By Ken Wilson – Quick, name the venerable Charlottesville institution that has a $5.9 billion annual local impact and can claim credit for 53 area startups in the last 12 years. Name the renowned and historic local institution that attracts smart kids from all 50 states and 148 countries, turns them out even smarter, and […]
By Ken Wilson – Not so long ago, hard cider was stuff you bought at the grocery store and let sit around too long. Or maybe you’d put it out on the porch to ferment on purpose, checking it every once in a while as it developed that tang and that slightly alcoholic edge. Either […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – A close-in Albemarle location, gorgeous views, convenience and lots of options: Pantops has it all. And thanks to Thomas Jefferson the area also enjoys a captivating and unusual name. One of Pantops’ earliest property owners, Jefferson is believed to have called the area Pant-Ops, Greek for all seeing. Was this […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Habitat for Humanity® of Greater Charlottesville is all about having a home. In more than 25 years of local action, this remarkable effort has constructed more than 200 dwellings, living up to Habitat’s vision of eliminating homelessness and substandard housing by making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. […]
By Ken Wilson – They’re all around us and they’re looking their best right now, the mom and pop wineries that dot our lush Central Virginia countryside. Draw up a list of two or three, drive slowly like the native old-timers and take in the view, then stop and sample the prize winners and the […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Here’s an interesting statistic: The 2018 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report, as researched by the National Association of Realtors®, shows about one-third of recent homebuyers are Millennials and about one-third are Baby Boomers. While these groups are at different places in their lives, it turns out they are looking […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – From very early days, horses have been a big part of Virginia’s lifestyle and economy. The first Colonists brought their favorite Thoroughbreds from England in the early 1600s. However they weren’t the first equines in the area. Native Americans also owned horses thought to be descended from those brought by […]
By Ken Wilson – It’s free, it’s family-friendly and, lucky for us, it’s happening again. For 30 years now it’s been our favorite way to let the good times roll—and rock and rumble, moan and purr, shake and shimmy, and however else the spirit moves. Thank God it’s Fridays After Five, with live music and […]
By Ken Wilson – Metropolitan Home’s 2002 “House of the Year,” a minimalist affair with all-white décor. An 1847 Gothic Revival stone church, a mid-nineteenth century chestnut log corn crib, and an original Sears and Roebuck kit barn. Not to mention thirty-five hundred tulips—that you didn’t have to plant. The sights and delights and curiosities […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Shopping for a new home has certainly evolved in the last few years. Home-buyers trawl the internet for months looking at potential properties. So if you’re selling, excellent pictures are essential to make your offering stand out and you can’t have great photos unless the property is in really good shape. […]