Charlottesville Tourist Information

An hour’s drive from Richmond, a little over two hours from the D.C. area, Charlottesville is filled with Colonial arcana , stunning scenery (take the Blue Ridge Parkway drive to points West and see even more unmatchable nature), and a hoppin’ college town atmosphere. This little ‘burg has much to offer, with annual events like the Virginia Festival of Film (in late Oct. / early November) and the Virginia Festival of the Book (in March) to entice outsiders. . . plus more coffeehouses per square inch than any place this side of Seattle.

There’s the bustling UVa corner, on the West Main street drag with its used bookstores, java huts and cafes. . . another cool C’Ville spot: the outdoor Downtown Mall, which hosts a free concert every Friday evening during the summer; the historic Mall also boasts a bevy of eccentric retail establishments, some pawn shops, more used book places, a fine jazz club or two, and, yes, still more coffeehouses. For more information, you can dial the Piedmont Council for the Arts at 804-980-3366 or 804-971-ARTS. For University of Virginia information, you can dial 804-924-3777.

As you venture farther into Virginia, you’ll find thriving college communities in Harrisonburg, Blacksburg and Leesburg, as well as interesting places like Staunton and Roanoke. We hope to have a full and complete listing of events and spots in those areas in future updates of the web site. For now, click to our "Western Virginia" file.

Galleries & Museums

AMERICAN ARTISANS FINE CRAFT GALLERY (in Waynesboro, 540-943-9282)

BAYLY MUSEUM (At UVA, call 804- 924-3592)

BOZ-ART GALLERY (211 W. Main Street; 804-296-3912)

CENTRAL SPACE GALLERY (804-984-2665)

DOWNTOWN ART SPACE (804-963-7976)

FAYERWEATHER GALLERY (on Rugby Rd.; 804-924-6123)

GALLERY NEO (108 2nd St. NW, 804-979-0563)

LES YEUX DU MONDE (841 Wolf Trap Rd.; 804-973-5566)

McGUFFREY ART CENTER (201 2nd St. NW; 804-295-7973)

MUDHOUSE (Downtown Mall; 804-984-6833)

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FRONTIER CULTURE (in Staunton; 540-332-7850) Open 10-4 everyday.

SCOTTSVILLE MUSEUM (804-286-2247)

SECOND STREET GALLERY (201 Second St. NW; 804-977-7284)

THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL CHURCH (717 Rugby Rd.; 804-293-8179)

VIRGINIA DISCOVERY MUSEUM (524 Main St. E.; 804-977-1025) The Kiddie Favorite. Science!

(Art and photography exhibits are also featured at both locations of HIGHER GROUNDS, THE MUDHOUSE on the Downtown Mall and SPENCER’S 206 on the Mall)

Historical Attractions:

ASHLAWN-HIGHLAND (Located about 3 miles from Monticello on Rt. 795, 804-293-9539) The restored home of James Monroe, this historic residence has been turned into a combination museum / working plantation. They also have plenty of classical music concerts and craft weekends here. And opera as well. Don’t pet the peacocks, for christ sakes! Open daily 10-5 until October.

MONTICELLO (Located on Rt. 53, 804-984-9822) Newly restored, this world famous dwelling was built by America’s third president Thomas Jefferson, and continues to inspire people all over the world. Truly a magnificent structure. Very few official "tourist" attractions live up to their billing and this one does. (Hint: If you bring an Albemarle County resident with you, one of you can get into the Monticello tour for free)

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (For info: 804-924-3239 / 924-7969) More testimony to the genius of Jefferson, the grounds and structures of UVa have been recognized as landmarks in architecture and design. Visit for the Rotunda, the hallowed "Lawn" area, or follow the strains of Phish and DMB to any number of frat houses on the premises. Take Terry Holland’s name in vain, though, and you’ll find trouble.

Theatre:

ASH-LAWN HIGHLAND (on Monroe Parkway; 804-979-0122) Summer plays and operas are presented.

BARBOURSVILLE PLAYHOUSE (in nearbly Barboursville; 540-832-5355) The Four County Players, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, puts on plays and musicals at this longtime landmark.

BISTRO 151 (in Nellysford; 804-361-1463) Restaurant / coffeehouse also features plays on occasion.

CULBRETH THEATRE (at UVa; 804-924-3376) :

HELMS THEATRE (at UVa; 804-924-3326) Another venue for the UVa Drama Dept.

LIVE ARTS (609 E. Market St., 804-963-8400) Adventurous, sometimes pretentious, always interesting theatre company that showcases obscure revivals, new plays, old classics and musicals and also hosts musical events and dress balls.

OLD MICHIE THEATRE (221 East Water St.; 804-977-3690)

Retail stores and other places of interest:

ARNETTE’S (1601 University Ave., 977-8451) Part women’s boutique, part unusual gift store, this UVa corner store is a Charlottesville tradition. Don’t forget to make it all the way upstairs to the wacky gift room.

