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You are here: Home / Charlottesville / A Weekend In Charlottesville

April 1, 2016

A Weekend In Charlottesville

I get asked a lot: What should I see and do during a weekend in Charlottesville? This spring I’ve been a guest blogger on Southern Living’s Daily South blog. I get so many emails about what to do in Cville, and here are all my favorites in one packed weekend! 

***

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!

A Weekend In Charlottesvile, Virginia // katheats.com #travel #virginia #cville

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.

Fridays

In the cooler months, head over to Champion Brewing or Three Notch’d Brewing and taste a sampler of local favorites. Or sip a jalapeño margarita at Zocalo!

Spice-A-Rita

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.

Splendoras

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.

Juice Laundry this !

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. 

Whiskey Jar

Monticello + Vineyards

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.

Vineyards

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!

Zocalo Pepper

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!!!

Commonwealth Brunch

On your way out of town, stop at Sweethaus for a farewell cupcake. Get the Cookie Dough flavor. You’re welcome!!

Sweethaus

Check out my Cville page for lots more recommendations and this post that features Charlottesville’s Healthiest Spots.

More posts from Kath:

Filed Under: Charlottesville

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Comments

  1. Jen says

    April 1, 2016 at 8:29 am

    Love this!!

    Reply
  2. clare @ fitting it all in says

    April 1, 2016 at 9:29 am

    AHHH this makes me miss Cville so much!! Must get back for a visit!

    Reply
  3. Hannah @CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

    April 1, 2016 at 10:13 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      April 1, 2016 at 11:08 am

      None in particular but Nude Fude would be one to focus on real food, lower carb, etc

      Reply
  4. Sam @ Barrister's Beet says

    April 1, 2016 at 10:22 am

    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

    Reply
  5. Meghan says

    April 1, 2016 at 10:32 am

    I love your post. Any recommendations on a place to stay, walking distance to downtown. Hoping for a getaway without children.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      April 1, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      If you scroll to the bottom of my Cville page you’ll see some places I recommend. Definitely check out Stay Charlottesville!

      Reply
    • SR says

      April 5, 2016 at 9:48 am

      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.

      Reply
  6. Lauren C says

    April 1, 2016 at 10:56 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
  7. Maggie says

    April 1, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    I’ve never been, but if I do, will be re-reading this post!

    Reply
  8. Jill @ RunEatSnap says

    April 1, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    I lived in Cville for 5 months last year. I really liked it there!

    Reply
  9. Bobbie says

    April 1, 2016 at 2:01 pm

    Loved this! Makes me want to visit!

    Reply
  10. Hannah @ eat, drink, and save money says

    April 2, 2016 at 6:14 am

    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.

    Reply
  11. Jill says

    April 2, 2016 at 9:24 pm

    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) 🙂

    Reply
    • Beth says

      April 5, 2016 at 9:58 am

      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)

      Reply
      • KathEats says

        April 5, 2016 at 10:02 am

        Yes! The Farmhouse at Veritas was amazing

        Reply
  12. Maria says

    April 2, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    Love this info! Are there any major chains that have hotels near downtown? I looked at airbnb but saw limited options.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      April 3, 2016 at 10:15 am

      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!

      Reply
  13. Lindsey says

    April 4, 2016 at 8:53 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      April 4, 2016 at 9:03 am

      🙂

      Reply
  14. EDL says

    April 7, 2016 at 8:02 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      April 7, 2016 at 8:45 am

      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.

      Reply
      • EDL says

        April 8, 2016 at 9:24 pm

        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.

        Reply
  15. Captain P says

    April 7, 2016 at 11:23 am

    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.

    Reply
  16. Deborah says

    April 7, 2016 at 12:44 pm

    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.

    Reply
  17. Jen says

    December 14, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    Kath, do you have any recs for hotels or B&Bs in Charlottesville? Thanks!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      December 15, 2016 at 7:53 am

      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 : )

      Reply
      • Jen says

        December 15, 2016 at 8:29 am

        Thanks! Downtown, preferably. Planning to visit next fall.

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          December 15, 2016 at 8:37 am

          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.

          Reply
          • Jen says

            December 17, 2016 at 3:25 pm

            Thanks Kath!

            Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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