1. University of Virginia.
With its classic red brick buildings, ancient oaks and sloping green lawns,
Jefferson's "academical village" has inspired many a case of
perpetual-student syndrome. Inside the
Rotunda, modeled after Rome's Pantheon,
climb the stairs to what has been called the most beautiful
room in America --
the light-filled Dome Room, with its series of double 15-foot columns cleverly
hiding a
series of bookcases. Free guided tours of the Rotunda and Lawn are
offered year-round by the
University Guide Service, 434-924-7969, http://uvaguides.zapto.org/visitors/tours.asp.
2. University of Virginia Art Museum. Eclectic is
the word at this compact but impressive repository a
block from the Rotunda. Old
Masters share space with Roman statuary, Chinese porcelain, Native American
artifacts and a few edgy photographs. Temporary exhibits include contemporary
California art, through
Dec. 22, and photographs by William Wylie, through Oct.
27. Free admission. 155 Rugby Rd.
(one block north of the Rotunda),
434-924-3592, www.virginia.edu/artmuseum.
3. Historic Downtown Mall. How now, downtown? As
blocked-off city thoroughfares go, Charlottesville's
is vibrant and appealing,
with an eccentric assortment of cafes, galleries, specialty shops (no chain
stores!),
vendors, even an ice rink. After you've prowled the quilt store, cat
store, pawn shop and Chinese antiques
shop, check out the New Dominion Book Shop
(404 E. Main St.), with its cozy mezzanine gallery, and the
Blue Whale (115 W.
Main), with a fine selection of antiquarian maps and prints. Main Street
between
First and Fifth streets.
4. Monticello. No matter how many times you visit,
every trip to Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop mansion is
a revelation. The only
American house on the United Nation's list of World Heritage sites, Jefferson's
"essay in architecture" delights the eye, nurtures the soul and speaks
eloquently to the inner handyman in us
all (the windows that double as doorways!
the retractable desk! the amazing auto-pen!). Save time to explore
the grounds,
especially Mulberry Row, the 1,000-foot-long road where about 60 of Jefferson's
135 slaves
lived and worked. Their houses haven't survived, but docents
re-create the details of their daily lives on
refreshingly candid tours. Admission
$11. Route 53, two miles southeast of Charlottesville, 434-984-9822,
www.monticello.org.
5. Ash Lawn-Highland. It may play second fiddle to
Monticello, but fifth president James Monroe's former
abode is definitely cuter
-- a cozy frame house with a Victorian-style addition, shaded by a magnificent
white oak. Now owned by the College of William and Mary, the house is fitted
with elegant 18th- and
19th-century furnishings, and you can tour the original
smokehouse, overseer's cottage and reconstructed
slave quarters. Even better,
there's a resident menagerie of sheep, chickens, cattle and screeching peacocks
-- the watchdogs of their day. Admission $8. 1000 James Monroe Parkway,
434-293-9539,
http://avenue.org/ashlawn.
6. Montpelier. Third in the triumvirate of
Charlottesville's presidential mansions, James Madison's house
appears oddly
modern. That's because when it was purchased by the duPont family in 1901, they
made
extensive renovations, virtually doubling its size. Inside, there's an odd
mixture of horsey duPont artifacts
and colonial-era trappings, but the staff
makes a determined effort to convey what life was like when the
fourth president
and his wife, Dolley, lived here. Take the Behind the Scenes tour to view rarely
seen rooms
on the second floor. Admission $9. 11407 Constitution Hwy., near
Orange
(27 miles north of Charlottesville), 540-672-2728, www.montpelier.org.
7. The Corner. If you've been searching for a pair
of khakis embroidered with hundreds of tiny blue and
orange V's to go with your
U-Va. ball cap, this is the spot. This funky strip of shops and eateries across
the
street from the Rotunda is the place to go for all things Cavalier. Stock up
on indie CDs, grab a Gusburger
at the venerated greasy spoon the White Spot, and
have a beer at Michael's Bistro, where you can view
the Rotunda from the bar. University
Avenue, across the street from the U-Va. campus.
8. Clifton. Lodging in C'ville ranges from chain
hotels to in-town B&Bs to splurges like Clifton, an impossibly
romantic
18th-century inn tucked away in the woods. The antique-filled guest rooms
feature wood-burning
fireplaces, Oriental rugs, fresh flowers and CD libraries,
and overlook luxuriant gardens or a lake. Outdoors,
there's tennis, swimming,
croquet and hiking. But the greatest pleasure may be the leisurely three-course
dinners, made with fresh local and regional ingredients. Route 729, 1296
Clifton Inn Dr.,
888-971-1800, www.cliftoninn.com; doubles $175-$495 weekends,
$165-$365 weekdays; prix-fixe
dinner $45 (not including wine or tip).
9. Jefferson Vineyards. Several of Virginia's
70-odd wineries are located in and around Charlottesville,
including
Barboursville (540-832-3824), Horton (540-832-7440) and Jefferson vineyards.
Jefferson, on
650 historic acres just down the road from Monticello, was the
original site of Thomas Jefferson's first
(and unsuccessful) plantings of
European vinifera vines. Today you can tour the winery that now flourishes
there, sample the chardonnays and bordeaux varietals, and picnic on the deck,
with its incomparable
mountain views. Route 53 between Monticello and Ash
Lawn, 434-977-3042 or 800-272-3042,
www.jeffersonvineyards.com.
10. C&O Restaurant. Sure, you can do the
burger-and-a-beer thing, but there's no lack of stylish
nouvelle-cuisine
eateries downtown, including Mono Loco (Cuban), Hamilton's (new American),
Oxo
(French) and Bizou (bistro). The C&O, housed in a former diner, has won a
loyal following for its
inventive entrees, including local trout stuffed with
braised fennel and lemon, stir-fried Thai vegetables in
green curry and coconut
broth over sticky rice, and Cuban steak marinated in Dijon mustard and Tabasco.
515 E. Water St., 434-971-7044. Entrees $15-$28.