CHA-CHA’s (on the Downtown Mall) Kitsch culture and niknaks. Cute and cool!

COYOTE (on the UVa corner near Mincers) Postcards, T-Shirts, jewelry, other surprises.

DAEDALUS BOOKS (123 4th St. NE on the Downtown Mall, 293-7595). Packed with three levels of used books at affordable prices. If you are a book nut, reserve an hour for this place.

GREENE VALLEY BOOK FAIR (near Harrisonburg off of 1-81) More books! This is one of those facility-sized book emporiums that offers up discontinuted books at low prices. Twice a year or so, they hold a USED RECORD FAIR that is a godsend to area vinyl junkies.

HEARTWOOD BOOKS (5 & 9 Elliewood, 295-7083) Another packed and affordable used book store, with a slew of movie and film books. This shop is on the UVa corner.

MARKET STREET WINESHOP (311 E. Market St.;964-WINE) This combination wineshop and tasting place has the most amusing in-store brochure, and a wide-arrange of wines to choose from. "Grip"’s own wino, Patty Melt, recommends this place. Now with an "uptown" location to boot.

SNEAK REVIEWS (2244 Ivy Rd.; 979-4420). Charlottesville’s (and maybe Virginia’s) most varied selection of unusual, offbeat and foreign videos, plus more mainstream fare.

Lodging

Hotels? No problem. . . unless you happen to visit on a UVa parent’s gathering, or during a heated basketball or football weekend, or one of Charlottesville’s academic festivals.

You’re pretty safe during the Summer months-- and that’s probably the best time for a tourist to visit the city, and not to be swamped by student rush and traffic. You can then enjoy the prime Piedmont scenery and history.

The overwhelming "Grip Monthly" hotel favorite is the BEST WESTERN CAVALIER INN, a musician-friendly place (they put up all Prism Coffeehouse guests, for instance) that is a hop-skip-jump from just about any place in the immediate city area. It’s at 105 N. Emmet St. and you can call for reservations at 804-296-8111. Other recommended Charlottesville hotels: SUPER 8 (at 390 Greenbrier, 804-973-0888); QUALITY INN (at 1600 Emmet Street, 804-971-3746) and the HOLIDAY INN (at Emmet and Hydraulic, 804-817-7707), which is also where Grip co-sponsors the occasional Record Convention.

If the hotels and travel lodges are all booked up (a possibility some weekends, due to games and student events), try shacking in one of the fine hotels in nearby Waynesboro, mere minutes away from Charlottesville.

Food

Good, cheap eats can be found in Charlottesville. Good, moderately-expensive eats too. For hearty breakfast food, there’s THE TAVERN (Across from Barracks Roads Shopping center on Emmet St./Rt. 29). Good family style stuff, plus you’ve got to love a place with a roof that reads, "Where the Students, the Tourists and the Townspeople Meet." It’s true. TERRY’S NOOK, on the Downtown Mall, is another unpretentious diner with a neat and friendly staff and inexpensive fare.

And we certainly can’t forget BODO’S BAGELS, an always popular eating place for students that now has three locations in Charlottesville. There’s the Emmet St. and Rt. 250 Bypass spot (down Rt. 29), the Preston Ave. & Harris St. location, and at 1609 University Ave (at this writing, not open yet). Those looking for inexpensive and filling Mexican food should waste no time in checking out the city’s two GUADALAJARA locations, one near the Downtown Mall (at 801 E. Market St.), the other on Rt. 29 (at 395 Greenbrier Dr.). They serve middling to good Mexican food with price-is-right lunch specials.

CAFE EUROPA, on the Uva corner near Plan 9, serves tasty greek dishes. It gets crowded at lunch and can get congested with folks, but is highly worthwhile. Also on the Corner is MICHAEL’S BISTRO, above Littlejohns, offering fine and fancy dishes (and numerous Microbrews) at low prices and sometimes with musical accompiniment. Wave to Chuck Adcock in the kitchen. Midway between the Corner and the Downtown Mall are SOUTHERN CULTURE (on 633 W. Main St., 979-1990) and CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ( 811 W. Main St., 984-0143), the former is a great hangout bar that also serves good Tex-Mex, Caribbean and cajun dishes. The latter is a funky oblong joint with huge booths, a friendly staff, and usually yummy Tex-Mex and seafood dishes. Most entrees are moderately priced.

