Take a sunset walk on the mallCheck out Guides above for more ideas
Explore great wedding venuesCharlottesville is one of the top wedding destinations
Feel like getting fit in 2024?Charlottesville has great yoga studios
Shop at one of the great BoutiquesUnique finds for you or your home
Not every town has unparalleled vistas, a Cab Franc made at the hands of the same person pouring it, or Dave Matthews and John Grisham walking by as you enjoy lunch at a café on its historic pedestrian mall—but Charlottesville does.
It’s urban and bucolic, historic yet modern. There are boundless hiking trails, wedding venues, wineries, breweries, boutique retail shops, and theaters (not to mention more restaurant seats than there are people to fill them). It’s for the limitless adventurer, the wine-taster, the music-seeker, and the family searching for a new experience..
At Charlottesville Insider, our goal is simple: to showcase Charlottesville by curating our ideas about what makes it unique. Follow our insiders to see what’s new, find exclusive deals, or simply figure out how to spend your day in our favorite city.
BeachesMountains
Take a sunset walk on the mallCheck out Guides above for more ideas
Explore great wedding venuesCharlottesville is one of the top wedding destinations
Feel like getting fit in 2024?Charlottesville has great yoga studios
Shop at one of the great BoutiquesUnique finds for you or your home
Take a sunset walk on the mallCheck out Guides above for more ideas
Explore great wedding venuesCharlottesville is one of the top wedding destinations
Feel like getting fit in 2024?Charlottesville has great yoga studios
Shop at one of the great BoutiquesUnique finds for you or your home
Take a sunset walk on the mallCheck out Guides above for more ideas
Explore great wedding venuesCharlottesville is one of the top wedding destinations
Feel like getting fit in 2024?Charlottesville has great yoga studios
Shop at one of the great BoutiquesUnique finds for you or your home
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Explore the Best Scenic Drives Virginia Has to Offer
Discover Virginia’s top scenic drives to see the state’s spectacular mountains, wineries, farms, and historic sites. In this guide, we reveal the essential routes like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, ensuring you’ll experience the best visuals and cultural spots on your scenic drives around Central Virginia without wading through unnecessary information.
🍷 Monticello Wine Week starts tomorrow! Get ready for a week-long celebration of exquisite wines and unforgettable experiences along the Monticello Wine Trail April 26th - May 3rd. Events include...Gold Medal Celebration @the_wool_factory, Rosé picnic @trumpwinery, Sparkling Brunch @mountidareserve, Winemakers Golf Tournament @keswick_hall, Winemakers Reception @keswick_hall, Red Wine Showcase @barboursvillevineyards, and White Wine Showcase @eastwoodfarmandwinery.
🎟️ Head to @monticellowinetrail for all the details and to purchase tickets!
👀 Charlottesville Insider Perks partner Eastwood has offered Insiders 10% off White Wine Showcase tickets with code: WHITEWINE10 🥂
📸 @eastwoodfarmandwinery
🌸🧚♀️🌻 Downtown in Bloom by @friendsofcville is back! Starting in May, stroll the mall and check out the beautiful flower box displays outside of businesses as they compete in the Flower Box Competition! Tomorrow, April 25th 2-6pm, don’t miss Charlottesville’s annual Flower Market at the @tingpavilion featuring local nurseries and small businesses (see list below). 🚂 Also starting in May, the Downtown Express train will run on Saturdays (May 4 - 26th 10am - 2pm) starting at Central Place. 🧝♂️ Also for the kiddos, don’t miss the Flower, Fairy, and Elf Festival May 18th 10am-1pm in front of City Hall. There will be balloon artists, face painting, and more!
Flower Market Vendors:
@luminousgardens
@botanicalgardenofthepiedmont
@new_plantsontheblock
@singingearthproduce
@estes_farm
@deerhawkartstudio
@toutepetitedesigns
@everlastingpottery
@olivias_blooms
Flora and Fauna Woodcraft
Designs by Calypso
@mothwoodhome
@sweetgreensfarm
🥪 A satisfying lunch enjoyed at @code.building lobby - FUHGEDDABOUTIT - Mortadella, Soppressata, Swiss, Pecorino, Mozzarella, Arugula, Onion, House hoagie spread, @dukes_mayonnaise, @albemarlebakingco Ciabatta. 🤌 @thewichlabcville has you covered!
