The overnighter: Farmville—surprises await in the rural college town

Farmville is not a likely spot for a getaway, unless you’re shopping in the massive Green Front Furniture warehouses or dropping students off at Longwood or Hampden-Sydney colleges. But we’d been hearing from friends who’d been to the quaint, historic town to check out its new High Bridge Trail. And with the opening of a […]

We are all Meteor: Pondering our emotional connection to animals

On October 22, The Washington Post published a 2,000-word story about Meteor the yak. The piece was essentially a deep-dive obituary of the sort usually reserved for movie stars, war heroes, and pioneers in the arts, science, and industry. I would call it overkill, because I can’t resist a pun. But that’s not exactly how […]

Picture this: Champions of dance

The unlikely pairing of beer and ballet—under an outdoor tent, no less—drew a standing-room-only crowd last Saturday at Champion Brewing Company, beside the railroad tracks downtown. Attendees, including plenty of kids, were treated to a pas de deux from The Nutcracker by member of the Charlottesville Ballet. The event, which kicked off the ballet’s 2019-20 […]

Out and about: Living, food & drink events

Get your goat Next Tuesday Caromont Farm, the craft goat-cheese haven, invites you to stop by, take a tour, and enjoy a nosh with your fall weather. While you’re sure to see some of the crazy-eyed critters who make the cheese possible, the real attraction is the chance to meet owner and culinary sage Gail […]

Food & Drink: Editors’ picks

Where and what we’re eating and drinking now. Hickory Hill Store BBQ, gas station, cheap eats This no-frills roadside stop offers solid, reasonably priced pork and chicken barbecue slow-cooked on hickory and oak in smokers on the asphalt lot out front. What you have here is a convenience store with a kitchen, a counter with […]

Fall for it: Expert tips for throwing a wine harvest party

After the harvest rain-out of 2018, this year’s Virginia wine vintage brings especially welcome news: a healthy, plentiful crop of ripe reds and whites, now bubbling merrily away in fermentation tanks before their long winter’s rest. Wineries are preparing to celebrate with harvest parties scheduled for the weekend of October 19, including events at Valley […]