Parting the drapes over the French doors of my Keswick Hall guest
room, I beheld a lush landscape through the dim filter of a driving rain. My tee
time a washout, I proceeded to Plan B. Fortunately, options abound in
Charlottesville, Virginia—like discovering why Thomas Jefferson described this
city of 40,000 as the “Eden of the United States.” Presidents James Monroe and
James Madison also lived here, and recent arbiters are equally charmed—among
other accolades, Charlottesville has made Money’s “100 Best Places to Live” list
four years running.
My exploration of Mr. Jefferson’s neighborhood began at his home,
Monticello, the hilltop estate that reflects his passion for architecture,
agriculture and horticulture. The neo-classical mansion he designed is a marvel
of open-air living spaces, skylights and expanses of glass. Thanks to sensitive
restoration of the house, outbuildings and gardens, it’s as if the master still
lives here and just happens to be out for his morning ride.
A half-mile from Monticello, I lunched at Michie Tavern ca. 1784,
the sort of place where Jefferson might have met with neighbors like Monroe and
Meriwether Lewis to discuss farming and affairs of state over a hearty midday
meal.
At the University of Virginia campus, which Jefferson designed in
his 70s after retiring from public service, his “Academical Village” lies at the
heart of a vibrant space known by locals simply as “The Grounds.” The
white-domed Rotunda, patterned after Rome’s Pantheon, faces a terraced lawn
bordered by rows of Federal-style faculty housing, connected by colonnaded
walkways and tiny “Lawn Rooms,” where exemplary fourth-year students live.
Chilled and hungry, I hustled back to Keswick Hall, a massive
Italianate building constructed as a private home in 1912. Since acquiring the
property in 1999, Orient-Express Hotels has renovated the 48 guest rooms and
added a restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Seated next to a crackling fire in
the hotel’s elegant restaurant, Fossett’s, I enjoyed beef tartare, foie gras,
seared sea scallops and cannoli, each course served with a perfectly paired
wine.
Sunshine prevailed the next morning as I played the Keswick Club’s
1939 layout, redesigned by Arnold Palmer in 1990. Rambling through hilly terrain
spiced with lakes, streams, wetlands and big oak trees, the course is replete
with views of the rounded peaks of the Blue Ridge in the distance. Palmer added
new back tees last year, stretching the course to 6,717 yards, and it plays
longer, thanks to a number of subtly uphill holes and elevated greens.
That afternoon I checked into 200 South Street Inn, a pair of
restored late-19th century homes furnished with English and Belgian antiques.
Many rooms have fireplaces, and there’s a cozy common area for continental
breakfasts and afternoon wine-and-cheese parties. I walked two blocks to the
Downtown Mall, a bustling promenade lined with shops, galleries, restaurants and
bookstores. Charlottesville is a town of bibliophiles: Thousands attend the
Festival of the Book each March, and several authors, including John Grisham,
Tami Hoag and Rita Mae Brown, live in Albemarle County.
Another local is actress Sissy Spacek, whom I spied at Bizou, a
comfortable bistro with old movie posters and a menu featuring dishes like
cornmeal-crusted catfish quesadillas and grilled quail salad. I browsed the
Mall, lingering in several galleries. Most, like the Sage Moon, feature works by
local artists with national reputations.
The next day I moved to the Boar’s Head Inn, a AAA Four Diamond
property two miles from downtown. This historic 170-room, country estate-style
hotel has a full-service spa and fine dining in the Old Mill Room. It’s a
companion to the adjacent Birdwood Golf Course, owned by the university and home
to the Cavalier golf teams.
The area’s premier stay-and-play spot is Wintergreen Resort, an
environmentally conscious community with two diverse golf challenges. Located
3,850 feet above sea level, the Ellis Maples-designed Devil’s Knob is the
highest course in the state, and one of the tightest. Down in the valley is the
Rees Jones-designed Stoney Creek, home to three diverse nines intertwined with
the namesake stream, 20-acre Lake Monocan and vast tracts of wilderness
My last stop was Poplar Grove, which debuted in May 2004, the last
design in which Sam Snead participated before his death in 2002. Well versed in
his father’s philosophy, Jack Snead continued to consult with course architect
Ed Carton, formerly of the Tom Fazio design team.
In all, my time provided only a taste of Charlottesville’s history, scenery,
golf, shopping, dining and winemaking. If copious natural blessings and earthly
pleasures qualify a place as “Eden,” Mr. Jefferson was surely right in this
assessment of his beloved city.
