Charlottesville, VA

Address:Charlottesville, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson knew what he was doing when he founded Charlottesville, recently voted the best place to live in America. More than just a charming college town, it's also a perfect starting-point for exploring the nearby Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. Before you head out of town, visit some of the popular places of interest in Charlottsville, VA starting out with the historic district. Enjoy the pedestrian mall, the restored houses as well as the fine dining. Kind of like a piece of Europe hidden in the hills of Virginia. One can't help wondering if this is exactly the way Jefferson planned it to be. Back to Jefferson, his estate at Monticello is probably the most visited of the Charlottesville places of interest and is just one of the attractions in town where you can gaze in awe at Jefferson's amazing architectural talent as well as the class that the founding fathers had. Even while they were fighting a war for their independence they wanted their institutions to like Rome in its heyday. Check this out at the University of Virginia, the highlight of the campus is the Rotunda, which will recall the Pantheon for those who have been in Rome. Other neo-Classical buildings dot the campus. Free tours are available several times a day.

Charlottesville, VA is about two and a half hours southwest of Washington, DC via I-95 to Fredericksburg and then by state and US routes. From Charlottesville, it is another hour to Shenandoah and about a half hour to Skyline Drive.