This spring I’ve been a guest blogger on Southern Living’s Daily South blog. This is a post I wrote for them that I felt I had to share here! I get so many emails about what to do in Cville, and here are all my favorites in one packed weekend!
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A Weekend In Charlottesville
Hello Daily South readers! I am Kath, author of Kath Eats Real Food. I live in Charlottesville, Virginia where I eat really good real food all the time in our many lovely restaurants! I’ve been in Charlottesville for almost six years and frequently get emails from readers asking me for recommendations for things to do and of course, where to eat! Charlottesville makes such a great weekend getaway, so here’s my itinerary for a weekend visit!
Friday
Arrive in time for cocktail hour on the Downtown Mall. If the weather is warm, stop into Fridays After Five at the Pavilion at the end of the mall. Enjoy one of our local beers or a glass of Blenheim Wine on draft while you listen to a a free outdoor concert.
In the cooler months, head over to Champion Brewing or Three Notch’d Brewing and taste a sampler of local favorites. Or sip a Spice-a-Rita jalapeño margarita at Mono Loco!
For dinner, check out Citizen Burger Bar on the mall. They serve Timbercreek grass-fed beef and many local products. Their sweet potato fries are the best in the world! If you’re looking for something healthy, try the Beet Salad with goat cheese, blueberries, beets, apples and candied walnuts. It’s huge and could easily serve two people.
For dessert (if you have room!) head just up the mall to Splendora’s Gelato. They serve dozens of unique flavors, and the White Chocolate Lemon is my favorite if they have it! You can also get a tiny bambino cone for a teeny portion.
Saturday
Stop into our farmer’s market, which is downtown just off the mall. Look for the freshly made donuts with rainbow sprinkles, a scuffin (scone+muffin!) from Great Harvest or for something hearty, try a Babes in the Wood sausage topped with a fresh farm egg. Don’t miss coffee from Shenandoah Joe’s!
Hop back in your car and head to the Monticello Trail to work off your breakfast. It’s about 10 minutes outside of town, and the trail is light gravel and easy for strollers or jogging. Two miles up to the top, and you’ll find the entrance to Monticello.
For a lighter lunch head over to the Juice Laundry for a smoothie in a bowl or their vegan chili with a Spicy Greens juice on the side. For something a bit more substantial, head back downtown to Whiskey Jar. I love their egg salad sandwich or the salad with catfish on top! The mini pan of cornbread with sorghum butter is amazing.
Saturday afternoon head out to Monticello and take the tour! You won’t want to miss our famous historic site. Afterwards, drive 10 more minutes into the country and do some wine tasting. Blenheim, Trump and Jefferson Vineyards are all about 5 minutes apart. Blenheim is owned by Dave Matthews, Trump is known for sparkling wines and Jefferson’s Chardonnay Reserve is one of my favorites.
For dinner head back downtown and go to Zocalo for the Stuffed Relleno Pepper! My favorite entree in town, it’s filled with rice, corn and cheese, rolled in a crushed tortilla chip crust and then served over smoked tomato grits with a buttermilk cilantro sauce. Take in a night cap at Alley Light, famous for their hand-crafted cocktails!
Sunday
Start the morning off with a yoga class at Hot Yoga Cville on Market Street or a run on the greenway at Riverview Park, which is two miles long and scenic.
Then head to brunch at Commonwealth. Everything is good!!!
On your way out of town, stop at Sweethaus for a farewell cupcake. Get the Cookie Dough flavor. You’re welcome!!
Love this!!
AHHH this makes me miss Cville so much!! Must get back for a visit!
I love this post! My fiance and I will be taking our honeymoon in May to North Carolina and Virginia and will be spending 2 days in Charlottesville. I know you do not eat Paleo, but have you heard of any places or do you have any recommendations for restaurants that are accommodating for that diet? Thanks!
None in particular but Nude Fude would be one to focus on real food, lower carb, etc
I love Charlottesville! We did a long weekend there a few years ago and loved it. I love UVA’s campus, too. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I will definitely give these places a try the next time I’m in c-ville.
Sam
I love your post. Any recommendations on a place to stay, walking distance to downtown. Hoping for a getaway without children.
If you scroll to the bottom of my Cville page you’ll see some places I recommend. Definitely check out Stay Charlottesville!