Can’t forget Atsushi Miura’s TOKYO ROSE. Great sushi, affordable prices, good music after dinner. What more do you want? The Rose is in the Ivy Road Shopping Center. For other exotic treats, the MONSOON CAFE on the Downtown Mall (971-1515). The Monsoon has a decor by artist Steve Keene and all kinds of Thai delights. Meanwhile, down Rt. 29, MAHARAJA, at Seminole Square features good Indian cuisine and an inexpensive lunch buffet (130 Zan; 973-1110). Chinese food buffs are urged to try SAIGON CAFE (296-8661), for Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. And also worthwhile in the Chinese Food Department: PEKING CHINA (830 Cherry Ave., 979-8038), TAIWAN GARDEN (9 University Shopping Center, 295-0081), and the vastly improved CHINA STAR (1395 W. Main on the Corner, 977-6044). A new addition to the Charlottesville palette is MONO LOCO, just beside the Downtown Mall on Water Street (979-0688), which serves cuban food, and serves as a meeting place for the beautiful people of the Downtown Mall area. Not sure if that’s good or bad, you decide. Also to see and be seen (as well as to eat), there’s CAFE BOCCE (in Scottsville; 804-286-4422), a cooly elegant place to have a nice brunch, in a nearby burg about 20 minutes from Charlottesville that has some neat ambience.

Veggies and vegans should check out the newly opened PITA INN for humus, falafel, spinach pie, salads and other treats. It’s at 14th and Main on the UVa Corner. 293-5445.And VEGGIE HEAVEN (in Preston Plaza; 293-4111) is all vegetarian!

On the other side, Carnivores out for thrills might want to try the wondrous BIG JIM’S BBQ (Angus Rd., 296-8283) or (Grip’s Tyler and Don give this place a BIG thumbs up) WAYSIDE TAKEOUT, near Durty Nellys off of JPA (977-5000). Good Pork Barbecue sandwiches, great heart-clogging baked beans, juicy onion rings, hearty burgers, low prices. Be warned that this place does get crowded at lunchtime. Wayside gets the Official Grip Monthly Carnivore-on-a-Budget Seal of Approval Award!!!

Meanwhile, Grip editor Dan swears by THE FLAMINGO, a rotisserie at 201 Main St. at the Downtown Mall (293-9494). He keeps muttering "ribs" in that Billy Bob Thorton voice and that means good eats and an affordable price.

Being a college town, you can expect lots of Italian food-- meaning pizza! Our current favorite is easily accessed while doing the tourist thang in the Monticello-Ash Lawn area.SIMEON MARKET GOURMET is halfway between both of these landmarks on Rt. 53. This quaint, country store-type place offers more of a take-out atmosphere, but you can’t pass up their scrumptious (and thick) pizza as well as yummy subs, quiches, muffins, salads and offbrand sodas. Just what you need after a day of Colonial architecture! The Simeon has pizza by the slice too. Call ahead (804-977-8200) for take out orders. (Serious business, and not just because we like Simeon Don, but this pizza of his is out of this world. Take the winding detour and have some!!!!)

In the City of Charlottesville, the best brick-baked pie is probably to be found at THE BRICK OVEN, way up on Rt. 29 at Rio Hill Shopping Center. 978-7898. Closer to town, though, in two convenient locations: SYLVIA’S PIZZA, on the Downtown Mall and now with a spot next to Baja Bean on the Corner. Good pies, by the slice or whole, and inexpensive. Also close to the UVa campus, the reliable COLLEGE INN has a good sturdy pie. This delivering campus mainstay consistently wins applause for its pizza, subs and gyros (1511 University Ave., 977-2710) and in-house Cavalier sports morgue.

If you want to spend a little extra and have a comfortable Italian sit-down, we recommend CARMELLOS (400 Emmet St. / Rt. 29). This location of the Northern Virginia-based Italian restaurant chain is friendly, serves hearty fare, has a fair number of wines in different price ranges to choose from. Reservations at 977-5200. Sharing the honors for perfect Charlottesville date place is ROCOCO'S, another fine Italian food place. A bit pricey, maybe, but fine fine fine (Corner of Hydraulic & Commonwealth; 971-7371). A little bit off the beaten C’Ville path (about 20 minutes) there’s CROZET PIZZA, a hole-in-the-wall Brick-baked legend. Not too pricey, but with an incredible selection of toppings and wonderful homemade pie taste. Reservations are encouraged at 823-2132.

Late nighters are not so lucky in Charlottesville-- (any of you fast-thinkin’Yankees want to come down here and open up some all-night places and make a fortune?) Yep, in this college burg there are VERY FEW fast food places open 24 hours, and only a handful of restaurants cater to the nocturnal partaker of the midnight snack. Believe it or not-- the arrival of the 24-hour WAFFLE HOUSE on 5th Street Extended (right off of 1-64) was a huge deal that entailed the use of prayer rugs for many on the Grip Charlottesville staff. Isn’t that pathetic???

In a late night pinch, you can also try the newly opened KRISPY KREME on Rt. 29 / Emmet in front of Comfort Inn., and also LITTLEJOHN’S on the UVa Corner, below Michael’s Bistro at 1427 University Ave. . . although beware of the management.

(. . . and don’t forget to tell them that you heard about it from

Grip Monthly and the Virginia Music Flash web page.)