Seth came for a visit in August, to celebrate my birthday with me, and we decided to take a brief trip to Charlottesville. Neither of us had been to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (our adventure will be detailed in the next Lost in DC post) and wanted to spend most of a day there. But first we wanted to check out C-ville (as it is evidently referred to by the locals).
Charlottesville is located in the Piedmont Plateau, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the Rivanna River running through. The city has been independent (not part of a county) since 1888, but serves as a cultural center for the surrounding area. You will not only find Thomas Jefferson's mountain-top home, Monticello, but the home of learning he founded, the University of Virginia.
When people speak of Charlottesville, my first thoughts are always of Jefferson, but the area is also known for two other Founding Fathers, both of whom were close friends with Jefferson. In fact, our 3rd (Jefferson), 4th and 5th presidents all resided in the same part of Virginia.
Montpelier, located just 25 miles from Charlottesville in Orange, was the home of James Madison, our 4th president who was often called the "Father of the Constitution" by his peers. And his wife Dolley, who was our first "First Lady." The Madisons were particularly close to the Jeffersons, and in touring either estate, you are bound to hear about the other.
Ash Lawn-Highland, also located in Charlottesville, was the home of James Monroe, our 5th president and last of the Founding Fathers to take office. Originally, the estate was called "Highland." It was changed to "Ash Lawn" after the deaths of Monroe and his wife Elizabeth, but today both names are used. The estate is operated by the College of William and Mary, which has continued to work on its preservation and restoration.
Many people know that Jefferson had mixed views on slavery, so it is not surprising that his friend James Monroe might feel the same: "Monroe himself was torn between his belief in the 'evil of slavery' and his fear of the consequences of immediate abolition."
One of the things you learn on the tour of Monticello is that both Jefferson and his longtime friend (and then political adversary), John Adams, died on the same day: July 4th, 1826. What I hadn't heard before was that Monroe was the third former president to die on Independence Day, but five years later.
Since we only had a few hours to see Charlottesville itself, we stuck to the Downtown Mall and surrounding streets, which kept us pretty busy. This would have been a better post if I had not, yet again, neglected to bring my camera. This is not helped by the fact that some of the pictures are lost somewhere on my computer presently, but that's another story.
McGuffey Art Center is a community arts center in downtown Charlottesville. It is open to the public with no charge for admission - "If the studio doors are open, please walk in to view artist’s work space and their art." McGuffey also participates in Charlottesville's cultural "First Fridays." On the first Friday of every month, the Center shows new art exhibitions.
Our last stop took us back to City Hall, where we paused to look around at the First Amendment Plaza (we had no idea that's what it was, of course). The plaza contains the Community Chalkboard and Podium - an interactive monument to the First Amendment. From the Thomas Jefferson Center site:
Charlottesville is located in the Piedmont Plateau, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the Rivanna River running through. The city has been independent (not part of a county) since 1888, but serves as a cultural center for the surrounding area. You will not only find Thomas Jefferson's mountain-top home, Monticello, but the home of learning he founded, the University of Virginia.
When people speak of Charlottesville, my first thoughts are always of Jefferson, but the area is also known for two other Founding Fathers, both of whom were close friends with Jefferson. In fact, our 3rd (Jefferson), 4th and 5th presidents all resided in the same part of Virginia.
Montpelier, located just 25 miles from Charlottesville in Orange, was the home of James Madison, our 4th president who was often called the "Father of the Constitution" by his peers. And his wife Dolley, who was our first "First Lady." The Madisons were particularly close to the Jeffersons, and in touring either estate, you are bound to hear about the other.
Ash Lawn-Highland, also located in Charlottesville, was the home of James Monroe, our 5th president and last of the Founding Fathers to take office. Originally, the estate was called "Highland." It was changed to "Ash Lawn" after the deaths of Monroe and his wife Elizabeth, but today both names are used. The estate is operated by the College of William and Mary, which has continued to work on its preservation and restoration.
Many people know that Jefferson had mixed views on slavery, so it is not surprising that his friend James Monroe might feel the same: "Monroe himself was torn between his belief in the 'evil of slavery' and his fear of the consequences of immediate abolition."
One of the things you learn on the tour of Monticello is that both Jefferson and his longtime friend (and then political adversary), John Adams, died on the same day: July 4th, 1826. What I hadn't heard before was that Monroe was the third former president to die on Independence Day, but five years later.
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| City Hall, in Downtown, with bas relief statues of Madison, Jefferson and Monroe |
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| Jefferson-Madison Regional Library |
Charlottesville is a hearty mix of art, culture and history. The Downtown Mall has street vendors and small businesses that remind me somewhat of Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, CA (though the similarity ends there). Before we tooled around to see the sites in the pictures below, we stopped at The Nook for lunch. I had a moment to wonder if I would regret ordering the Big BLT instead of something more fun (like the Bistro Mac n' Cheese). Then I bit into a perfect, red, juicy roma tomato and forgot about all that regret nonsense. This place is a traditional casual American diner - no frills, good food, great service - but with a bit more flexibility in the menu, in addition to standard diner fare.
McGuffey Art Center is a community arts center in downtown Charlottesville. It is open to the public with no charge for admission - "If the studio doors are open, please walk in to view artist’s work space and their art." McGuffey also participates in Charlottesville's cultural "First Fridays." On the first Friday of every month, the Center shows new art exhibitions.
On our way back to the Downtown Mall, we passed Lee Park (statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse, Traveller, pictured), which was playing host to a music festival that I still insist was all about the funk, though Seth refuses to agree. It was also unbearably hot, which is why the man crossing the street in this photo has a towel over his head.
I thought you might ask.
In any case, this is a pretty little park with plenty of shade and seating, on a little over an acre of land that is raised above street level. It also hosted the first Charlottesville Pride Festival this month. Unfortunately, it looks like it won't be held there next year. But only because they had so many people there and so many sponsors who wanted to participate that they could not all fit and will need a larger venue next time.
Our last stop took us back to City Hall, where we paused to look around at the First Amendment Plaza (we had no idea that's what it was, of course). The plaza contains the Community Chalkboard and Podium - an interactive monument to the First Amendment. From the Thomas Jefferson Center site:
"The monument’s greatest strength lies in the fact it is both a fixed symbol of the right of free expression and a venue for the exercise of that right. Individuals use the chalkboard to express ideas both political and whimsical, to respond to ideas already on the wall, to convey messages to members of city government, and to create temporary works of art."
If I hadn't gone to Monticello and already decided I wanted to go back again, I would come back to the area just to hang out in Charlottesville again. The city is beautiful, just walking around is diverting enough. And they have good Mexican food. I'm just saying.
