Great places to go on spring break: Charlottesville, Va.

Today I'm going to stray from my usual "Photos on Friday" post and do another blog post on places to visit during spring break. This destination is a bit further away from the District, however, it's a neat place to visit. Charlottesville, Virginia is located about two hours from Fairfax County (depending on the route taken, may be a little longer from the District).

Probably at the top of most visitor's lists when arriving in Charlottesville is Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Truly, in my opinion, it is not to be missed. You can easily spend an entire day here, so if you want to only do a day trip (like we've done), plan to leave early! 

Highland is the home of President James Monroe. You won't need nearly as much time to tour this historic home, but since it is so close to Monticello it is definitely worth planning to see on the same trip.

[For photos and history of President Monroe's home, I invite you to visit my post: Highland provides a glimpse into the life of the fifth U.S. President ]

Then there is Michie Tavern. If you want to have a fabulous lunch, I recommend this restaurant, it's only open limited hours (11:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). You'll get a nice experience and the food is great, it serves traditional southern fare, 18th Century style recipes, and setting. In addition to the dining, there is also a museum and other gift and artisan shops on the property. It's got a wonderfully historic atmosphere and you can experience a taste of history from an era gone by. 

 

What we did on our last trip was spend the morning at Monticello and then went to have some lunch at Michie Tavern before heading over to Highland in the afternoon. We had been to Monticello before so spent maybe 3 hours there before moving on. For a first time visit, I recommend planning some additional time if you're like me and want to see everything.

I tend to stick to historic sites, gardens, and family-friendly attractions. However, there are also plenty of other things to do in Charlottesville in the great outdoors. For instance, if you like to go on wine tours, there is some good stuff down there (well, really throughout Virginia for vineyards). To learn more about what else there is to do in Charlottesville, you can check out their official page. 

Related reading:

Great places to go on spring break: Luray, Virginia

Great places to go on spring break: Washington D.C.