I visited Charlottesville once in college and didn’t really remember missing much; however, when I went back this spring, I was pleasantly surprised. Part bucolic, part prep, Charlottesville has a good balance between the young and the old, the casual and the refined. The dining scene has palpably changed, and the locals I spoke with would back me up on this. Plus, visiting a vineyard for an afternoon wasn’t really my idea of fun when I was in school, and so having that element to tag on to the adventure made the experience all the more fruitful. Charlottesville is only about a 2.5 hour drive from DC, making it just far enough away that you might want to stay the night to really take it all in properly.

Items marked with an * were one of my favorites that I would highly recommend.

For easy planning, be sure to check out this map of all of the places in Virginia I recommend, and zoom on over to Charlottesville.

Eat & Drink

*Tavola - Italian
*Belle - Bakery focused on sourdough
Mas - Tapas
Lampo - Pizzeria
Citizen Burger Bar - Burgers
Little Star Restaurant - Modern American
Quirk Cafe - cafe next to the Quirk Hotel
Petite Mariebette - bakery/cafe
Brazos Tacos - casual taco spot
*Pippin Hill - Vineyard located about 30 minutes away from downtown
*Farmhouse at Veritas - vineyard on beautiful grounds

Shop

*Be Just - could have spent hours here, honestly
Eloise - women’s apparel

Stay & See

The Clifton - Hotel with major bucolic farm vibes
The Quirk Hotel - Modern hotel
UVa - start at The Rotunda and then wander around!
Monticello - Jefferson’s residence, very cool to see
Farmhouse at Veritas - hotel about an hour away