Ulterior Motives

It would be untrue to say Charlottesville, VA, was a place we had been wanting to visit for some time; some ulterior motives were involved in the idea behind trip. What may have started as a last ditch effort to take advantage of a pretty good hotel rewards promo, ended up being one of the most pleasant surprises we have had since we moved out here.

The whole family (including Lucy) hopped into the Subie and headed west to Charlottesville this past weekend. First stop was Blue Mountain Brewery in the mountains (hills really) just south west of Charlottesville. The beer was about 50% good which might not sound like such a glowing endorsement but I did get a solid 8 beer sampler at the brewery. The East Coasters are still figuring out IPAs in my opinion but the witbier, saison, and the pils were all pretty good.

After lunch it was off to Charlottesville actual where we strolled Main Street, grabbed a cup of coffee at Mudhouse Coffee, and then grabbed a beer around the corner at Champion Brewing Company. Both places were quite good and Champion was the perfect place to sit outside with the family and enjoy the afternoon. On a whim, we stopped at the Oakhart Social for dinner and it proved to be the most pleasant surprise of the trip! Absolutely fantastic. Sophia’s favorite was easily the open-faced chicken fried octopus sandwich but it was too hard for the rest of us to choose ours.

The next day it was off to Charlottesville wine country. We sampled some of the wines and enjoyed the views at the Jefferson Vineyards while we let the kids enjoy all the open space. After lunch across the street at Salt, we headed to Blenheim Vineyards for a glass of wine and to enjoy the live music. See ya Charlottesville! Can’t wait until next time.