There is an Omni hotel on the mall – it’s nice enough but older. They just completed a Marriott Residence Inn on the corner or Ridge-Mcintire & West Main, essentially across the street from downtown. I’ve heard nice things, but they’re filling up quickly. The South Street Inn is a cute bed & breakfast, but fair warning – they’re doing some construction on the streets and adjacent parking lot. A few blocks off the mall (but still convenient!) is The Inn at 400 West Main Street. That’s a pretty comprehensive list of “established” overnight stays. I’d recommend checking out airbnb or VRBO.com as well, you might find someone renting their condo in Belmont or on the mall itself.
I honestly hadn’t even heard of Cville until I started reading your blog, but you made it seem so amazing that my husband and I took a 5-day trip there in 2014. It was amazing!! We loved running the Monticello trail, touring Monticello, hitting up King Family Vineyard and we went to Citizens TWICE because my husband was so obsessed with it. You should get a job working for Charlottesville tourism 🙂
I’ve never been, but if I do, will be re-reading this post!
I lived in Cville for 5 months last year. I really liked it there!
Loved this! Makes me want to visit!
Wow! What a cool article. As a displaced Southerner, Southern Living is how I hold onto my heritage. I devour every page of the magazine and love the website. I’m so excited to see you working with them!
You make me want to visit Cville. You sure do know how to find the best places to eat.
I would also love to get some hotel/B&B recommendations from you. My husband and I are looking for a short/semi-close getaway for our upcoming anniversary! (We live in the Baltimore area) 🙂
The accommodations listed in the comments are fun, but I’d also suggest looking into B&Bs outside of Charlottesville proper. There are several in the Afton area (aka “wine country” ;)) and on the north end of town, Lydia Mountain. On the Afton side, there is the Farmhouse @ Veritas and Le Bleu Ridge (there are more, but these two are great)
Yes! The Farmhouse at Veritas was amazing
Love this info! Are there any major chains that have hotels near downtown? I looked at airbnb but saw limited options.
Just the Omni and the Hampton Inn I mentioned on my Cville page which is a wee bit of a walk to downtown. Actually though we do have a brand new hotel – Residence Inn by Marriott – that they built right downtown, but I know nothing about it. But it’s brand new so it must be nice!
We are coming to Charlottesville for our anniversary late this summer (I actually emailed with you a while back when we were booking) AND we just found out we are coming back for a wedding in October. I think that gives us enough time to make a good dent in this list. And drink lots and lots of wine!
🙂
I can’t wait to visit Charlottesville at some point… I’ve been hooked on it from reading your blog!
We’re headed to Asheville NC in May for a couple days. I found a couple of your old blog posts (one with Jenna from ELR!) and read those, but do you have any other must-do/must-eat/must-stay tips for that area?
Thanks Kath!
Here are some favs:
The Laughing Seed
Rosetta’s Kitchen
Cucina 24
The Chocolate Fetish
Bouchon
Tupelo Honey
Tressa’s (for drinks + dancing)
Pisgah brewing for delicious beer!
And I was JUST looking at this cool hike on Facebook.
Thanks so much! This is awesome!!
We went to California last fall and I used all sorts of your posts to plan our trip 🙂 Healdsburg tips were my favorite.
I know it’s not as gourmet as most of these, but you can’t visit Cville without getting a Bodo’s breakfast bagel! I lived in Cville for 7 years and honestly, the place that I just CAN’T find a substitute for in my new city is Bodo’s.
Fresh Donuts made daily at Miso Sweet on the Downtown Mall.
Miso Sweet serves ramen bowls filled with noodles, a soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots, sprouts, seaweed, and broth.
There are various meats, vegetables, broths, and extras to add to your bowl.
Indoor and Outdoor seating.
Kath, do you have any recs for hotels or B&Bs in Charlottesville? Thanks!
Check out this site! They have some gorgeous spots: http://staycharlottesville.com/
Did you want to be downtown or more out in the vineyards? I can recommend something with a clearer vision : )
Thanks! Downtown, preferably. Planning to visit next fall.
Check out Stay Cville, and also check out the South Street Inn, 411 High B&B, the Omni, our new Residence Inn and the Oakhurst Inn near UVA.
Thanks Kath!