Vacation: Is Richmond/Charlottesville a good choice for history lover? (Jefferson: houses, university)

[Wordsmith12]

Clarification: Early American History lover, specifically from the 1770s-1820s. (I enjoy learning about the Civil War, but it's not my favorite era.). Big presidential history fanatic.

Other choices we've considered for our summer trip:

- A second trip to Philly (we went last year and loved it)
- Maryland (Baltimore and Annapolis)
- New Jersey (Trenton, Princeton, Morristown)
- Charleston, SC

Do you think a Richmond/Charlottesville trip would be worth my time and money?

We already visited Williamsburg and Yorktown in 2017.

Thanks in advance.

[choff5]

Oh my yes! People usually think of just the Cival War but the roots of American History happened in these places too. Richmond has St. John’s Church, https://www.historicstjohnschurch.org/ plus the first state Capitol, https://virginiacapitol.gov/. Beside Monticello, Jefferson’s home, there is more around Charlottesville as well. Montpelier, Madison’s home, where he wrote the Constitution is not far away, https://www.montpelier.org/. Also just to the south of Charlottesville is Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, his summer home, https://www.poplarforest.org/#section-3. Also, James Monroe’s home, Highland, is just outside Charlottesville, https://highland.org/. This area is rich in seeing how our forefathers lived. Even visiting UVA, Mr. Jefferson’s University, is historical in seeing the Rotunda and grounds. Back in Richmond there is also Hollywood Cemetery, https://www.hollywoodcemetery.org/ where James Monroe and John Tyler are buried as well as many other early notables. There are various tours and it is beautiful.

So, have I given you enough Early American reasons to visit? It truly isn’t all Cival War, but is the birthplace of much of that era.

[spencer114]

Just east of Richmond (down Route 5) there are a few plantation houses from the 1700’s (Berkeley, Westover, Shirley...) to tour. Just west of Charlottesville there is the Wilson presidential library in Staunton. Patric Henry’s home is in Ashland (15 miles north of Richmond). John Marshall’s (first Chief Justice if the Supreme Court) home is in Richmond. The second English settlement in VA (3rd in the country) is about 10 miles south east of Richmond. Henricus was much larger than Jamestown (had a university and a 50 bed hospital). It was settled in 1611. Parts of the settlement have been rebuilt, there’s a Native American camp there too.


Richmond is also really pretty with good food, natural beauty and great colonial, Federal, antebellum and Victorian architecture. Charlottesville is super quaint and the country roads winding through the region are beautiful.

[LesLucid]

I lived in Charlottesville for 4 years. I didn’t visit Monticello for a couple years but once I did, I went back a couple more times before I left. The Old part of the U.Va campus is also beautiful, IMO and you can see Edgar Allen Poe’s room. Those two things should occupy one day and then a nice sinner somewhere.

[LesLucid]

.....sigh......just read my typo, should have been dinner but I guess it works either way.

[gregir]

From Williamsburg to Charlottesville and the surrounding areas, it is hard to find another area that has the richness of history. You figure jamestown kicked off a lot of the presence of europeans in the US up through the civil war, these areas were in the thick of it. The history of those who were brought here against their will is also in the area and that story is being told in a better more honest fashion all the time.

[VirgPhotog]

I grew up in NY but have lived in the Greater Richmond area 31 years. If you love history, visiting historical sites, museums and homes related to all that , this is the place to visit. I haven't tired of it in 31 years.