Just For Kids

Charlottesville 365; Apple Harvest Festival at Carter Moutain Orchard, October 9 – 10, 2010

October 8, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · Leave a Comment 

The Apple Harvest Festival at Charlottesville’s Carter Mountain Orchard is fun for the whole family! The Orchard is winding down for the season, and officially closes it’s weekday hours at the end of November, but this is one of their final festival events before the end of the year!

If you’ve never been to Carter Mountain, you are missing breathtaking views, delicious apple cider donuts, fresh, juicy fruit, and a great place to just idle a Charlottesville afternoon away! Carter Mountain Orchard has free admission and is open seasonally with different fruit available for picking for the majority of the year. From the apple festival to tree-ripened and white flesh peaches, to nectarines, pumpkins for halloween, and fresh garden vegetables, the picking is plentiful nearly year-round.

If you are thinking about visiting Carter Mountain Orchard, check out their website first- it has daily updates about the different sections of the orchard that are open each day, as well as which fruit is prime for picking. The upcoming Spring Fling Festival is a fun two-day event, filled with hayrides, crafts, delicious food, and a souvenir shop full of lots of homemade goodies to bring back for friends and family.

Located off of Route 53, near Michie Tavern, PVCC, and Monticello.

Carter Mountain Orchard Apple Harvest Festival:

October 2, October 3, October 9, October 10 from 9AM – 6PM

Whether or not it’s an official festival, Carter Mountain is a great place to take a quiet stroll, to bring the kids for an afternoon of fun, or to bring your spouse for a picnic lunch. It has breath-taking views all around and is a great, low-cost opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. The traffic is typically very busy at the beginning of each picking season, especially during the months when it is only open on the weekends, but during the weeks at mid-day it is peaceful and quiet.

Map to the Apple Harvest Festival

1435 Carters Mountain Trail Charlottesville Virginia 22902

Charlottesville 365; Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, Fall 2010

October 4, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · 1 Comment 

This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, one of my favorite annual events in Charlottesville! The Arts and Crafts festival is located in Crozet, VA (which is part of Albemarle County), in the Claudius Crozet Park. It attracts artists from all across the region; this year boasting over 100! All types of artists are represented, including clay, drawing, pastels, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, wood and more. There is truly something here for everyone! Not to mention, opening day on Saturday could be a great opportunity for some last minute Mother’s Day shopping! Or Sunday could be a great day to take the kids so mom actually get’s a day off!

In addition to all of the incredible art, there is all-day live entertainment, children’s activities, and wine tasting for the adults! This years vineyards include Flying Fox (one that I’ve heard so much about but have yet to try!), DelFosse, Mount Fair, Mountain Cove, Stone Mountain, and Well Hung Vineyards (who I’ve never heard of before, but whose creative name and logos got a chuckle!). One of the entertainment highlights is Kid Pan Alley, which is a duo of musical artists, Paul Reisler and Terri Allard, who travel from school to school creating music with students and inspiring them to create their own. This two day event is truly packed with fun things to do, and all of the proceeds go to benefit and maintain the beautiful Claudius Crozet Park, a well-known and well-attended park that is a highlight of the area.

For the kids- the Arts and Crafts Festival has face painting, sand art, make-your-own crafts, and of course the added benefit of all of the future benefits that will be returned to the park!

The 30th anniversary is sure to be a hit, and it is a perfect opportunity for gift shopping, wine tasting, and a day of outdoor enjoyment!

Will we see you there?

Festival Schedule

• Saturday October 9; 10:00am – 5:30pm
• Sunday October 10; 10:00am – 5:00pm

Admission

Gate Admission is $6 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Admission to the wine tent after entering gate is $8 and includes a souvenir glass.

Visit Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival’s facebook page for updates.

Visit Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival’s website for details!

