As my birthday approached I developed a plan to non rev with my husband to Palm Springs, CA. However as I sat at my computer, about to process payment for the hotel, I saw the grand total cost increase dramatically(from the absurd California taxes and resort fees) and I quickly decided to scrap the idea.
In an unrelated situation, I was looking up a town in Virginia I read about in an article. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was onto my delightfully revised birthday trip idea.
“I want to go to Stanardsville, Virginia for my birthday!” I told my husband. He was into that idea, but I am sure that if he realized the population of Stanardsville VA is 400 people, he would wonder why.
The answer to that question is because I stumbled upon a darling historic bed and breakfast on TripAdvisor, called Lafayette Inn and Restaurant. As the name coveys, The Lafayette is not only a B&B but also a restaurant, and not only a restaurant but one of the best in the state of Virginia, check out all of the awards they have won.
If you read my blog or know me, you know that I am an old soul, that I have a penchant for things of the past, “shabby chic”rose prints, historic buildings, and exploring off the beaten path. As I read the rave reviews about the Lafayette Inn and restaurant,and saw the photos of the suites and food, I knew this was the perfect place to stay for my birthday trip. Not to mention, the owners have a kindhearted mission to provide warm shelters and food for stray cats, so as a cat lover I think that is a plus.
My next job was to find out the non-reving situation (flying on standby as a perk of working in aviation). One of my favorite posts to write on my blog is about the different non-rev trips we take, in hopes it will inspire other non-revers to try the trip.
Non-Reving & Rental Car Information
The Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO) which serves the Charlottesvillve, Virginia area with Delta, United, and American airlines. CHO offers over 50 daily non-stop flights to and from Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York/LaGuardia, Washington/Dulles, Atlanta, and Chicago. We non-reve’d using Delta from RSW to ATL, and ATL to CHO, arriving before noon. Thankfully we were cleared from the standby list for both legs! For the return trip we used American, CHO to CLT, and CLT to RSW. If you are wondering if you will need a rental car for this adventure, the answer is yes because this area I will be covering is quite spread out.
If you are hungry when you arrive at CHO, a friendly local restaurant Michael’s Diner is a short drive from the airport. We enjoyed a plentiful breakfast for a budget -friendly price. Location: 3450 Seminole Trail,
Charlottesville, Virginia 22911 on Google Maps
Call by phone at 434-328-8939
Lafayette Inn – Bed & Breakfast
We arrived at Lafayette Inn and took advantage of the convenient “off hours” check in. We followed the directions to a two story brick building, and upon unlocking the door, I was enticed to see a stairway leading up. Indeed, the Wilson Suite was a lovely 2nd story apartment ( it reminded me a bit of my old historic apartment)! Immediately I was enchanted by how the room was decorated in a style worthy of a Laura Ashley catalog, there was a bottle of champagne on ice awaiting us, and although it was a cold day in Virginia, heat radiated warmly in the old Federalist style building. The room was very clean and every comfort was provided, coffee maker, tv, iron, hair dryer, toiletries, etc.
I was very pleased with our entire experience at The Lafayette Inn and Restaurant, and let me tell you, the complimentary breakfast each morning was fantastic! The friendly hosts, and Inn keepers, Alan and Kaye personally prepare the breakfasts. The French toast they serve is especially well known and loved.
What to do in Charlottesville, VA Area
Now that I have made a case for where to stay, you may be wondering what is there to do?
This is where having the rental car comes in useful.
Historic Downtown
First, I suggest you visit the historic downtown Charlottesville mall. Imagine my delight when just around the corner from where we found free street parking, I came upon vintage shopping, one of my favorite discoveries in any destination I visit.
Arsenic and Old Lace is a true gem for vintage lovers. Joe and I enjoyed speaking to the owner and looking at the beautiful things in the boutique including high end brands (like Chanel, etc) and a variety of dresses, shoes, jackets, denim, menswear, home furnishings and more. I ended up buying two pairs of fabulous vintage heels; silver Stuart Weitzmans and a brown leather pair from Barney’s.
