When Will and I saw that we had an open three-day weekend for President’s Day and that the weather was going to be sunny and 70, getting outside and getting some sunshine was our top priority. (I think the end of February kind of gives us all cabin fever, right?) All we could think about was being out in the mountains, so when The Farmhouse at Veritas had a cancellation, we jumped on it. But if you saw my feature on where we stayed, you might have been thinking, “that looks lovely, but what exactly does one do for three full days in the country?” Well, friends, the Virginia Wine Country is a many-splendored thing, and I’m no expert (yet); but this is my guide to all the great things you can do without ever setting foot in Charlottesville. (Not that you shouldn’t go to Charlottesville too. You should. It’s darling.)
I started doing some potential itinerary research and found myself kind of overwhelmed by our options, actually. Within 20-30 minutes of the Farmhouse, there is a wealth of hiking, biking, scenic driving, historical sites, skiing, wineries, breweries, and cideries. This website was super helpful. Even though Wintergreen Resort was 30 minutes away and very tempting, we decided to stick to warmer weather activities. Here is a sampler of stops we made in each of the other categories!
Historical Sites: Monticello
We left Arlington bright and early on Saturday morning and decided to start with Monticello on our way in. We debated also doing lunch at Michie Tavern, but you know how bad those delays are with road trips. 🙂 We wanted more time to explore the Monticello Visitor’s Center before our tour, so we headed straight for the mountaintop. We had lunch there at the Cafe, saw the movie, and took the shuttle to the house!
Granted, it wasn’t the most beautiful time of year to visit, but we still really enjoyed our tour; and I enjoyed learning more about TJ. (Will pretty much already knew everything they told us.) I hadn’t been since I was a kid, so it was fun to see how it compared in adulthood to what I thought it was like. As a kid I thought it was WAY bigger! Ha. Will has been playing chess on his phone ever since. When I protested, he said to me, “don’t take me to historical sites if you don’t want me to pick up new habits!” That’s my husband.
Much like on our recent visit to Mount Vernon, we enjoyed touring the grounds and seeing Jefferson’s grave as well. If you are looking for other historical sites in the area, Jefferson wasn’t the only President in the neighborhood. You can also see James Monroe’s place at Ash-Lawn Highland and James Madison’s Montpelier. There are also many Civil War battlefields if that is your cup of tea.
Hikes and Drives: Humpback Rocks and the Blue Ridge Parkway
After our delicious breakfast on Sunday, we drove the quick eight minutes to the convergence of entrances to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, both scenic drives with lots of hiking trailheads along the way. We headed south down the Parkway to the Humpback Rocks trail. To me, this is kind of the quintessential Charlottesville trail, because sitting rocks overlooking the mountains and valleys is what I always see on those “Explore Charlottesville” kind of ads.
This particular hike starts out with an “outdoor museum,” which is supposed to show what a typical nineteenth century farm would have been like in the area.
The actual hike was actually quite strenuous, but great! There were lots of other people and cute dogs with us, so lots of good people watching, beautiful weather, and great views.
When we got to the top, there were just a bunch of rocks jutting out over some gorgeous views, so we hung out and took in the view for a while.
If you’re looking for hiking in the Virginia Wine Country area, there are way too many options! The next day we hiked to the Lewis Falls Trail in Shenandoah which included a jaunt on the Appalachian Trail. Here are a bunch of trails with waterfalls to check out!
Wineries: Veritas Vineyards
So obviously a trip to Virginia Wine Country isn’t much without some winery stops! This beautiful place was the winery that was just down the road from (and owned by the same people as) the Farmhouse, Veritas Vineyard and Winery. The weather was perfect for sitting outside, and the views are so peaceful.
You can see the Farmhouse on the right.
The tasting room was gorgeous. It has a lodge-like feel and lots of stations for tastings.
Who doesn’t love a sign made out of wine corks?
The charcuterie was predictably amazing (the baguettes were hot!), and we were so happy to just hang out. You should definitely also check out Pippin Hill, which we went to last fall, and there are about 20 more on our list for future trips!
Breweries: Blue Mountain Brewery
Last but not least, there are also breweries and cideries! We ended one of our days watching the sun set at Blue Mountain Brewery, and it was perfect.
There was sunshine, corn hole, and no shortage of dogs!
Does anyone else have recommendations for the area to add?
