comfort food. (updated Oct 2025) Grit Coffee (Grit Cafe). Particularly good for breakfast. Also has Panini. 3 Chaps, 223 E Main St, ☏ +1 434-977-4139. Locally made ice cream in an old-style diner. Also burgers etc. (updated Oct 2025) 4 Christian's Pizza, 118 W Main St, ☏ +1 434-977-9688. Gourmet pizza by the slice. (updated Oct 2025) 5 C & O Restaurant, 515 E. Water St, ☏ +1 434-971-7044. High end Virginia cuisine in a cozy environment. Excellent casual bar downstairs. 6 Fleurie, 108 3rd Street, ☏ +1 434 971-7800. High-end French cuisine. (updated Oct 2025) 7 Hamilton's, 101 W Main St. Higher-end misc. (updated Oct 2025) 8 Himalayan Fusion, 520 E Main St, ☏ +1 434 293-3120. Brings Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan food to the Downtown Mall. Lunch buffet. (updated Oct 2025) 9 Marco and Luca Dumplings, 112 W Main St, ☏ +1 434-295-3855. Noodles and dumplings. Super cheap and very popular. (updated Oct 2025) 10 Petite MarieBette (MarieBette Café & Bakery), 105 E. Water St, ☏ +1 434-284-8903. European-inspired breakfast, coffee, brunch, lunch, and pastries. (updated Oct 2025) 11 Miller's Downtown, 109 W. Main St, ☏ +1 434 971-8511. 11AM –2AM daily.

Like the eating options, the main hubs are either at 'The Corner', which has a predominantly student crowd, or downtown. Many options at both. 1 Beer Run, 156 Carlton Rd #203, ☏ +1 434 984-2337. Close to downtown and Belmont, has hundreds of craft beer bottles for sale, 14 rotating draughts, growlers to go, a full restaurant and lively atmosphere with patio seating. Frequent beer tastings and a focus on all natural, organic, local foods. (updated Aug 2017) 2 Michael's Bistro & Taphouse, 1427 University Avenue, ☏ +1 434 977-3697. On the corner, Has one of the best and widest selection of beers in town, and specializes in Belgian and European beers. (updated Aug 2017) 3 South Street Brewery, 106 South Street, ☏ +1 434 293-6550. Downtown, a good micro-brewery and restaurant (updated Aug 2017) Mellow Mushroom, 1321 West Main Street, ☏ +1 434-972-9366. On the corner, has lots of beers on tap and drink specials when it rains. For wine, both the C&O Restaurant (downtown) and Zocalo (downtown) have excellent selections. Fellini's #9 (downtown) also has many Italian wines. Mas Tapas Bar (Belmont) has a good selection of Spanish wines. For beer and wine to go, visit Market Street Wine Shop just off the Downtown Mall and they have an uptown location in Shoppers World near Whole Foods Market. Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, 414 East Main Street, ☏ +1 434 293-9947. To experience a world of teas in Charlottesville, head over to the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on the Downtown Mall. Also available is a fine selection of wines, beers and sake.

Full range of options. Hotels fill up early for UVa football and basketball games and for graduation. 1 Arcady Vineyard Bed & Breakfast, 1376 Sutlers Road (2 miles past Monticello off 732), ☏ +1 434 872-9475. Check-in: 4PM - 7PM, check-out: 11AM. Wine country B&B. Junior suites with king bed, private bath, wine fridge with bottle of sparkling wine, wine & cheese check in, port & chocolate turn down. Full served country-fresh breakfast with room rate. Views of vineyard out back. Transportation (schedule permitting) included the 6.5 miles to downtown for dinner. Wine tour packages available. $220 - $275. Comfort Inn Monticello, 2097 Inn Drive (3 miles from Monticello), ☏ +1 434 977-3300. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Offers guests free continental breakfast and free wireless high-speed Internet access. $80-200. Mason Lane Cottage, 1618 Mason Ln, ☏ +1 720 519-3463. 2-bedroom cottage for up to 4 people, private yard, full kitchen, and on street parking. No pets/No smokers. $200/night with two-night minimum. Residence Inn by Marriott, 1111 Millmont Street, ☏ +1 434 923-0300. All suites offer full kitchens, living rooms with pullout sofa beds and work desks with high speed Internet access. Complimentary full breakfast daily, grocery shopping service, on-site laundry and nightly social hours midweek. Hilton Garden Inn Charlottesville, 1793 Richmond Road (From US 250 bypass exit towards Richmond: Take a right onto Worrell Road, take a left into hotel parking lot.), ☏ +1 434 979-4442. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon.

1 Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO IATA). The closest airport to Charlottesville. It is a small airport with flights from the major hubs of Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Washington Dulles, New York City LaGuardia, and Philadelphia. This airport is 8 miles from downtown, and there is no public transport, so a rental car, taxi, or hotel courtesy shuttle are the main alternatives. Rental cars are available at CHO through Avis, Hertz, or National, and the drive to Charlottesville is straightforward. (updated Feb 2018) Washington Dulles International Airport has a wide range of flights to domestic and international destinations, but is about 100 miles from Charlottesville. 2 Charlottesville station, 810 W Main St (about halfway between the Downtown Mall and the University (3/4 mile to each), but within walking distance of several restaurants.). To travel to and from the station, call for taxi service or take the CAT bus or trolley, if you are not walking. Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping in Charlottesville: Cardinal operating three trips weekly between Chicago and New York City with stops in Dyer, Rensselaer, Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Connersville, Cincinnati, Ashland, Huntington, Charleston, Hinton, White Sulphur Springs, Staunton, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.

Getting around the University of Virginia, often called UVA (with each letter pronounced), is easy using the free University Transit System (UTS) buses. The Central Grounds area is very walkable, but some areas of campus (called "Grounds" by students) can be over a mile away. From the University to the downtown mall is a walk of 20-30 minutes and there is a free trolley bus that runs in a loop from the University to the Downtown Mall approximately every 20 minutes. It is not easy to find parking around the University area, including the Corner and between 14th Street and Rugby Road. There is a parking garage at the University Bookstore, on Emmet Street, that only fills up during certain university events (e.g., Days on the Lawn). There are also plenty of Veo rental e-scooters around Grounds. The city is reasonably well connected by free city buses, the Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT). Don't use Google Maps for CAT bus routes; Google sometimes has the wrong bus data. Parking in nearly all areas of the city is free and easy to find. Parking at the Downtown Mall will often require paying a modest rate at a lot or parking garage. One of the CAT routes is a free trolley bus that operates along East Main Street/Water Street between downtown and the University of Virginia. Stops include the Virginia Discovery Museum, the downtown mall, the Amtrak station/Greyhound stop, and the Rotunda and chapel of the University of Virginia. Like with UVA, the city has Veo rental e-scooters, but don't expect every area to have them or for every road to be scooter-friendly.