Your Charlottesville, Virginia weekend

Cute College Town Full of History, Great Restaurants and Wineries

By Bill Malcolm*

I grew up in a college town and always love them. But Charlottesville, Virginia (less than 2 hours south of D.C.) is the best one I have ever visited. Lots of history (Thomas Jefferson's Monticello), a cute downtown outdoor mall, the historic grounds of the University of Virginia (which Jefferson founded), and a great foodie scene make this a memorable weekend. The hilly countryside sits just east of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains which are part of Appalachia.

Getting There

I took my new favorite airline (sorry Southwest), American Airlines through Charlotte to CHO (the airport code for the city). You can also take the Cardinal Amtrak train from Chicago or from D.C. and parts north. The Amtrak Northeast Regional train also runs twice a day to Charlottesville. Amtrak's Crescent Line also serves the city. (United Airlines also goes nonstop to CHO.) The city is a short drive from DC as well and lies just seventy miles west of Richmond.

Where to Stay

I stayed at the beautiful new Forum Hotel (part of the Kimpton chain) on the north side of the UVA grounds which features a five-acre arboretum and hiking trails. You can use the UVA student rec center for $10 so I went swimming every day. They have a free happy hour daily from 5pm to 6pm and free bicycles during warmer weather. Just down the hill you will find a Harris Teeter (SE grocery store) as well as an excellent restaurant, Sedona. The hotel has restaurants, but I grabbed breakfast at the law school next door. Best of all, they did not charge an annoying resort fee like so many hotels do.

What to Do

Take a tour of Monticello which sits on a hill and is a short UBER ride away. Historic Monticello was the plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a self-taught architect. Jefferson was also our third president and wrote the Declaration of Independence which, as the tour points out, did not include everyone. The tour guide was very upfront that Jefferson owned slaves and only freed two during his life. Jefferson also founded the University of Virginia, one of the first public universities, and designed the Rotunda building on the grounds. The restaurant at Monticello is another highlight. Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark's expedition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast and they brought back seeds which are planted in the grounds of Monticello. Lots of azaleas and rhododendrons plus spring wildflowers to be found. The Farm Table café at Monticello is excellent. Jefferson was also an ambassador to France for a while and loved French foods including mac n cheese (as well as vanilla ice cream). He also liked wine and grew his own grapes. Who knew?

Walk around the beautiful and historic University of Virginia grounds, home of the Cavaliers. They call themselves Wahoos (or Hoos for short). Enjoy the Fralin Museum. Check out the Rotunda and the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers as well as Edgar Allan Poe's old dorm room.

Check out the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection which is the only art museum dedicated to Australian Aboriginal art outside of Australia.

Enjoy the outdoor downtown walking mall which is full of eclectic shops and restaurants. Charlottesville is not over run with cookie cutter chain restaurants and stores.

Have lunch at the Dairy Market which is Charlottesville's first food hall. There are more than a dozen food vendors serving cuisine from around the world. I liked Maizal which features Latin American street food.

Have dinner at the Forum restaurant, Birch and Bloom. Try the Virginia trout.

Hang out with the gang at the Sedona Restaurant which features local microbrews. It is just down the hill from The Forum Hotel. The nachos were excellent as was the IPA.

Taste Virginia wines (or head out to one of the forty wineries). White Hall Vineyards was my favorite. The Montifalco Vineyard is LGBTQ owned.

Enjoy the Route 11 potato chips. They are thick and extra crunchy and made with Virginia potatoes.

The Local is the best restaurant I have ever been to. The steak and French fries (pomme frittes) were excellent as were the side dishes and appetizers. Local small farms and artisan cheese makers supply the ingredients for their tasty dishes and the service is top notch.

Take a hike in the arboretum behind the Forum. Also nearby, a new city trail goes all the way to downtown.

Other Tips

Rental car not needed. The city is very walkable, and Uber and Lyft are available. The buses are all free.

For More Information

C-Ville is your weekly. Visit Charlottesville has great ideas on what to do. Plan your trip at visitcharlottesville.org.

For a perfect weekend or stop en route to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, put Charlottesville on your bucket list. It's a unique small town with a vibrant downtown and lacks the cookie cutter chains that define so much of America. There is truly nowhere else like it.

*Bill Malcolm is an award-winning LGBTQ+ syndicated travel columnist whose work appears in LGBTQ+ publications across North America. Special thanks to Visit Charlottesville and The Forum Hotel for their travel tips. Also, special recognition to Embrace Magazine of Florida which carries my column which was awarded the 2023 Excellence in Journalism Award for travel writing by the Florida Press Club for my Milan and Chicago travel columns.

About the Author

Bill Malcolm Bill Malcolm is North America's only syndicated travel columnist. He focuses on value and pays his own way. He takes local transit and seeks to go where the locals go. He has appeared 100 times in LGBTQ publications and on websites including the IGLTA travel blog. You can find his work in GRAB Chicago, Erie Gay News, Seattle Gay News, and other places. He does this as a volunteer and does not charge for his work. He boycotts hotels and hotel chains with resort fees, amenity fees, destination fees, and other made up junk charges. He resides in Indianapolis. Follow him on Facebook.