Great photos of the Arts and Crafts Festival courtesy of their website;

Map to Claudis Crozet Park;

And, of course, if you like the Crozet area, here are some nearby homes to check out;

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 112. See more city of Crozet real estate.
(all data current as of 5/22/2012)

1. $172,000 : 1511 Buck Rd, CROZET
   
   2 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 800 sq ft

   Lot size: 17,946 sqft
2. $995,000 : 2519 White Hall Rd, CROZET
   
   6 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 6,034 sq ft

   Lot size: 9.48 ac
3. $279,500 : 1433 Ballard Dr, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 3 full baths

   Home size: 2,800 sq ft

   Lot size: 20,037 sqft
4. $210,000 : 5102 Browns Gap Tpke, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 2 full baths

   Home size: 1,535 sq ft

   Lot size: 21,780 sqft
5. $169,900 : 1849 Thurston Dr, CROZET
   
   3 beds, 1 full bath

   Home size: 1,124 sq ft

   Lot size: 3.92 ac

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Charlottesville 365; Starry Nights at Veritas Vineyards

July 9, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · 4 Comments 

Starry Nights at Veritas Vineyards is one of my all-time favorites of Charlottesville summers!  Starry nights is a once monthly concert series at Veritas, that runs from June through September.  It’s a fairly low-key evening where you are welcome to come to Veritas and picnic out under the stars, or you are also able to sit down to a catered meal from the Veritas chef’s with each course paired with wine.

This evening is an awesome combination of live music, wine, and the great outdoors! Bring your family, friends, blankets, lawnchairs and dancing shoes for an unforgettable night under the stars. Space is unlimited and tickets can be purchased the night of the event.

Cost is $15/person at the door- this buys you entry to Starry Nights and a Veritas glass.  You can also buy tickets online in advance if you’d like.  They do take cash or credit card at the door and the line is not bad.

Here are some Starry Nights tips for beginners;

Some other information directly from the Veritas site;

Suns: $15/pp Includes admission ticket and a Veritas wine glass. Bring your picnics, tables, and lawn chairs to sit on the lawn. Space is unlimited and tickets can be purchased the night of the event.

Moons: $35/pp Includes admission ticket and a seat at a table on the lawn and the buffet meal. Limited availability, so book early!

Stars: $50/pp Includes admission ticket, buffet meal, and a seat at a table on the deck with full-service. Limited availability.

Questions? Please call 540-456-8000 ext. 108.

The 2010 line-up;

• Saturday, July 10th, 2010, 7-11 pm with Abbey Road – Beatles Cover Band
• Saturday, August 14th, 2010, 7-11 pm with Little Freddie King – New Orleans Blues Legend
• Saturday, September 11th, 2010, 7-11 pm with The Hackensaw Boys – Raucous Bluegrass  and Very Special Guests Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees

Will we see you there??

Find Veritas on the web;

Veritas Website

Veritas Facebook Fan Page

Map to Veritas;

Charlottesville 365; Virginia Discovery Museum’s Friday Date Night Drop-Off Program

July 5, 2010 by Jenée Libby · Leave a Comment 

A NIGHT OUT FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS!

Are you dying to finally have that date night you’ve always promised yourselves? Have you ever wished there was a place you could drop off your kids right on the Downtown Mall so you could go to dinner or Fridays After Five? Has your child ever wished they could play in the Virginia Discovery Museum after hours when the crowds have dispersed?

Well, guess what? You can! As requested by our visitors, the Virginia Discovery Museum now has a Date Night Drop Off Program! Every Friday from 5:30pm to 8pm throughout July and August, you can drop off your 3-8 year old while you enjoy all the amenities the Downtown Mall has to offer. Sip some wine over dinner, go shopping, grab a gelato, or catch the free show at Fridays After Five. The Museum has got childcare covered.

And it’s so much better than a babysitter! We keep groups small, so kids have tons of room to discover the Museum, and each week there’s a different educational theme and craft to make during the evening’s program:

July 9th – Rousseau Jungles
July 16th – Glow in the Dark Night
July 23rd – Byzantine Art
July 30th – A Night in Egypt
August 6th – Medieval Times
August 13th – Arrrr Matey!
August 20th – Pointillism
August 27th – Bead Making

A healthy dinner of cheese pizza, carrot sticks, and fruit juice is included in the registration fee, as well as lots of free time to play in the Museum. Sign up today and have that date night you’ve always wanted – the Museum will take care of the rest!

INFORMATION:
Fridays 5:30-8pm, Ages 3-8
(we request your 3-year-old be fully potty trained)
VDM Members $20/ Non-members $25 (siblings discount $5).

Cancellation fee of $10 after 12pm on the day before registered program. No refund for same-day cancellation. Space is limited to 12 children per week and will not run without a minimum of 4 children. Registrants will be notified by 5pm on the night before the program if we need to cancel.  Payment is due when child is registered for program.

