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All United States Virginia Charlottesville

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Charlottesville

7 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Charlottesville, Virginia

Updated December 29, 2022

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Unusual Attractions in Charlottesville

The Raven Room

Charlottesville, Virginia

The Raven Room

Edgar Allan Poe's old dorm is now a shrine to the author's legacy.

Charlottesville, Virginia

Monticello's Vegetable Garden and Fruitery

Thomas Jefferson's estate is home to hundreds of varieties of historic fruits and vegetables.
Interior view of the recently excavated chemical furnace in the ground floor of the University of Virginia's Rotunda

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia’s Hidden Chemical Hearth

Hidden for 165 years inside a building designed by Thomas Jefferson are the remains of what may be America's first educational chemistry lab.
The 7 symbol in front of the Jefferson statue in the Rotunda.

Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia's Seven Society

The story behind the mysterious symbol painted in front of the historic university's famous Rotunda.
Headstone of Anna Anderson

Charlottesville, Virginia

Headstone of Anna Anderson

Anna Anderson spent most of her life claiming to be the lost Romanov child Anastasia.
Barbara Moore working on Ngayuku Ngura mural.

Charlottesville, Virginia

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia

The only museum outside of Australia dedicated to exhibiting the artwork of Indigenous Australian artists.
Ix Art Park

Charlottesville, Virginia

Ix Art Park

An abandoned textile mill that is now home to art and concerts.
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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Charlottesville

Charlottesville, Virginia

Monticello's Vegetable Garden and Fruitery

Thomas Jefferson's estate is home to hundreds of varieties of historic fruits and vegetables.
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Eat Across the Blue Ridge Parkway

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt so enjoyed a ride through Virginia’s Skyline Drive that he wanted to make it go on longer—nearly 500 miles longer, to be exact. In the coming months, his administration kicked off a massive roadway project to connect Skyline with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway was born. Today, the Parkway remains one of the most beautiful drives in the country, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains to Shenandoah National Park. While its scenic overlooks get all the attention, the region’s restaurants offer a more intimate way to experience the landscape: through the very flavors of the berry bushes that line its trails, the trout that swim in its rivers, and the vegetation that gives its green mountains their striking hue. From elk burgers at a Native-owned diner to a foraged feast at an Afro-Appalachian restaurant, here’s a guide to the most incredible places to taste the flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge mountains.

View Itinerary
The winding parkway offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Explore Charlottesville, Virginia

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Recent Charlottesville Activity

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Stories About Charlottesville

Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight on December 31 for almost a half a century. Lombardo became known as "Mr. New Year's Eve"—but the song always reminded him of Easter.

Do Americans Sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Because of a Frat Party?

Or maybe it was the cigars that gave us this New Year's Eve staple.
by April White
December 29, 2022
There are no known images of Hemings and only a few recipes attributed to the skilled chef, including one for poached meringue.

A Rare Recipe From a Talented Chef Enslaved by a Founding Father

Despite James Hemings’s leading role in Jefferson’s kitchen, he’s credited with only a handful of recipes.
by Natasha Frost
August 6, 2020
In Bristol, England, members of a Black Lives Matter protest topple a statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader and key figure in the founding of the city, on June 7, 2020.

Keeping Track of Monument Removals Could Be a Full-Time Job

So data scientist Emily Gorcenski created When They Came Down to crowdsource the stories behind the topplings.
by Britta Shoot
July 22, 2020

The Library-Themed Livestream Where Birds Stretch Their Wings

A little "library" that's literally for the birds.
by Claire Voon
June 12, 2020

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