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.
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Get the insider perspective on dining, lodging, tours and experiences from or team of local experts.
🎁✨We are so excited to host this giveaway featuring three awesome female-owned local C-ville businesses - @greenbeancville, @shopagentsinstyle, and @cscookiesoul! The winner of this giveaway will receive…
👗$50 gift card to Agents in Style consigned and new luxury and designer clothing and accessories.
🍪One dozen delicious cookies made of high quality local ingredients by Cookie Soul ($60 value).
🧸$50 gift card to Green Bean Baby Boutique, your one-stop shop for all things baby and mama, eco-friendly, organic, and sustainable.
To enter…
1) Comment on this post and tag a friend who you’d like to share your cookies with (: ✅
2) Follow @greenbeancville, @shopagentsinstyle, @cscookiesoul, and @charlottesvilleinsider ✅
3) Like this post! ✅
⏰ Our contest ends Friday 12/9 at 5pm, and a winner will be selected at random! The winner will be contacted through Instagram Direct Message for instructions on how to pick up their gifts. Thank you for participating and good luck!
*Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.
🥂Need a little time away? Maybe a ladies trip, or romantic getaway? There are multiple rental properties in the Charlottesville area that are located on or next to a vineyard! Pictured are two of those - @jeffersonvineyards and @aftonmtnvineyards where you can stay steps from the tasting room. Afton Mountain Vineyards, one of Virginia’s first farm wineries, has multiple guest houses and cottages on the property. Stroll on over to the vineyard’s tasting room where their knowledgeable staff can tell you about their assortment of wines that they make on site.
Jefferson Vineyards is home to “Colle”, a 6 bedroom, 5.5 bath historical estate surrounded with charm and character. Located across the street from the tasting room, take a walk over and enjoy the beautiful mountain views and sprawling vineyard!
Visit @staycharlottesville to view these properties and book your trip!
📸 @aftonmtnvineyards @jeffersonvineyards @staycharlottesville
🍸☕️The Peppermint Trail is calling your name! Peppermint infused cocktails and mocktails, peppermint cocoa and coffee, and even a peppermint milkshake - try them all this holiday season! Check out @friendsofcville for more info on participating businesses, for the trail map, and more “Magic on the Mall” happenings! ✨
@botanical.fare
@millersdowntown
@thealleylight
@lonelightcoffee
@zocalocville
@tonic_cville
@themilkmansbar
@luckybluesbar
@passiflorava
@vitaespirits
@millersdowntown
@mudhousecoffeeroasters
@guajiros_cville
@gritcoffee
@brasseriesaison
@cafebradbury
@cvillebrightside
🎄✨🎅🏼🍻 Don’t miss Charlottesville’s Grand Illumination this Friday 5-8pm at the @tingpavilion, the event’s 25th year!
Aside from the lighting of the tree, there will be music, food, games, prizes, special guests, and plenty of holiday fun for all ages! @charlottesvillealetrail businesses will be serving up local craft beverages for the adults. Admission to the event is free! @cvillegrand
🌲✨Get into the holiday spirit while having fun with friends, AND come home with a beautiful handmade creation of your own! Charlottesville has multiple wreath making workshops coming up at various shops and vineyards. Here are the options we found...
(Love this 📸 by @beestill.photo! Workshop pictured instructed by @sheblooms.ciarasteinberg)
🌲@hedgefineblooms at @thebradburydowntown
Nov 30th
🌲@hazymtn
Dec 2nd and Dec 3rd
🌲Fifth Season
Dec 3rd
🌲@pippinhillfarm
December 6th and 20th
🌲@eastwoodfarmandwinery
December 7th
🌲@hardwarehills
December 7th
🌲@bluebirdandco
December 11th
🌲@kingfamilyvineyards
December 14th
🎨 Our local artist feature of the month is the talented Cate West Zahl! You may have seen Cate’s works around town - her largest painting, a colorful abstract, hangs in Common House’s Vinegar Hall. Scroll left to view some of her beautiful abstractions reminiscent of Richard Diebenkorn’s geometric paintings inspired by the natural landscape.
@catewestzahl will be showing her new work, “Winter’s Edge” at @phaetongallerycharlottesville December 8th through January 20th, with Opening Night reception 5:30-8pm December 8th.
For this series, the celebrated local oil painter “sought to capture the strange beauty of a landscape in hibernation, drawing inspiration from the simpler foliage and subdued palette that colder weather brings.”
🖼️ Cate is a painter working in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and three sons. She first studied studio art under Lee Newman at the Holton-Arms school, and then went on to earn her BA in Fine Arts from Hamilton College. Her academic training was based in the technical study of life, a strong foundation from which she could explore more explicit abstraction. She has been in local shows at Second Street Gallery, Welcome Gallery, Chroma Gallery in addition to showing in Richmond and Washington D.C. Currently she pursues painting from life and making abstract paintings simultaneously out of her loft studio in Belmont, Virginia.
📜Some quotes from Cate’s artist statement:
“The compositions are meant to be an evocative, abstracted take on the beauty found in rural, untouched space.”
On painting during the pandemic: “My studio practice has revolved around the exploration of abstraction for several years, but when the pandemic hit, the thought of making conceptual, architectonic paintings felt too daunting. So, this past year I returned to the basics of painting from life. The fields, flora and rolling hills of Virginia have been my refuge during this season of quarantine. With my children out of school, going to the studio was no longer an option so I took my paints into nature and attempted to capture the beauty of the unkempt countryside.“
🛍️ Our "Insider Password" featured business for this week is our fun neighbor Alakazam Toys! Knock out some holiday shopping for the kiddos on your list this week with 20% off all holiday merchandise from @alakazamtoys! To unlock your discount simply stop by our office on the downtown mall for Alakazam’s password! (Don't be shy, we're friendly, and we won't ask anything in return!). Then head across the street to shop and use the password to unlock your discount! 🔐
(*some exclusions may apply)
🥂Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from our Insider team! 🧡🤎🤍💛
*insider tip…
🛖@knightsgambitvineyard has a heated tent available for group rental. Each 1.5 hour time slot includes two bottles of wine and a fire pit outside the tent! We clearly enjoyed ourselves on our visit.😃
🦃 Happy Thanksgiving from Charlottesville Insider! We will be closing early at 1pm today, and closed Thanksgiving and Black Friday so that our staff can spend time with family. We’ll be back in the office Saturday at 9am for normal weekend hours! 🥂
❄️ With the arrival of winter temperatures last week, @wintergreenresortva has begun making snow in preparation for the 2022-2023 season! 🎿Just a short drive from Charlottesville, hit the ski slopes, terrain park, or tubing at the plunge for some adventurous winter fun in #nelsoncountyva!
✨Veritas Illuminated - experience the magic of the season at @veritaswinery with a stroll through their lighted woods and vineyard! Then head into the tasting room to get cozy near the fireplace or enjoy their outdoor firepits with wine, a new winter menu, and S’mores for the kiddos! 🍷🔥🍫
Open now until January 8th, and the illuminated walking path will be open on select Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights throughout the season 5:15pm-8:30pm.
🥦 Roasted Broccoli app from Oakhart Social w fish sauce caramel, sesame crumble, garlic aioli, togarashi, herbs.😋
Located in midtown Charlottesville between the downtown pedestrian mall and The University of Virginia, @oakhartsocial serves up delicious and eclectic wood-fired modern American food for sharing. Head Chef Tristan Wraight creates unique seasonal dinner menus using the best local ingredients available. And don't miss their carefully curated craft beer, wine, and cocktail lists!