🌅 Carter Mountain Thursday Evening Sunset Series is back this week! Join in tomorrow for live music, food trucks, @cartermountain wine, @boldrockhardcider, and the best view of a sunset from anywhere around! Bring lawn chairs and blankets, or come early for a picnic table on the terrace or decks!
🎵🍕 This Thursday, Charlottesville based Honky Tonk band, Ramona and the Holy Smokes will be playing, and three food truck options will be available - Two Brother’s Southwestern Grill, Khadija’s Kitchen and Popito’s Pizza!
📸 @cartermountain
👛👗 If you love fashion, you don’t want to miss this upcoming pop-up collaboration with @casparistyle, @ibumovement, and @charmossny in downtown Charlottesville. From Thursday, April 18 to Thursday, May 2, Caspari will be an exclusive retailer of Ibu Movement’s luxury handcrafted artisanal goods, including their newest collection with celebrated interior designer and Charlottesville resident, Charlotte Moss!
🌎 The Ibu movement is a global nonprofit and marketplace disrupting poverty and fashioning change for over 100 female artisans and communities in over 50 countries around the world. Inspired by her personal style and travels to Morocco, Charlotte’s second collection with the Ibu Movement is a celebration of the evolution of personal style and the timelessness of layered, minimalist silhouettes. With deep-rooted traditional Moroccan influence, the collection is handcrafted using native techniques by Ibu artisan partner Nawal El Hariti in Ourika, Morocco.
🪴🥂 Ibu Movement’s presence at Caspari coincides with Charlottesville’s Historic Garden Week, a beloved annual event celebrating the beauty of Virginia’s gardens and landscapes. Caspari will be hosting the Garden Clubs for opening night with a cocktail party on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The following evening, Caspari will be hosting a reception for “Fashion as Art” with the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia on Friday, April 19 in their shop on the downtown mall.
🍦 @chapsicecream has been serving homemade gourmet ice cream to the Charlottesville community for over 35 years. Now, the beloved ice cream will be served on the UVA Corner in a second location! Since frozen yogurt favorite “Arches” closed during the pandemic, the Corner has experienced an ice cream drought. Now, Chaps on the Corner will be serving the same delicious homemade ice cream we all know and love in the new space, which echoes the soda parlor 1950s vibe of the downtown shop.
🍨 A little Chaps history - Tony Labua first opened Chaps on the Downtown Mall in 1985, producing ice cream onsite based on recipes from his Grandpa Vaglio. Tony built every detail of the store himself, down to the tiling. Having grown up in the 50s, Tony’s vision for Chaps was to replicate the cheerful feel of the luncheonettes and soda parlors of that time period. After running Chaps for over 35 years, Tony decided it was time to downshift, and in 2022, he passed Chaps on to new ownership. Chaps continues to produce their ice cream onsite using the original recipes from Grandpa Vaglio.
🧘♀️🥁🍹💃🏼 We can’t wait for the 12th annual @tomtomfoundation festival next weekend! April 17-21, downtown Charlottesville will be the center of music, art, and ideas with film screenings, pitch nights, electrifying dance parties, wine tastings, yoga, running, meditation, and an epic New Orleans-style block party - 4 days of inspiration with the common theme #TOGETHER. Head over to @tomtomfoundation for the schedule, and all the details! 🎉
🪵🫶 This January, the city had to prune, and take down trees on the Downtown Mall. The massive trees planted in 1976 were under stress, and needed to be removed for the safety of patrons. While it was sad to see the trees go, we just love what has become of their stumps! Dudley Mountain Creations, a father/son team of chainsaw artists based in Charlottesville created some beautiful artwork for all to enjoy! Check out their facebook page - they do all kinds of custom chainsaw art, as well as home decor pieces, canes, and walking sticks!
