Monticello’s “Behind the Scenes” tour offers a fuller picture of life at Jefferson’s iconic home. See the first floor (TJ’s rooms and the public spaces), then take the narrow spiral staircase up to the rooms used by daughter Martha Randolph and her family, guests, and enslaved workers. A highlight is the light-filled circular Dome Room with the children’s “fairy palace.”
With its scenic Blue Ridge Mountains backdrop, abundance of greenery, and plethora of stunning locales, the Charlottesville area has long been a popular wedding destination. For couples looking for the perfect place to tie the knot, these four new venues will likely fit the bill.
Situated just south of Charlottesville in Nelson County, Rockfish Ranch is a leafy, mountainous retreat overlooking its namesake Rockfish River. After two years of transforming the former vacation property into a rustic venue, the ranch hosted its first wedding in the summer of 2022. Rockfish boasts a range of on-site amenities, including large indoor and outdoor spaces, lodging, a sauna, fire terraces, and several ceremony and celebration spots for up to 250 guests during wedding season, or 20 guests throughout the rest of the year.
Tucked into the forests and rolling hills of Louisa, family-run Avonlea Farms has hosted weddings and special occasions since 2020. Surrounded by stunning foliage and delicate landscaping, the farm has several ceremony and reception sites, including a vintage glass greenhouse on a private lake and a 250-year-old oak tree, and can host up to 200 guests, depending on the location. With unlimited site visits, a complimentary mimosa bar on the big day, a range of complimentary decor choices, and more, Avonlea Farms provides its guests with numerous amenities.
Located on UVA’s Darden School of Business grounds, The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville is a venue of choice for more than just University of Virginia alumni. The luxury hotel boasts over 40,000 square feet for its events, with several ceremony and reception sites available both inside and out. For catering, the venue offers a range of creative food and drink menus, and will customize options if desired. Able to host up to 700 guests and offering a wedding room block deal, The Forum is a good choice for those with a longer guest list.
Just outside the city in the Farmington neighborhood, historic Gallison Hall is a large but cozy estate with a range of unique features. Designed by original owners Julio and Evelyn Galban, Gallison Hall is a 12,728 square-foot Georgian manor on more than 40 acres of private land, and is able to host up to 200 guests. With views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and ornate and intentional indoor and outdoor architecture, Gallison Hall offers a gorgeous backdrop for any wedding.
This year has brought some of our favorite wedding trends—bright
colors are back, biodegradable confetti is in, and aerial shots are taking photography to new heights. Using a drone, photographers and videographers can capture never-before seen angles of your ceremony or reception set against Charlottesville’s scenic vistas, vineyards, and venues. Whether you’re looking to add cinematic elegance to a video, or an editorial spread to an album, here are a few of our favorite drone photographers you can find up in the air.
Aaron Watson Photography. This family-owned photography team are aerial pros. Their vibrant, timeless style is perfect for capturing the area’s natural grandeur, and their shots are seriously breathtaking. aaronwatsonphoto.com
Meredith Coe Photography. A local photographer with 11 years of experience, Meredith Coe can cover all angles of your big day. “A drone shot elevates, in all senses of the word, your wedding visually,” says Coe. “Artistic large prints in your home or a full two-page spread in your album is always jaw-dropping.” meredithcoephotography.com
Silver Streak Weddings. If you’re looking to include aerials in your wedding reel, Silver Streak Weddings have shot at local venues like The Wool Factory, Castle Hill Cider, Mount Ida Farm, and King Family Vineyards. silverstreakweddings.com
Film and Flourish. Andrew Gilford of Film and Flourish turns love stories into movies. His videos are something special, with documentary-like storytelling and tons of aerials. filmandflourish.com
As the owner of Beehive Events, a flower and décor business
she launched in 2006, Shawn Cosette is no stranger to beautiful things. But it was during a trip to Germany with her husband that she settled on her next career move, and launched a new business venture in 2019.
“We were in Munich and I just ran into this store,” Cosette says. “I think I visited three or four times, and I looked at my husband and said, ‘This is it. This is what I want to do.’”
Be Just, which recently relocated from Belmont to Ivy Road, has two main objectives: selling beautiful, durable pieces, and being part of a community. In addition to offering lasting pieces—you’ll find copper kitchen appliances, storage containers, handwoven baskets, and more on the store’s shelves—Be Just hosts classes ranging from flower arranging to mixology. Cossette also hosts the Sunday Supper Series, a monthly dinner event at her farm.
