Visiting Charlottesville

Exploring Downtown Charlottesville

Charlottesville is a small city in the heart of Virginia, nestled near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although the city itself has a population of around 50,000, the University of Virginia brings thousands of students to the area during the school year and gives Charlottesville a much livelier atmosphere than its size might suggest.

There always seems to be something going on, with festivals, live music, restaurants and plenty to explore around the city center. The photographs above show Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, a pedestrian district lined with bars, restaurants, shops and historic buildings. It’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the city to explore on foot, particularly during the warmer months when outdoor dining and public events bring the streets to life.

There are several interesting stores along the Downtown Mall as well. I’m not a big shopper, but since I had just started taking a Chinese language class, I felt obligated to check out this Chinese store. I figured everything would be expensive considering its location in the middle of downtown, but there were actually plenty of interesting objects for reasonable prices, so I left with a few things!

One thing I appreciated about the Downtown Mall was the variety of independent businesses. Rather than feeling like a typical shopping center, it had a mix of artwork, unusual merchandise, restaurants and small shops that made wandering around worthwhile even without anything particular to buy.

At one end of the Downtown Mall is an outdoor pavilion that regularly hosts concerts and other events. When I visited, there was live music, food vendors and lots of people outside enjoying the middle of summer.

The pedestrian streets make this part of Charlottesville especially enjoyable to explore on foot, and the combination of outdoor dining, music and historic buildings gives downtown a lot of character. For a relatively small city, Charlottesville offers a surprisingly active cultural scene, helped considerably by the nearby university and the surrounding communities.

Outside the main pedestrian area, some of Charlottesville’s businesses occupy buildings that look more like old homes than storefronts. This becomes especially noticeable as you get closer to the historic parts of the city.

I enjoyed this area most for its architecture, particularly at night when the brick sidewalks and older buildings were warmly lit and the streets were quiet. It’s a different atmosphere from the busy Downtown Mall, but one that helps preserve Charlottesville’s identity as a historic Virginia town.

Above are two of the historic buildings I came across while walking around Charlottesville. The first is the Albemarle County Courthouse, whose present historic building dates to the early 1800s. The courthouse and surrounding Court Square have been important parts of local civic life for generations.

Much of the area surrounding Court Square preserves the appearance of an older Virginia town, with brick buildings, historic streets and architecture that contrasts with the busier university neighborhoods elsewhere in Charlottesville. It’s a worthwhile area to explore for anyone interested in the region’s history.

Visiting Monticello: Thomas Jefferson’s Estate

Probably the most famous attraction around Charlottesville is Monticello, the home of President Thomas Jefferson. Located on a hilltop just outside the city, Monticello is one of the most significant historic residences in the United States and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the University of Virginia.

Jefferson began designing and building Monticello in the 18th century and continued modifying the estate for decades. He had a lifelong interest in architecture, science, agriculture and engineering, and many of those interests can be seen throughout the house and surrounding property.

The building is particularly notable for its neoclassical design, influenced by Jefferson’s study of European architecture. Its distinctive dome, symmetrical facade and carefully planned interior reflect his fascination with classical buildings and his desire to incorporate practical innovations into everyday life.

Thomas Jefferson had a lifelong fascination with knowledge and science. He was also the founder of the University of Virginia, which he considered one of his greatest accomplishments. From the grounds of Monticello, you can look toward Charlottesville and the university he helped create. The first photograph above was taken from the property looking in that direction.

Photography wasn’t allowed inside the house when I toured it, but the interior contained several clever designs and devices that reflected Jefferson’s interests. One example I could photograph from outside was the system connected to the weather vane. Jefferson incorporated practical features like these throughout Monticello, turning parts of his home into tools for observing and recording the world around him.

The weather vane was connected to an indicator that allowed Jefferson to determine wind direction without going outside. It was a relatively simple invention, but one that illustrates his interest in combining scientific observation with practical household design.

Monticello’s Interior, Gardens and Plantation Grounds

Since I couldn’t photograph the inside of the house, I can only describe what I saw during the tour. Several rooms on the main floor were open to visitors. The entrance hall almost felt like a small museum, filled with maps, artwork, natural specimens and objects collected from different parts of the world. Other rooms included dining areas, Jefferson’s bedroom and living spaces containing furniture and some of the inventions and unusual features incorporated into the house.

Outside, visitors can explore the gardens, trails and plantation grounds. The estate’s hilltop location provides expansive views of the surrounding countryside, and the grounds offer plenty to see beyond the main residence.

Monticello was also a working plantation that depended heavily on the labor of enslaved people. Jefferson wrote about liberty while enslaving more than 600 people over the course of his lifetime. This contradiction is an essential part of understanding both his legacy and the history of the estate.

Enslaved men, women and children performed much of the agricultural, domestic and skilled labor that sustained Monticello. Today, interpretation of the plantation includes the experiences of these individuals and their families, including the community that lived and worked along Mulberry Row. Their history is inseparable from the story of Jefferson’s home.

The grounds themselves are beautiful and worth spending some time exploring after touring the house. Jefferson experimented extensively with agriculture and grew numerous varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other plants at Monticello.

The estate’s vegetable garden was particularly ambitious, reflecting Jefferson’s interest in experimenting with different crops and growing techniques. The restored gardens help show another side of life at Monticello while also providing some great views of the surrounding Virginia countryside.

Although the house is the main attraction, I found that walking through the grounds added considerably to the experience. The gardens, trails and natural scenery made it easier to appreciate the estate’s setting and the enormous amount of work required to maintain it.

Thomas Jefferson’s Grave and Family Cemetery

Lastly, the property contains the Jefferson family cemetery and the grave of Thomas Jefferson himself. Jefferson lived to the age of 83 and died at Monticello on July 4, 1826. In an incredible coincidence, his death came exactly 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, of which he had been the principal author. Even more remarkably, former President John Adams died on the very same day.

Jefferson chose three accomplishments to be commemorated on his gravestone: authoring the Declaration of Independence, writing the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and founding the University of Virginia. Notably absent was his service as the third president of the United States.

Visiting Charlottesville and Monticello provided an interesting combination of experiences. Downtown Charlottesville offered restaurants, festivals and historic architecture, while Monticello provided a much deeper look into the life of one of America’s most influential and complicated founding figures. Between the house, gardens, plantation history and Jefferson’s final resting place, there was considerably more to explore than I initially expected.