Around the corner was another great shop that caught my attention called Darling Boutique. This is a secondhand store that is quite picky on what they select. There is some vintage and some modern clothes, along with awesome local stickers, jewelry and gifts. I found the coolest waist belt there for just $12!
Timberlake Drug Store was a blast from the past. We saw an A-frame outside the drugstore advertising 22 cent coffee. Upon entering I truly felt like I was walking back in time to a scene from an old movie. We sat at the “soda fountain counter” in the back and ordered a tuna melt to split. This must be the best value for lunch in town.
In the downtown we saw several used book stores, restaurants, gift shops, coffee shops, a tea room, a comic book store, an old fashioned movie theater and more. Check out the Historic Downtown Charlottesville Mall website to see what might appeal to you.
Wine Tasting Rooms
Another reason you may enjoy visiting this area of Virginia is for the wine tasting rooms. Our hosts at the Inn told us about Early Mountain Vineyard, which was voted the #1 wine tasting room in America. I would have loved to visit, however it was not open on my Wednesday birthday.
Although many winery tasting rooms in the area were closed on my birthday, we had the opportunity to visit the Trump Winery.
All politics aside, the Trump winery has an elegant atmosphere and excellent wine. Natural sunlight pours in the large windows overlooking vast hillside land near Monticello. There are multiple intimate seating arrangements where you can sip on wine by the glass or as a flight of 4 samples, which is what we chose to do. If you order the flight, a complimentary Ridel wine glass is included to take home with you.
We were lucky to find an open seat in front of the wood burning fireplace. This is the first time in a while I have seen real logs being fed into a fireplace to keep it burning, and they made a nice cracking sound. We paired the wine with a board of hummus, artichoke, olives, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed spending these cozy moments with my husband on My Groundhog’s Day birthday afternoon.
Now if you are not interested in Trump Winery, rest assured there are many other wineries in the Charlottesville area. Here is a link to more information on what wineries you may want to explore.
Area Dining
For dinner Joe and I drove to a town called Elkton, about 30 minutes away from Stanardsville. We opted to go to The 1835 Smokehouse for a BBQ meal, but a close second choice, also in Elkton, was Italian at Ciro’s Italian Eatery.
Other highly rates places to eat which were on my radar include:
Lafayette Inn and Restaurant itself (on the days it is open to the public)
The Ordinary at the Michie Tavern – A unique 18th century tavern lunch time experience with southern buffet. This is a bit of a touristy place from what I gather, but it looked interesting. It seems many people go here for lunch after touring to Monticello.
The Blue Ridge Cafe – This had also caught my eye as a place we might have tried. This restaurant is located in Ruckersville, VA, about an 8 minute drive from Stanardsville.
Monticello
Another attraction of the Charlottesville area is visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. While we did not actually go to the attraction, we did attempt to go on a light hike on the free walking trail with lovely Blue Ridge mountain views, The Saunders-Monticello Trail. Sadly, it was close due to ice when we arrived. We did however look around in the gift shop.
Visit a National Park
Speaking of hiking, another big draw to the Charlottesville area is the Shenandoah National Park. It is my understanding that there are many beautiful waterfalls, and excellent hiking opportunities in this treasured national park. While we did not go this time, I do believe it will be worth going back to in the future, and I know that many of my non-rev friends would be attracted to Charlottesville for the park alone. The entrance is $30 per single vehicle, so keep that in mind. I have posted free days to visit below.
2022 Fee Free Days
No entrance fees will be charged on the following days:
Monday, January 17 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Saturday, April 16 – First Day of National Park Week
Thursday, August 4 – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
Saturday, September 24 – National Public Lands Day
Friday, November 11 – Veterans Da
Often non-revers (and others) are looking for a new idea for a two-day destination to explore, and I hope this post will have given you a reason to explore Charlottesville, Virginia and area. I had an excellent birthday trip. It could not be more different than the Palm Springs trip I had originally had in mind, but I can honestly say I was delighted by the time we spent in Virginia and I would go back again.
CharlottesvilleLafayette Inn & RestaurantNon rev tripStandardsvilleVirginia