A business owner since the age of 24, Cossette doesn’t shy away from taking chances, and she speaks to the amount of work it takes to be an entrepreneur. “If you’re not physically working, you’re thinking about it all the time,” she says. “I definitely think I have that entrepreneurial spirit, and can’t imagine any other scenario.”
Ever been torn between the purchase of an official, vintage mug from
The Lion King and a seven-piece Victorian cruet set? Or maybe it’s that Cypress driftwood sculpture, which would fit your decor perfectly. Heyday Antiques & Vintage is a charming, well-curated indoor marketplace with plenty to offer. The store is a collective of 18 vendors who stock and style their own unique shops within an Allied Street warehouse space.
“We want to be different,” says co-op member Laurel Lorigan, who has been selling in two stalls—one vintage and one formal antique—for five years.
That difference manifests naturally throughout each vendor’s thoughtfully organized lot. A stroll through Heyday offers equal parts time travel, discovery, and nostalgia, as shoppers peruse extensive book collections, paintings, furniture, and even a set of high-heel shoe forms, all sourced from travels, yard sales, and family attics.
Lorigan says she started selling as a way to support her own shopping habit, and Heyday’s unique, tasteful selections from the past are sure to support ours. See what’s new and old at heydaycville.com, and follow along at @heydaycville.
When Charlottesville native Daisa Granger Pascall started We Grow with two others in 2021, she couldn’t have imagined that, by the middle of the following year, she’d be at the helm of the Scottsville shop solo. But the store continues to thrive. The full-time art teacher pours herself into creating beauty in many forms, through her work at Leslie H. Walton Middle School—and through We Grow. The downtown shop hosts regular classes—terrariums! bonsais! bouquets!—and partners with other local organizations on floral-centric events.
Charlottesville’s men sure know how to dress to impress, and local stores are here to help them put their best foot forward. What follows is a list of a few of our favorite clothiers, outfitters, and haberdasheries that carry menswear of every size, style, and budget.
The Men’s & Boy’s Shop
410 E. Main St., Downtown Mall
Whatever the occasion—a summer wedding in Sare, prom, or a mandatory court date—The Men’s & Boy’s Shop can help you find the perfect fit. The locally owned establishment, which has been in business since 1920, stocks modern and traditional clothing, ties, hats, gloves, and more from brands like Ralph Lauren, Barbour, Florsheim, Hart Schaffner Marx, and Armin Oehler, with free alterations for life.
Dashing 115 S. First St.
You can always score a sweet secondhand find at Dashing, the masculine counterpart of Darling Boutique. Browse casual styles from contemporary brands, statement fashion pieces from high-end designer labels, seasonal staples like swim trunks, and more, including athletic wear, bags, and shoes.
Eljo’s Traditional Clothes 1067 Millmont St.
Diehard UVA sports fans can take their gameday fits to the next level at Eljo’s. The longstanding shop specializes in custom made-to-measure suits and sport coats, and its officially licensed UVA line includes polos, belts, suspenders, ties, blazer buttons, cuff links, and more.
Kulture Vibez 3918 Lenox Ave.
This urban streetwear boutique opened in the middle of COVID, and has been steadily catching steam ever since. Shop here for modern styles and fashionable loungewear that you can dress up or down. Cool graphic tees, shorts, and sweatshirts are always in stock from brands including Kilogram, Original Penguin, and Effectus Clothing. Before you leave, slip into a pair of Air Jordans and pose in front of the photo op wall.
Quattro Tizi 946 Grady Ave.
For all the latest fashions and trends, head to Quattro Tizi, a contemporary men’s and women’s clothing and lifestyle shop. You’ll impress in trendy tees, chic chinos, and swanky sunglasses from labels like Rag & Bone, Faherty, Veja, and Shinola.
Low 105 Fifth St. SE
Style is cyclical, and Low’s got the vintage goodness you need for a closet rewind. The massive underground space is a denim-lover’s dream, with plenty of perfectly worn blue jeans, jackets, and vests, alongside charming sweaters, sick tees, cool hats, broken-in shoes, and jewelry.
Rethreads 1716–1718 Allied St.
This multi-room boutique is full of eclectic apparel for modern- and vintage-lovers. With size and gender inclusive options, and everything from preloved, vintage, and new with tags, there’s something for every size, style, and budget. Go in for the short sleeve cotton button downs, and leave with a rare vintage find.
High Tor Gear Exchange 1717 Allied St.
