photo by gusto

Thomas Jefferson called it home, but he wasn’t the only one who thought the Charlottesville area was special. The community has grown by leaps and bounds and now includes a range of attractions, making Charlottesville a fantastic place for a weekend getaway. Monticello, the majority of which was constructed after 1769, was completed in 1809 after Jefferson’s trip to Europe. The home is really a biographical sketch of one of our founding fathers. He was intensely involved in the design and construction of his forty-three room home. It served him well until his death on July 4, 1826 – exactly 50 years after his draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was also the founding father of the University of Virginia. It has a reputation for being one of the best colleges, public or private, in the state of Virginia. Take a stroll around the immaculate grounds, then grab some sandwiches and drinks and have a picnic. There are several wineries and vineyards in the Charlottesville area, but two of the most popular are Blenheim and Kluge. You can spend an afternoon sampling the local vintages. Another popular attraction is the steeplechase racing at Foxfield, which opened in 1978. In addition to steeplechase racing, Foxfield offers traditional horse racing, family barbecues, and children’s pony rides. If racing and wine aren’t really what you’re looking for, surely the boutiques in the brick-paved Downtown Mall will satisfy you. In addition to numerous shops and restaurants and the historic architecture, the Downtown Mall boasts an indoor ice skating rink.