Outsider art: Our favorite plein-air murals and sculptures
In a self-styled art town like Charlottesville, you don’t have to step into a gallery to have an art encounter. There are lots of places to see murals, sculptures, and […]
Rent a road trip: Outdoorsy is Airbnb for RVs
If the open road is calling you—or if you’d like to spend a few nights communing with nature without, you know, getting eaten by any part of it—Outdoorsy’s here to […]
Riding lessons: A cyclist learns a lot about himself—and America—on an epic tour
On six-week jaunts over several years, Charlottesville’s Chris Register crisscrossed the country on his bike, interviewing people for his book series Conversations With US: Two Wheels, Fifty States, Hundreds of […]
Trail master: Trek’s Slash 9.8 will get you there—and back
When we asked Shawn Tevendale, owner of Blue Ridge Cyclery, to recommend a killer trail bike to feature, he emailed a link back within a minute to the mechanical wonder […]
She’s got the power: Meet Monica Johnson, the strongest woman in Charlottesville
I’ve been doing strength competitions for just about a year and a half, so I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. My current national ranking is second in […]
Urban wilderness: Creating a native habitat in town
When Devin Floyd and his team at the Center for Urban Habitats design gardens, they don’t just think about which plants will bloom in which season. Their approach is far […]
Kids on the loose: Confronting the risks of a free-range childhood
“Go play outside!” is one of those phrases that pops out of parents’ mouths as though it comes from a deep well of universal wisdom. Along with eating your vegetables […]
The accidental environmentalist: Author Earl Swift could go on about the ravages of climate change. But really, he’d rather be hiking.
Earl Swift is the author of seven books, including the urgent and poignant Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island. It was named a best book […]
Into the woods: 14 favorite Charlottesville-area hikes, from easy to “ease up!”
If you think that the end of summer means it’s time to put away the hiking boots, think again. Fall and winter in Virginia are fantastic seasons to walk in […]
A life in leaves: Charlottesville artist rocks the botanical world
When Lara Call Gastinger posts a page from her natural journal on Instagram, it routinely garners a few thousand likes. “Lush life!” comments one follower on a recent post. “How […]