Central VA / Charlottesville area? Info needed.

Gentle Ben

Gentle Ben

Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
252
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but this forum is where I usually hang out when I'm on this site (aside from the Busse for sale section). Figgered I'd get the info straight from the hogs' mouth.

Anyway, the family (me, wife, and 2 demons) and I are looking to take a vacation this fall to somewhere we can relax, breath fresh air, be around decent human beings, and see the leaves change color. :) The trip has a dual purpose: we're also looking for tentative places to relocate to if the opportunity ever presents itself to move back to the U.S.

We're considering the Charlottesville area due to its balanced climate, proximity to the mountains and ocean, and employment opportunities.

I'm hoping someone on here is familiar with the area, and can recommend some places in/near C'ville to stay for perhaps a week, during which time we'd be exploring the town, seeing historical sites, and driving around the countryside to explore and get an idea of the topography.

After a week in town, we'd like to drive to the mountains and camp for another 3-7 days. Preferably leave the car at a trailhead and hike to a primitive area near a water source (river/creek/lake), without picnic tables, bbq grills, toilets, and other "improved campsite" features. I'd like to be able to fish, hike, and maybe do some plinking with a .22.

Thanks in advance for the intel.
 
My wife and I moved to Blacksburg...not quite C'ville but pretty close. I actually moved from Busse country. Here there are more jobs, better climate, lower cost of living, and better scenery than northwest Ohio. C'ville is a beautiful place, you'll be happy there.

Matt
 
Wow...you make SunCity sound like that place with the fire and brimstone...You KNOW you love the food (and ladies) here. :cool:
 
Thanks for the encouraging words, Long Rifle. Good gawd you make some gorgeous knives. They make me want to dress in buckskin and head into the forest with a Hawken nestled in the crook of my arm!

J...you know how the Notorious W.I.F.E and I feel about this place. We don't despise it, but we sure as hell don't love it.
 
Ben, I lived in Charlottesville for two years, but I didn't get out much. Just about all I ever did was study during the academic calendar. In the summers, I worked on a carpentry crew, so there wasn't a lot of time to play then either.

My wife did work for a billionaire, however, so when I did get to play, it was usually at his private golf course on his 8,000+ acre private estate, complete with a cattle farm, thoroughbred horse stable, Japanese rock garden, and 19th-century carriage museum. He provided houses for many of his employees at the estate, and those folks knew how to party. However, I can't exactly get you in there. :p I don't think the farm is operational anymore, actually.

I would highly recommend a visit to Monticello, a tour of the University of Virginia campus, as well as the old downtown area of C'ville. There's some great scenery and hiking in the nearby Shenandoah National Park. Also, there were always festivals and concerts going on around town, so I suggest you write the Chamber of Commerce for a summer calendar of events.
 
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good info, Guyon. I'm going to see what sort of swag I can get from the VA tourism dept, too.
 
Reach out to dduangrat here on the boards. He is a Police Officer in the Charlottesville, Va. area. He can probably tell you a bit about that area. Good buddy of mine too, but don't hold that against him. :thumbup:
 
I am with the State Police in the Roanoke/Blacksburg area. Let me know if you need some info from this area.
 
i am from richmond and have lived here just about all my life. not a bad place but i wouldnt come here for vactaion unless to see civil war history. i used to run deliveries to c-ville and the surrounding areas. charlottesville always seemed nice to me but i really enjoyed the areas of barboursville, palmyra, and almost all of orange county.

if your looking to hike, Old Rag mountain is off rt 29 near culpepper. challenging switchbacks and a rock scramble with tight squeezes then down a fire road - around 6 mls. long.

thats about all i got but if you have questions about the area i will do my best to answer.

good luck and hope you enjoy it here- CB
 
NO! Charlottesville is horrible! No lie!
-small city, congested streets, dirty, hard to drive around
-expensive, housing cost is going up exponentially. Single family home is in the 400's now.
-low income housing = ghettos, drugs
-county personal property tax 2x a year!!!! @4.32%
-pompus UVA'ers, then flipside you got thugs from the city.
-no REI, no gun shops, no shooting ranges except 1 private, very PC city.
-no good ethnic foods, one mall, no stadium-seating theaters.
C'ville is basically a smaller Richmond with all the bad but none of the good. UVA ER gets some sort of shooting or stabbing about twice a week. OH...and homeless people out the ass.

I honestly cannot give you one good reason to live here. I'm orginally from Fairfax and I'm trying desperately to go back.