If you’re an athletic-wear-all-day kinda guy, check out High Tor Gear Exchange’s selection of lightly used menswear. Snag a cozy fleece in the winter, and colorful swim trunks in the summer, from name brands like Columbia, Eddie Bauer, Patagonia, Lululemon, and Nike.
if you’ve ever started a home-improvement project, put together furniture, or wanted to test drive a new hobby, you know how frustrating it can be when you don’t have the tools you need. Rather than buying new every time, the Cville Tool Library lets its members “check out a tool like a book.”
Since opening its doors at space 13 in the Visible Records building, the library has acquired more than 500 tools—from wrenches and hammers to arbor presses and pruning saws—available for its members to borrow. Started by a group of friends on Zoom, the Virginia Organizing work project lent out its first tool in March 2022 and has grown rapidly over the last year. Most of the tools have been gifted to the volunteer-run library, but more specialized equipment has been acquired through member contributions and donations.
Because some of the tools can be dangerous, safety training is required before borrowing any equipment, and membership is only available to adults in the Charlottesville and Albemarle area. Don’t worry if you’re not the handiest—on top of lending equipment, the library hosts community workshops and classes for the uninitiated.
“Everybody has a story to tell.” That’s the core belief of WriterHouse, according to its Executive Director Sibley Johns. And while anybody can be a writer, not everyone has the tools to tell their stories and share them with the world. WriterHouse bridges that gap with writing classes and seminars aimed at storytellers of any level of experience or professional know-how.
The idea for a communal writer’s space was born in a local coffee shop (naturally). Once a week for more than three years, a group of writers would gather to workshop ideas, share drafts, and talk shop. In 2008, they founded a space devoted to that process, one that could foster an entire community of writers. Today, WriterHouse offers courses and seminars on writing fiction and memoirs, how to find an agent, and navigating the world of publishing—in addition to co-sponsoring author events, readings, and workshops throughout the year.
And their instructors speak from experience. Emily Thiede took her first courses at WriterHouse in 2015—now she’s its vice president. Her debut novel, This Vicious Grace, was one of Oprah’s top 25 fantasy novels of 2022. But her first manuscript didn’t immediately get picked up; she had to regroup at WriterHouse and work on new ideas before finding success. “The writers who tend to succeed are those who refuse to quit trying while continuously seeking out and accepting critical feedback along the way,” Thiede says. “It takes a bit of arrogance to believe that your words deserve to be in front of readers, but this field is too challenging to pursue without that belief, so embrace it—you are your first and greatest champion.”
Since her first call to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad as a kid, Chief Virginia Leavell knew that emergency medicine would be a big part of her life.
“I was in Charlottesville having breakfast with my grandmother and she went into cardiac arrest,” says Leavell. She called 911 and soon the CARS volunteers arrived. “They actually gave me a job to do—holding an IV bag— and I think that really stuck with me.”
During her time at the University of Virginia, it was this experience that drew Leavell to join the rescue squad in 2003. After graduating with a degree in psychology, it was the rescue squad that made Leavell decide to stay in Charlottesville rather than return to her hometown of Belfast, Maine. “It was just such an important part of my identity, and the place where I felt the most purpose,” she says. “There’s a strong sense of belonging within the crews and the organization as a whole.”
Now in her third term as chief, Leavell is finding new ways to help the Charlottesville community as a whole, including through the CARS Community Accessible Resources Education and Support program. From opioid overdoses to firearm injuries, CARS CARES aims to identify areas experiencing higher occurrences of specific risk factors and provide appropriate training for people in the area. “Spending more time in those communities that have the highest risk factors so that we become trusted by others, so that they are not going to hesitate to call 911 … they have an idea of what’s going to happen and who’s going to show up,” Leavell says. “Making that more accessible we hope will improve outcomes overall.”
Between her role as chief of CARS and her work with the Albemarle County Fire Rescue Community Risk & Resilience division, Leavell spends a lot of time thinking about emergency response. “The only way I fit everything into a day that needs to be fit is wearing those multiple hats at the same time, and trying very hard to take those hats off when I get home,” she says.
Leavell’s entire family is involved with CARS, including both of her children and her partner, who serves as the organization’s medical director. “My youngest was 5 days old when he attended his first board meeting with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad,” says Leavell.
Growing up around the rescue squad, both of Leavell’s children—now 6 and 15 years old—are involved with the volunteer organization. While her older child enjoys helping with outreach events teaching about NARCAN and Stop the Bleed training, her youngest “loves to practice CPR on everybody.”
“In a lot of ways it’s sort of bringing the family into the fold,” says Leavell. “I think that I’ve just been incredibly lucky to segue so much of that into my professional work.”