Horses and all things equestrian abound here in the Charlottesville area. From stables offering boarding, lessons, and trail rides to venues for foxhunting and polo, this community is a horse-lover’s paradise. Grace Ayyildiz of Free Union found her passion for horses at a young age. At 7 years old, she tried horseback riding at the […]
By Ken Wilson – Before there were pumpkin spice lattes and before we were old enough for apple brandy, there were pumpkin pies and apple crisps, cold cider on Indian Summer days and hot cider around the winter fireplace. Even more exciting, for a country boy or an outdoorsy girl, were the pumpkins ripening on […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Central Virginia is widely recognized as a home to wineries and, more recently, craft breweries and cideries. Less well known, but increasing in popularity, are local distilleries that produce hard alcohol like gin, vodka, rum, liqueurs, whisky, and whiskey. What? No, that’s not a typo. While the Scottish spelling is whisky, […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Do you long for a quiet, laid-back place loaded with unique amenities that is still near enough to Charlottesville to allow an easy commute? If so, the town of Scottsville, a diverse and scenic community a few miles south of town on Route 20, may be just the thing. Located […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Most people want The Perfect Home. Admittedly this is pretty much impossible since perfection is the enemy of the good. Often attributed to Voltaire, that aphorism holds a lot of truth, so let’s settle for nearly perfect. It may be that your home has many great qualities but there are still […]
By Ken Wilson – A person could spend all day poring over online menus, but a friend’s testimony that “I’m never eating anywhere else” is worth any number of five star reviews on Yelp. When the elated friend (“I could taste the butter!”) has just eaten a “Feuillete chicken”—tarragon chicken baked in puff pastry—at Patisserie […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – If you are dreaming about fabulous renovations for your home, you may also wonder how much they will add to its value when it’s time to sell. While economic factors are not the only reason to renovate, they are a good place to start. Once you know how much of […]
Will Richey didn’t set out to launch Charlottesville’s most influential restaurant group. But when he created Ten Course Hospitality, he did it anyway. “Is it planned, or is it sort of organic?” Richey says. “I guess it is sort of an organic process. As we are going, we’re always tightening up ideas, trying to find […]
When Susie Matheson and Christy Ford launched the 10th edition of The Scout Guide Charlottesville this July, they did so as the leaders of a company that’s grown, in about a decade, from a simple blog to a small publishing empire with 23 local employees and 60 franchisees around the country. The Scout Guide is […]
Over the course of the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Donald Trump asserted the election was going to be “rigged” by unspecified actors. No evidence was ever offered to support that claim, and his concerns about election integrity curiously seem to have evaporated on November 9. But the uncertainty and doubt generated by those statements, and […]
In a town with 400 restaurants, one might be forgiven the occasional restaurant-ownership fantasy. And some of us actually take the plunge, becoming the lucky owners of diners, Chinese takeout joints or high-end date spots. But what do you actually get when you buy a restaurant? That depends. Primarily, says business broker Stu Rifkin, “You’re […]
The words “back to school” don’t mean the same thing for everyone—it’s not all sharpened pencils and shiny red apples for the teacher. For many, it means scraping together tuition for college. But, school is a time for personal development (and not financial anxiety), which is where Virginia’s 529 plan comes into play. Named after […]
How do you get kids to learn math and science? It’s a question that has vexed many a teacher, but Charlottesville-based ExploreLearning has some pretty good answers. Founded in 1999 by UVA math Ph.D. David Shuster, the company develops online learning tools that are now used around the country. The key, says EL’s Tammy Weisman, […]
At the Chancellor Street Preschool Co-operative, the business manager is a parent. The person who refills the supplies and maintenance closet with soap and toilet paper is also a parent. Parents administrate admissions and provide diversity outreach. Parents set the tuition, design the schedule and make strategic decisions about the school’s future. “Every job is […]
Refugees flee violence and persecution to rebuild their lives—and careers—in new places, and over the years, the Charlottesville area has been the initial home for more than 3,500 refugees from 32 countries. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps them integrate into the workforce by partnering with local businesses. Design Electric, a 250-person company that builds […]
By Ken Wilson – Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C major, D. 956 is one of the greatest works of the art form called chamber music, sorrowful but sublime, “a stirring paean to the indomitability of the human spirit” composed shortly before the Austrian master’s death in 1828. John Adams’ whimsically titled Road Movies for […]
By Marilyn Pribus – Hard to believe, but some trees are actually starting to lose their leaves for winter. You should be thinking about getting ready, too. Here are some pointers to prep your property for cold weather. Don’t wait for winter storm warnings. Outdoors Inspect the outside of your property, looking for cracks in […]
By Celeste M. Smucker– Commercial real estate is still a hot commodity in both Charlottesville and the Shenandoah Valley. Agents report the phone is ringing and they are cautiously optimistic that the upward trend will continue. A recent article in Forbes magazine expressed similar confidence in the national market stating: “the industry is expected to […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Welcome to the annual article featuring our amazing, public schools. If you plan to relocate to Charlottesville or the Shenandoah Valley, or will be moving to the perfect house in a different, nearby location, you can learn all about the public schools right here. Read about educational opportunities available in […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Parents wanting a private school education for their children have much to choose from in the Charlottesville area. If finding the right private school is a priority for your family, take time to review these overviews from a variety of local institutions describing the remarkable opportunities offered by each. Blue […]
Barbara Stettner grew up in the wine country of northern California, but she’d been in Virginia for 15 years before she found her weekend place in Sperryville. “It’s sort of like the coastal mountains [in California],” she says, looking toward the layered Blue Ridge views. In 2011, when she and her husband, Michael Ewen, bought […]
Tonda and Mark Morriss had renovated several houses before, and they swore they were done with all that. They also thought they would downsize when they moved from Texas five years ago to be near their daughter and her family—they dreamed of a one-level house with less property to care for. “We did the opposite,” […]
When Charles D’Angelo, managing director of D.C.-based Westmount Capital Group, first saw the Clifton Inn and its surrounding countryside, his initial thought was, “Wow.” “It’s a stunning property, from the 19-acre lake and Blue Ridge mountain views to the infinity pool with the canopy of trees overhead,” says D’Angelo. As a business enterprise, however, the […]