Thomas Jefferson’s City Is An Architectural Gem
Charlottesville, Va., and the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains offer a relaxing escape from the north’s endless “mud season” with a triple dose of scenic beauty, rich culture and a storied past. This area is a great single-stop destination, or it can be part of a larger tour of the southeast region.Thes best way to start a tour of Charlottesville is to travel historic Route 53. Down this narrow lane two of our Founding Fathers built their homes and shared a deep friendship. Today we are welcome to walk in their footsteps, marvel in the wisdom that framed our country, explore the beauty of their gardens and visit the quarters where slaves carried out the day-to-day operations of their homes.
At the top of the list is Monticello, the architectural masterpiece built by our third president, Thomas Jefferson. Indeed, the father of the U.S. Declaration of Independence rules the area still, if you consider the impressiveness of his home and his most cherished project, the University of Virginia.
Jefferson started building Monticello in 1769 when he was 26 and continued to work on it for the next 40 years. The Roman neoclassical structure has 33 rooms and 13 skylights, a distinctive dome roof and several octagonal rooms. Monticello is decorated with many original furnishings and is full of Jefferson’s possessions, including artifacts from another of his projects, the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Be forwarned, Monticello is the area’s most visited spot, so be in line early, especially on weekends.
Just around the corner, is Ash Lawn-Highland. This 535-acre estate was home of fifth president James Monroe. He purchased it in 1793 because of his friendship with Jefferson, who selected the house site and even sent over gardeners to help start the orchards. Enjoy the fine French and American furnishings and learn about life 200 years ago from costumed interpreters and farm craft demonstrations. Take a stroll among the boxwood gardens–where outdoor operas are held each summer–and enjoy the peacocks that roam the well-manicured lawns.
Before you head back to town, stop by Michie Tavern, for a hearty southern style meal. Michie Tavern (pronounced “micky“) is one of the oldest homesteads remaining in Virginia, opened as a tavern by the Michie family in1784. It was originally located on a well-worn stagecoach route 17 miles away. In 1927 the tavern was dismantled, moved and reassembled at its current location.
The tavern museum offers tours, while next door in the Ordinary, a converted slave house, visitors enjoy a Colonial buffet of fried chicken, black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, green bean salad, homemade biscuits, corn bread and apple cobbler. Now that you have explored the past, step into Charlottesville present, with stops at the University of Virginia and the Downtown Mall. Even here you will find Jefferson’s influence around almost every corner.
Jefferson was most proud of the creation of this university. The splendid campus with its handsome brick and graceful white columns has a majestic beauty.The school’s crown jewel is Jefferson’s academical village and the Rotunda, which he designed after the Roman Pantheon. The top floor Dome room once housed the university library, which was selected by Jefferson. The 10 Pavilions that flank the grassy Lawn are unique architectural designs, where the most accomplished students vie to live in the small rooms that have no heat, air conditioning or indoor plumbing.
Beautifully kept gardens beckon behind serpentine walls. The nearby Lawn has seen everything from 19th century duels between students and the killing of a popular professor to streaking in more recent years. Edgar Allan Poe’s room near the lawn is immortalized forevermore.
Now, head your car down University Avenue and Main Street to the Historic Downtown Mall. The former thoroughfare has been bricked over to allow pedestrians full reign. With more than 120 shops and galleries, and dozens of restaurants, this is a treasure trove for bargain hunters, culture seekers and hungry diners. Now that you’ve had your history lesson, how about a little mountain adventure? A 20-minute trip west on I-64 will land you atop Afton Mountain at Rockfish Gap. Rockfish Tavern was once located near the Afton overlook and was a popular stagecoach stop. Jefferson brought James Madison and others up to the spot in1818 to select Charlottesville for the site of his university.
Here at Rockfish Gap is the mouth of two incredible national parks: The Blue Ridge Parkway meandering 469 miles south to the Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina, and the Skyline Drive heading north through the Shenandoah National Park to the small town of Front Royal. If you don't have a lot of time, drive 5.8 miles south?? on the Parkway to the reconstructed homestead at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center. Here you can stretch your legs on the quarter mile trail and see how rural mountain folks lived in the 1800s. If you are feeling adventurous, take the short but very steep .9 mile hike (one way) to the summit. The prominent rock outcrop was used as a landmark to guide teamsters carrying goods over the mountains on the old turnpike, which was a major trade route in the mid-1800s. It provides one of the few 360 degree scenes from the rocks into the Shenandoah Valley on the west and the Rockfish Valley to the east. Stop your car at an overlook or two, a good option for those who don’t like to hike.
The Shenandoah Parkway is free while the Skyline Drive charges a fee. Both have gorgeous scenic overlooks and hikes to waterfalls and mountain tops as well as picnic areas. The Drive is one of the most visited national parks in the country, welcoming 2 million tourists during peak season. No billboards line these pristine roads–only views of trees, flowers, wildlife, and valleys below. There are no gas stations and no fast food restaurants. Be aware: a visitor may find the 35 mph speed limit maddeningly slow if driving a good distance. Also, the temperature in the mountains can be five to 10 degrees cooler and the plant life a few weeks behind that in Charlottesville, where you will return happy and relaxed from your high country sojourn.
