The estates of three former presidents — Jefferson, Monroe, and Madison — are all in the Charlottesville area. They are not cheap to visit. Monticello, the one we were most interested in visiting is $25 per adult. We weren’t $50 interested. However, there are trails on and near the estate that you can access for free. The Saunders-Monticello Trail is a 2 mile, mostly boardwalk, trail that runs along the parkway to the estate. We hiked that trail to see the Visitors Center and gift shop. After that, we hiked a second trail for some views of the area.
(Side Note: I hadn’t previously mentioned this, but our homeowners are allowing us the use of their Prius. This is awesome, as there is not much within walking distance of their home and public transportation is iffy for many of the sites.)
Also along the road we were traveling is the Carter Mountain Orchard, famous locally with apples, peaches, and Thursday evening music nights (mostly bluegrass). It also has a great overlook of Charlottesville and the surrounding area.
Another famous landmark along the same route is Michie’s Tavern. This is a historic tavern with a restaurant serving Southern fare plus a gift shop and tours. We again skipped the tours and food (having just had a lovely picnic at the orchard). We did walk around the property as much as we could and perused the gift shop.
Finally, we veered off of the main road to check out Blenheim Vineyards which had been recommended to us by the homeowner of an upcoming house sit. On the way, we passed the Trump Winery. (You can decide whether or not we stopped there. We’d tell you, but it would be claimed as fake news.) Blenheim Vineyards is owned by Dave Matthews — yep, that one. He can do more than sing! The wines were yummy . We especially liked the whites, and he does the artwork for the labels for two of his wines each year.
Peckish Travels 