Call 434-977-1025 to register your child.

Visit the Discovery Museum Website here!
Visit the Discovery Museum on Facebook

Map to the Discovery Museum

Charlottesville 365; Charlottesville Restaurant Week

June 28, 2010 by Sasha C. Farmer, REALTOR ® · 1 Comment 

I could not have been more excited than I was to hear that Restaurant Week was coming to Charlottesville twice last year, and now, it’s back!

From July 12-18, 2010, Charlottesville has 20 restaurants participating in “Restaurant Week”, which involves $26/person prix-fixe menus, all of three courses- an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  According to the Restaurant Week website, the last Restaurant week held in Charlottesville in early 2010 earned over $10,000 for the local food bank!  ($1 of every $26 meal is donated!)  It’s tough to pass up the opportunity to dine at some of Charlottesville’s most highly desired restaurants all for a low cost and a great cause!

It’s not too early to start making reservations, and most of these restaurants will completely fill up, so book your plans now!

The following 20 restaurants are participating in the July 2010 Charlottesville Restaurant Week;

• Aberdeen Barn


Photo Courtesy of the Charlottesville Restaurant Week Website; http://cvilleyum.com/

• Al Dente Ristorante
• Bang!
• Blue Light Grill
• The Boat House
• Brassiere Montiel
• C&O
• Camino
• Carmello’s
• Fossett’s at Keswick Hall
• Horse and Hound
• l’etoile
• Maya
• The Melting Pot
• Orzo Kitchen and Wine Shop
• Old Mill Room at The Boar’s Head Inn
• The Pointe at The Omni
• The Shebeen
• Ten
• Ventana

Visit the Restaurant Week website to check out the prix-fixe menus for each restaurant!

Some insider’s tips for Restaurant Week;

• Start looking through the menu’s now and pinpoint some places you’d like to go.
• Book, now!
• Call each restaurant individually to make your reservation, and make sure to tell them you are participating in Restaurant Week!
• Make your reservation on time, or you may get skipped!
• All reservations are first come, first served, and some of the restaurants will fill up very early!  If you can’t get a reservation at a place you’d like, you can try calling them on the day-of to see if any of their booked reservations had to cancel.
• Don’t forget that tax and tip aren’t included!  Plan accordingly!

From the Restaurant Week website;

“For any diner who has ever dreamed about fine dining without breaking the bank, Restaurant Week is that dream… come true. Modeled on similar events in other cities, this is seven days of good food and good fun. Diners get to choose from each participating restaurant’s special prix fixe menu and enjoy three courses— an appetizer, an entree, and dessert— for just $25 [CORRECTION- actually $26 this year]. (Beverages, tax, and gratuity not included.)

Charlottesville Restaurant Week is July 12-18, 2010.

[From About Restaurant Week » Charlottesville Restaurant Week - ]

Charlottesville 365: Chile’s Peach Orchard

June 26, 2010 by MJ Arquette · 1 Comment 

In our world of busy-ness it is often times difficult to spend real quality time with the ones you love. As a new Mom, who works a 9 – 5 job outside of the home, I hardly ever have non-working time that is without a scheduled obligation, grocery store trip, or general housecleaning/yard work. That’s why I made it my goal that on my husband’s first Father’s Day, we would forego any normal weekend ritual to take a day and celebrate our new family doing some of the things he truly enjoys. No easy task, given the fact that Father’s Day fell in a short 36 hour window we had to ourselves between Summer family visits.

My husband grew up in northern New York State, about an hour outside of the Adirondack Park. He spent his childhood in the midst of the outdoors, hunting, fishing and camping in the mountains. Thankfully, our piece of Central Virginia has some fabulous areas that if you close your eyes for just a minute – probably in the Summer- you could be in either place.

Enter my first of two selections for the day: Crozet and Chile’s Peach Orchard. We had heard tons about this

place from various friends – in particular a rumor about an out-of-this-world peach donut (which may have been the tipping point of my plans to travel there first). Just the drive there can put you in a relaxing mood. Driving 250 West, the further out of town and closer to the mountains you get, it’s like a different world, with thoughts of the to-dos you left behind fading away. We drove through Crozet onto Jarman’s Gap, and arrived at the Orchard.  We entered the store, which carries an assortment of the Chile’s produced items including various ciders and jams, a fudge counter and ice cream stand for treats. We gathered our bag for picking and headed out with our 6 month in tow (carrying him in his carseat as we, of course, forgot the all-important stroller).

