Caite Hamilton

Want to be queen for a day? Dinsmore House gets us one step closer, with its two-hour afternoon tea. Offered for parties of eight, the elegant affair includes charming tea sandwiches, housemade scones and pastries, all with a pretty pot of tea in the West Main inn’s tasteful dining room. Pinkies up, y’all.

Ever noticed the big chalkboard at Decipher Brewing? It’s called the Dead Drop Board, and it’s filled with the names and industries of folks who someone thinks deserves a beer. To add your friend’s name (or an occupation, like “teacher” or “first responder”), just buy an extra pint and have them add it to the […]

No judgment if it’s your style to buy the whole cake and eat it yourself, but for those with a little more, shall we say, restraint, Albemarle Baking Co. has finally answered the call. Now serving: cake by the slice, from carrot cake to chocolate torte.

When Marian Bayker got into breadmaking, she knew she’d be milling her own flour as part of the process. “It seemed like an obvious choice,” says the Althea Bread owner. “My mother had been doing it for years. She used to buy big five-gallon buckets of wheat and milled them on a little steel burr […]

One way to be sure your wedding photos are tops? Take your party higher—to Raven’s Roost overlook on the Parkway. A $60 permit will afford you westward views of the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley, and a romantic spot to say “I do.” Bonus for adventurers: Hike up to Humpback Rocks post-ceremony.

Some of the best business ideas begin as a “What if?” For tellAplay Entertainment owner Aaron Hale, that was, “What if we had a karaoke party bus?”  At the time, tellAplay was expanding. Originally a theater company with a DJ arm, the music side was taking off and Hale and a manager began to brainstorm. […]

It was helping her mom sell a collection of vintage owls that prompted Marangelie Caballero to open her first Etsy shop. But she quickly discovered the practice felt almost therapeutic.  “I started to fill the shop with my own finds and it slowly developed into what it is today,” Caballero says. That is, Otherwise Shoppe, […]

When Ghana native Charity Malia Dinko won a Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery and moved to the U.S., she knew that, as soon as she was able to start earning money, she’d try to send some home. In the beginning, that meant offering micro-loans to Ghanaian mothers who wanted to start businesses. Then, after two years […]

With roots dating back to 1860, the Pratt Ginkgo—named for a civil engineer credited with improving Grounds in the mid-19th century—gets our vote for best tree (if there were such a thing). Peep the ginkgo in late November, when it’s at its most brilliant yellow, on the west side of the Rotunda.

At the first snowfall of the year, there’s only one place to be: Booker T. Washington Park, that nine-acre spot off Preston Avenue with a basketball court, swimming pool, and, of course, massive sledding hill. Grab the nearest toboggan, cafeteria tray or, in a pinch, mattress (we’ve seen it!) and head out. Just steer clear […]