Boutique gyms offer individual attention

For a town its size, Charlottesville is bursting with fitness club choices. “We really have a big city-level of unique offerings here,” says Claire Mitchell, co-founder and owner of treadHAPPY, a treadmill-based fitness studio located off West Main Street. In contrast to “big-box” clubs like ACAC or the YMCA, boutique, or niche gyms, like treadHAPPY […]

LIVING Picks: Week of January 31-February 6

HEALTH & WELLNESS Bikes for refugees Wednesday, January 31 Donate your gently used bicycles and helmets to refugees who have resettled in our area. Both children and adult bikes are needed. Drop off items from 4-5pm, 2111 Michie Dr. facebook.com/intl.neighbors FAMILY Father/daughter dance Friday, February 2, and Saturday, February 3 Dads, grandfathers and uncles are […]

LIVING Picks: Beer and bourbon fest, square dancing and more

FAMILY Family Night Out Friday, January 26 Enjoy some family time with swimming, a movie, pizza and snacks. $6 per person; $25 families of five or more, 6-8pm. Crozet YMCA, 1075 Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet. 205-4380. NONPROFIT Drop spindle class Saturday, January 27 Crafter Russell Hubert teaches a class on how to spin wool using […]

Old Mill Room gets modern makeover

By Erin O’Hare and Sam Padgett After a special dinner service on Wednesday, January 31, the Old Mill Room at the Boar’s Head Inn will close for a major renovation, the first since the restaurant opened in 1965. The old wooden beams and hardwood floors will remain, says Boar’s Head Resort marketing and communications manager […]

Does winter weather spell trouble for area growers?

By Natalie Jacobsen Between sporadic power outages, icy roads and burst pipes, Charlottesville is dealing with plenty of winter woes. But we aren’t the only ones grappling with the freezing temperatures: Central Virginia vineyards are facing this weather head-on, with growers keeping a close eye on their property. David Geist, co-owner of Arcady Vineyard Bed […]

Silk Thai keeps it authentic

By Sam Padgett and Erin O’Hare The red house at 2210 Fontaine Ave. that once housed Thai 99 has a new coat of paint and a new inhabitant: Silk Thai Restaurant. Silk Thai owner TK Chin (nephew of Thai 99 owner Eddy Keomahathai) is bent on maintaining the friendly and welcoming environment that Thai 99 […]

Sound off: Hearing loss in pets

It was odd the first time it happened. My dog, an aging Lhasa Apso, failed to greet me at the door. I found him snoozing in the middle of the living room and tapped him on the head. In a flash, he popped up onto his feet and regained his usual wriggling enthusiasm. Clearly, he […]

LIVING Picks: Week of January 10-16

FAMILY Monticello student art exhibit Saturday, January 13 Bring the family to view artwork from more than 400 second-graders who visited Monticello last fall. Exhibit opening includes family activities and light refreshments. Free, noon-2pm. David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. 984-9822. NONPROFIT Hope’s Legacy fundraiser Thursday, January 11 […]

Aromas Café returns to its beginnings

When Hassan Kaisoum moved Aromas Café from its original location in the Virginia Department of Forestry building to Barracks Road Shopping Center in 2007, he returned often to Fontaine Research Park to walk the nature trails he’d come to know well since first opening the restaurant in 1998. On those walks, he thought about the […]

Local dance groups help people shake up their routines

By Natalie Jacobsen and Jessica Luck From swing to salsa, ballroom to hip-hip, tango to tap, Charlottesville’s dance scene is alive and kicking. Over the last few decades as the groups have grown in popularity and size, the communities themselves have transformed: They’re safe spaces to not only master the steps of a dance, but […]