🛍️🍸🛶 Have you heard about our Insider Perks Program? We‘ve partnered with unique and boutique businesses in and around Charlottesville to offer our Insider’s deals at our favorite places. Check out the link in our bio to learn more, or to sign up!
Here’s how it works: For $48 per year you can unlock savings across the city and beyond! We’ve partnered with dozens of local businesses to offer exclusive perks to our members with discounts valued at over $500/year. Discounts range in category from places to eat, places to stay, places to shop, places to drink and things to do. Check out our list of partners below!
📱Once you become a member it’s as easy as logging into your account and showing the discount on your phone at checkout. Grab yourself a membership today and explore Charlottesville’s independent local scene!
@eastwoodfarmandwinery
@threenotchdcville
@bluetoadhardciderva
@pippinhillfarm
@decadesarcade
@acebiscuitandbarbecue
@monticellowinetour
@staycharlottesville
@bonny_and_read_cville
@ixlookingglass
@shopagentsinstyle
@shopdarlingxdashing
@hightorgearexchange
@scrappyelephant
@farmacy.cville
@patchbrewingco
@rivannarivercompany
@oakhurstinn
@southernrevere
@unlockedhistory
@littlemodhotel
@wildmandanbrewery
@bejustcville
@poppypointe
@mountainandvinewine
@randomrowbrewing
@ottocville
@veritaswinery
@keswickvineyards
🛶 It’s river season! @rivannarivercompany opens this Saturday, April 13th, and the weather is looking beautiful! April and May on the Rivanna is truly magical, with wildlife watching, wildflowers, and plenty of water to make the rapids fun!
🎶 To kick off the season, join Rivanna River Co. for a benefit concert featuring @holyrivermusic and @dianecluckofficial, and silent auction for @littlebluestemva on Saturday (April 13th 5-9pm).
👀 Rivanna River Co. is one of our Insider Perks Partners, so if you plan on being on the river a few times this season, grab a membership to save money! (link to our Perks program in bio)
📸 @rivannarivercompany
🎸💃🏼🍺 Fridays After Five @tingpavilion is back this week! The 36th season of free live music and fun kicks off April 12th, and will run each Friday thereafter through September 13th. Each week volunteers work the concessions on behalf of a variety of local non-profits who share in the proceeds, which raises tens of thousands of dollars to support their work in our community.
🎶 The summer schedule features local artists performing a wide range of musical styles and will see collaborations with a number of local organizations, celebrating the diverse and creative communities throughout Charlottesville; there is truly something for everyone. Unwind each Friday evening at this fabulous and FREE Charlottesville institution!
🗓️ Here’s the lineup!
April 12th, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression
April 19th, No BS! Brass Band
April 26th, Drew Pace
May 3rd, David Wax Museum
May 10th, Afro Asia
May 17th, Disco Risque
May 24th, The Lone Rangers
May 31st, Indecision
June 7th, The Currys
June 14th, Ebony Groove
June 21st, Wild Common
June 28th, Cherry Red
📸 @skycladaerial
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED - thank you for your entries and stay tuned for our top 5 announcement!
🥯👑 We are so excited to partner with @cvillesandwichking and @bodosbagels for this contest and Giveaway! For all you Bodos Bagel lovers out there, this is your time to shine, and a chance at a $50 Bodos gift card along with bragging rights! Here’s how it works...
1) In the comments, list the ingredients of your favorite Bodos Bagel sandwich, or create a new combo that pushes the limits a little (see @cvillesandwichking’s latest Bodos post for inspiration)
2) The Sandwich King of Charlottesville himself will be selecting the top three sandwiches he’d like to try. These three sandwiches will be featured in an upcoming @charlottesvilleinsider post
3) @sandwichking and @charlottesvilleinsider will try all three sandwiches, and crown a champion! 🏆 Judging will be based on creativity and deliciousness. Thanks to Bodos for the generous donation of a $50 gift card for the winner!
4) Give @bodosbagels, @cvillesandwichking, and @charlottesvilleinsider a follow, happy sandwich building, and best of luck!