That day, peaches could be picked from the first 5 rows, at a cost of $1.39/lb. There were a number of families also picking peaches and one had even brought a ladder  – a great idea, clearly we were first-timers. Our son woke up at one point, and we snapped some great photos of him “picking” peaches and a few of he and his dad with a gorgeous Blue Ridge backdrop.

It was getting hot so we went back into the store to cool down (no A.C. but shade and large fans). It was time to try the thing we (I) had come there for: The peach donut sundae. Definitely big enough to split, and $3.99 if memory serves, it comes with the famous Chile’s peach donut on the bottom, home made soft-serve vanilla ice cream, fresh peach slices and whipped cream. Yum!

We ate outside on the covered wrap-around deck and enjoyed the breeze and mountain views. My husband loved it – I declared part 1 of Father’s Day a success.

Chile’s Peach Orchard Details

Visit Chile’s Peach Orchard on facebook!
Visit the Chile’s Peach Orchard website for more details here! web

Summer Hours:

Open Monday through Saturday 9-6, Sundays 10-5, Open until 8PM on Thursday!

Be sure to check out Part 2 of the Father’s Day Adventure, and an excellent end to a day in the sun: Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company.  These two Crozet experiences go great together back-to-back!

Map to Chile’s Peach Orchard

Charlottesville 356; Clean Up The Monticello Trail June 26, 2010

June 24, 2010 by Terry Karnes · Leave a Comment 

Clean-Up The Trail Day

The drive up Route 53 to Monticello is beautiful, but for something different hike the Saunders-Monticello Trail up Carter’s Mountain. The trail is a scenic two-mile trek up Carter’s Mountain, and is need of some volunteers June 26 for a clean-up day!

Thomas Jefferson Foundation is hosting the Trail Day from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Volunteers will remove invasive growth that crowds native plants. Volunteers of any age are welcome, but children under 18 need to be with a parent or guardian. The schedule is:

Meet at 9 a.m. at Kemper Park

9 -9:15 a.m. discuss invasive growth with James Covert, parkway assistant
9:15 a.m. to noon: clear invasive growth in the Pine Room
12-1 p.m. break for lunch
1 p.m. meet in Kemper Park
1-1:15 p.m. review invasive growth for newcomers
1:15-4 p.m. continue clearning growth in Pine Room

Volunteers should bring a small pair of clippers or shears if they have them. This is relaxed family friend event and volunteers may work at their own pace. Volunteers may attend the morning or afternoon sessions or both.
For more information about the event, contact Emily Tenhundfeld at (434) 984-9869, volunteer@monticello.org or visit www.monticello.org/parkway/cleanupday.html.

But what is this?
Even if you cannot participate in the trail day, become part of the 85,000 walkers annually. Here’s some of what you’ll find along the Thomas Jefferson Parkway.

Kemper Park
You start at the base of the mountain—where Routes 53 and 20 meet. It includes additional trails through Secluded Farm. Kemper Park is 89 acres and includes:

The trailhead for the Saunders-Monticello Trail
A two-acre pond
The Carter Overlook with views of Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Mountains
An arboretum of native trees
The Palmer Woodland Theater (amphitheater)

There is a pedestrian underpass below Route 53 from the park to additional parking. Pets are allowed in Kemper Park (on a leash) but not on the trail.

Saunders-Monticello Trail
The trail is made of finely crushed stone and partly raised boardwalks. Walkers, cyclists and those in wheelchairs are allowed to use it. You take a less than 5 % grade up to the stone-arch Saunders Bridge to the entrance of Monticello. The trail and park are open all year sunrise to sunset.
The boardwalk portions of the trails take you behind Michie Tavern on the way up Carter Mountain.

Both the trail and bridge were a give from Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Saunders III. The Parkway was designed by the Charlottesville landscape architecture firm Rieley and Associates and built by Abrahamse & Company in Charlottesville.

Want to do more?
If you want to do more, become a Monticello Trailblazer. You can donate online at www.monticello.org/trailblazer or contact trailblazers@monticello.org.

Click here for a downloadable map of the trails!

« Previous Page — Next Page »