By Glenda Winders
We had come to Charlottesville, Virginia, specifically to visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and now, with that item checked off our bucket list, my companion and I were strolling through the city's streets on a tour with Steven Meeks, president of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society.
"We try to emphasize the area's other history, besides Thomas Jefferson," he told us — and that's exactly what he did.
The society is housed in what was originally a library and is now a research facility and exhibit hall with rotating displays. As we left the building Meeks explained that the city of 43,500 people was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, who was the British ruler at the time of the Revolutionary War.
We learned that Meriwether Lewis was born here and so was William Clark's brother, the war hero George Rogers Clark. Theodore Roosevelt had his version of a Camp David retreat here.
The city grew up around its historic courthouse, near which was the requisite jail. The jail has been in disrepair for many years, but the society is currently trying to raise funds to restore it and open it for tours. Meeks had many stories to tell, among them that the last person to hang here in 1905 was the city's mayor, who had allegedly murdered his wife.
Meeks' group offers architectural, downtown and cemetery tours, but he says these "spirit walks" are not of the "boo" variety — just entertaining and educational.
With our appetites whetted for more Colonial history, we headed for Ash Lawn-Highland, home of James Monroe, who was Jefferson's neighbor, fellow statesman and friend. Here docent Martin Violette guided us through the house that began small and expanded as the family grew, and as he did he fleshed out the person of a farm boy who grew up to be a four-term governor and fifth president of the United States. He also authored the Monroe Doctrine.
"It was a simple solution to a difficult question," Violette said. "He looked at everyone's points of view and put them into play."
Violette also told us some surprising facts — that Monroe actually negotiated the Louisiana Purchase despite Jefferson's getting the credit for it and that he is the man holding the flag in Emanuel Leutze's famous painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware."
Because Monroe died solvent, his belongings didn't need to be sold, so many of the household items he and his New York City-born wife assembled in their home are still intact — a clock from France, a chair from a Russian ambassador, a shaving mirror, even their presidential china.
"Hardly like a farmhouse, is it?" Violette asked us.
We could have stayed here for lunch in the visitors center, but we opted instead to visit another historic spot, Michie Tavern. Located near both Monroe's and Jefferson's homes, this rustic eatery (circa 1784) offers a midday meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and biscuits — all presented in pewter dishes and tankards and provided by servers in period costumes. When we had finished our lunch, one of them arrived at our table with warm peach cobbler and ice cream.
The last stop on our tour of historic sites was across the county line at Montpelier, home of James Madison. Madison moved to this mansion at the age of 14 and when he was older moved back and turned it into a duplex with his parents in one part of the house and he and his wife, Dolley, and their family in the other.
While definitely worth a visit, this was our least favorite of the presidential homes. One reason is that after Madison's death his wife gave the house to her son from a previous marriage, Payne, who was a gambler and needed money from selling it to settle his debts. Many years later the house came into the hands of the DuPont family, and their stamp on the home keeps it from seeming completely authentic.
The part we did especially enjoy was the docent's telling us about Madison's extraordinary life — that he was a fierce defender of freedom of conscience whose dinner table was a free market of ideas and that his 15-point Virginia Plan was the forerunner to the U.S. Constitution.
Eventually we were ready to leave the 18th and 19th centuries and explore the modern side of this multifaceted area, beginning with contemporary art. With time in the city running short, we bypassed the stately Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia in favor of the McGuffey Art Center, and what a find that was! The building, once an elementary school named for William Holmes McGuffey of "McGuffey Reader" fame, now houses studios for 45 artists in every medium who work and sell in this energy-filled creative space.
We did, however, go to the UVA campus for a look at the theater department that hosts the Heritage Theater Festival, in its 41st year this summer. Robert Chapel, producing artistic director, explained that the idea is to stage several productions simultaneously in the three theaters — Ruth Caplin, Culbreth and Helms — so that theatergoers can see several productions in the space of a short visit. This year's offerings include such wide-ranging titles as "Almost, Maine"; "I Love a Piano"; and "Monty Python's Spamalot."
Charlottesville's downtown area also provided some surprises. Eight entire blocks have been designated as a pedestrian walkway, and many of the shops are offbeat and local. The Charlottesville Pavilion at one end of the bricked street hosts live entertainment.
We're not shoppers by nature, but we did find so many good places to eat here that it was hard to choose among them. Ultimately we opted for a healthy Mediterranean lunch at Bashir's Taverna and later a locally sourced dinner at the Red Pump Kitchen. Our pizza (just one of many possibilities) was fresh and delicious, but the star of the show was a Chocolate Cremeux that was so rich we had to cut it with bites of coconut ice cream.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is the fifth-largest producer of wine in the United States, and following the Monticello Wine Trail leads to 30 local wineries. We only had time to stop at one — Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards — which gave us a fine taste of the culinary delights this destination has to offer.
Pippin Hill specializes in white wines, growing sauvignon blanc and viognier grapes on their property and sourcing others from Virginia growers. We did a tasting and then stayed on at the restaurant to have salads for lunch — one that spotlighted fresh asparagus and the other shaved Brussels sprouts. We ate on a covered patio looking out at a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and finished our meal with a Meyer lemon curd dessert that had an edible violet on top — perfect!
WHEN YOU GO
We stayed at the Oakhurst Inn — a real find. It is tucked into a quiet cul-de-sac close to the University of Virginia, but it also has easy access to main thoroughfares through the city. Guests enjoy healthy breakfasts served in a cottage on the grounds: www.oakhurstinn.com.
For general information: www.visitcharlottesville.org
Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society: www.albemarlehistory.org
Ash Lawn-Highland: www.ashlawnhighland.org
Michie Tavern: www.michietavern.com
Montpelier: www.montpelier.org
McGuffey Art Center: www.mcguffeyartcenter.com
Heritage Theatre Festival: www.heritagetheatrefestival.org
Bashir's Taverna: www.bashirs.com
Red Pump Kitchen: www.redpumpkitchen.com
Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards: www.pippinhillfarm.com
Glenda Winders is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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