A Wedding in Charlottesville

We were in Charlottesville, VA from the wee hours of Friday morning until early Sunday morning. Hardly 48 hours. But, we really enjoyed our time there and the time we had with friends.

The Highlights – History

Monticello

You cannot possibly visit Charlottesville and pass up the opportunity to walk through the house created by former President Thomas Jefferson. A ticket will get you a tour of the main floor of the house and, if it interests you, there are regular tours to explore the gardens and the history of slavery at Monticello. We opted to explore the grounds, read some plaques, and head back to the visitor center.

There’s also a life-sized statue of Jefferson – who is one inch shorter than my husband!

The view of Monticello from the fish pond.

Cockscomb flowers in the garden.

University of Virginia

Founded by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia is probably the oldest university I’ve set foot on. This place is rife with tradition, history, and secret societies. Our friends (UVA Alums both) showed us around campus, acting as the best tour guides we could have hoped for! And they took pictures of us at the famous Rotunda – front and back.

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Humpback Rocks

Just outside of Charlottesville, the Blue Ridge mountains stand. Travelling up the lovely Blue Ridge parkway, we got to the trail head of a 1.7 mile trail. The beginning was obviously eroded very badly, the middle was really rocky, but the end made the steep .8 miles upward worth it! There are huge chunks of rock sticking over a large bluff. There’s innumerable places to dangle your feet as you enjoy the view. Here’s Alex from his spot.

And me from mine! There was also a raven super close to Alex’s perch.

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Vineyards

One thing I did not know about Virginia is how popular the area is for wine! There are dozens of vineyards just outside of Charlottesville. We chose Veritas Vineyards because it was close to Humpback Rocks, but we would have enjoyed all of them, I’m sure!

The Highlights – Food

One of my favorite parts about Charlottesville was the food! Below I’ve got the best we had.

Bodo’s Bagels

We loved breakfast here so much, we went twice! The cheapest breakfast you could get (UVA students live here for this reason), the bakery uses water from New York and makes their own cream cheese. Combined it makes the greatest breakfast available. I could’ve come here a third time with no issue.

Beer Run

This is a liquor store selling a surprisingly large selection of beer, but they also are a restaurant! I’m told their brunch is great. Brunch at a liquor store? I know, but we really enjoyed the place.

Revolutionary Soups

“Rev Soups” to the locals, I know – I was corrected. I had a fantastic butternut bisque and Alex loved his spicy chicken tortilla soup. The menu is definitely always changing, and we thought it was delicious!

In Summary

Overall, we had a lovely time in Charlottesville, and a major thank you to our friends for guiding us around at times. The wedding we went to was really lovely, and I definitely had the most handsome date!