I can say that Blacksburg/Christiansburg area is very nice. I would move there in a sec if I could. Eventhough you're on the western part of VA, the outdoors there has lots to offer and you wouldn't even miss the beach.
-free outdoor nat'l park rifle range
-cleaner city, no low income housing, no ghettos, no homeless people
-nicer people
-wide open, non congested
-cheaper housing!
-mountains, hiking, kayaking, tubing, etc. everything you can ever want to do
-Super Walmart in Radford and Christiansburg. Regular Walmart in Charlottesville.

I went to college at Radford U and I can that region is nice. You might want to also check out Harrisonburg.

The quality of life in Charlottesville is poor. Unless you have money, this city is not for you. You'll wind up having to buy a house in the surrounding county and commutting 30min/30mi to work. Charlottesville/UVA has nothing to brag about. Do not believe the articles about C'ville being the top city in the US.
 
great info, dd. I'll take a look at Blacksburg area. WJL, if you can give me a rundown on Blacksburg comparable to DD's on C'ville, I'd appreciate it.

thanks for the input, folks!
 
Blacksburg area is great. Low crime rate, Virginia Tech, plenty of outdoor activities....Appalachian Trail runs through region, National Forst area abounds, Smith Mountain Lake, Blue Ridge Parkway..several things you may want to google!
 
Gentle Ben said:
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but this forum is where I usually hang out when I'm on this site (aside from the Busse for sale section). Figgered I'd get the info straight from the hogs' mouth.

Anyway, the family (me, wife, and 2 demons) and I are looking to take a vacation this fall to somewhere we can relax, breath fresh air, be around decent human beings, and see the leaves change color. :) The trip has a dual purpose: we're also looking for tentative places to relocate to if the opportunity ever presents itself to move back to the U.S.

We're considering the Charlottesville area due to its balanced climate, proximity to the mountains and ocean, and employment opportunities.

I'm hoping someone on here is familiar with the area, and can recommend some places in/near C'ville to stay for perhaps a week, during which time we'd be exploring the town, seeing historical sites, and driving around the countryside to explore and get an idea of the topography.

After a week in town, we'd like to drive to the mountains and camp for another 3-7 days. Preferably leave the car at a trailhead and hike to a primitive area near a water source (river/creek/lake), without picnic tables, bbq grills, toilets, and other "improved campsite" features. I'd like to be able to fish, hike, and maybe do some plinking with a .22.

Thanks in advance for the intel.
Click to expand...


I have the answer for you sir. Come to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN. you will be surrounded by great people in some of the most beautiful land in our nation. Its a great getaway for me and I live 80 miles north east of it. GO THERE!!!!!!!
 
dduangrat said:
NO! Charlottesville is horrible! No lie!
-small city, congested streets, dirty, hard to drive around
-expensive, housing cost is going up exponentially. Single family home is in the 400's now.
-low income housing = ghettos, drugs
-county personal property tax 2x a year!!!! @4.32%
-pompus UVA'ers, then flipside you got thugs from the city.
-no REI, no gun shops, no shooting ranges except 1 private, very PC city.
-no good ethnic foods, one mall, no stadium-seating theaters.
C'ville is basically a smaller Richmond with all the bad but none of the good. UVA ER gets some sort of shooting or stabbing about twice a week. OH...and homeless people out the ass.

I honestly cannot give you one good reason to live here. I'm orginally from Fairfax and I'm trying desperately to go back.

I can say that Blacksburg/Christiansburg area is very nice. I would move there in a sec if I could. Eventhough you're on the western part of VA, the outdoors there has lots to offer and you wouldn't even miss the beach.
-free outdoor nat'l park rifle range
-cleaner city, no low income housing, no ghettos, no homeless people
-nicer people
-wide open, non congested
-cheaper housing!
-mountains, hiking, kayaking, tubing, etc. everything you can ever want to do
-Super Walmart in Radford and Christiansburg. Regular Walmart in Charlottesville.

I went to college at Radford U and I can that region is nice. You might want to also check out Harrisonburg.

The quality of life in Charlottesville is poor. Unless you have money, this city is not for you. You'll wind up having to buy a house in the surrounding county and commutting 30min/30mi to work. Charlottesville/UVA has nothing to brag about. Do not believe the articles about C'ville being the top city in the US.
Click to expand...

sounds kinda like Fairfax to me:D:D:thumbup:
 
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