RedRock

I see you are considering the Abingdon VA area. You could also consider a little to the west, the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee also has a lot to offer. I was raised the SW area of VA and visit the area often. We know several people that lived in the northern and eastern areas of VA that retired and relocated to this area of VA and TN.

G_Hopper

I spent a summer in Charlottesville about 20 years ago, and loved a little restaurant called Martha's. It was in a quaint little white house and had delicious, homey food. It's the kind of place I'd be afraid to return to, because it holds such a special place in my memory. Does anyone know if it's still there?

Martha's is still there - near UVa - but it has changed hands once or twice since I've been in Charlottesville (7 years). I tried to eat there last summer but left after a half hour of being ignored by the waitstaff.

A current good "homey" cafe is the Bluegrass Grill & Bakery. It's located off the downtown mall at 313 2nd Street SE.

TravelingMom

BTilke - Things have certainly changed! About the same time that we were considering moving to Germany for a few years, my husband found out that he wasn't going to get a raise (again), which prompted us to keep an eye out for new jobs. Unbelievably, one opened up in Charlottesville. We're both originally from Virginia and always planned to go back so we decided it wasn't an opportunity we could pass up. So - here we are...short one trip to Germany but happily settling back into Virginia!

G_Hopper - I have to respectfully disagree. I'm not sure I have a "sophisticated palate," so maybe that's the difference, but our experiences dining out in C'ville have been uniformly good. Of course, we're coming from the suburbs of Pittsburgh where about the only options are chain restaurants...

We've eaten at two Thai restaurants, and I especially liked Downtown Thai for their friendly service.

wanderer

Can anyone comment on the allergy problem posted earlier (below):

It is my understanding that C'ville has an unusually large percentage of allergy sufferers, including people who never had trouble with allergies anywhere else - something about the location & trees that combine to cause this issue. I'm clearly no expert, but I experienced this personally and know many, many others who did, and heard several local doctors confirm this. If your husband's asthma is triggered by allergies, you may want to check with UVA's allergy clinic or your doctor.

mikolar

Lucky you. We have a son at UVa in C'ville and every chance we get, we try to visit. He's getting tired of us but if I could, that would be one of my first choices for retirement.
We love the history, the scenery, the architecture of many of the older homesteads and the university allows for cultural events that seem quite good. My wife wants to retire to a beach somewhere but she loves the old C'ville downtown and talks about one day opening a little antique store on that square.

goodheart

Hello again Wanderer:
Good question, I'll be curious to see if anyone who knows more about this responds!

I looked it up online and found a lecture by a UVA Biology professor that explained that the area has a "high density of plants and fungi that are known to evoke an allergic response." I would love to know more as well.

billo

Wow - what a great thread; lots on infor in here;
one more piece needed;
I am tkaing my son to visit my nephew at Lynchburg COllege on President's weekend (2/18 - 2/20).
my wife and I will be free for a couple of days;
we are planning to see usual sights;
but can anyone:
1. recommend where to stay?
we would like info on B & B's and
hotels.
2. suggest activities outside of the
ususal sights (Monticello, Monroe
House).

thanks.

wanderer

We're staying at Inn at Court Square in C'ville. Not sure where you wanted to stay (what town) but it looks very nice.

http://www.innatcourtsquare.com/

schlegal1

Wanderer - What a great accomodation choice. It's so close to the downtown mall, which, I believe, is especially what you want to explore in C-ville, right? This Inn is right near my office and I have often wandered by wondering what it's like--I hope you'll post a trip report.

mosey10

I lived in VA most of my life, and now live in South Florida. Can't get much more humid than this. I too suffer from allergies and asthma, and it was much worse when I lived in VA. I'm not sure if it was the pollen, vegetation or whatver. I can tell you that I run into A LOT of people here in Florida who moved here specifically because their allergies were bad further north. Humidity doesn't seem to make my allergies any worse. But the pollen certainly does. That said, I love VA! If I could convince my husband, I'd move back.

GeorgeW

Better enjoy some of the small towns before it is too late. With the combined suburban sprawls of northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater, very little of Virginia will be unpaved by mid-century.

The swellist small town I've visited in Virginia is Monterey over in Highland County, tucked up along the border with West Virginia. The county is sometimes called the Little Switzerland of Virginia. Highland County is lightly settled and the farms seem to be a scattering of dairy, livestock and grain. Monterey had about a dozen small stores. Highland County has that feel of rural America, circa 1955, that was destroyed by the corporate farm philosophy of Ezra Taft Benson- "get big or get out!" Highland County is so small that the one high school does not field a football team... but has an equestrian track on school grounds.

wanderer

I wonder if our allergies (and my husband's asthma) will be any worse than here in MA. (Of course our cat doesn't help any!!)

DiveGirlVA

Virginia certainly has a lot of great little towns but I second what somebody else suggested: Asheville, NC. Do check out Charlottesville but also be sure to see Asheville. It's awesome!

wanderer

Yes, we had read alot about Asheville, but when I read the crime stats on city-data.com I became less interested.

The US national average is listed at a value of 329.7, and Asheville at 542.8.

Charlottesville is just above the National Average.

Coming from an area of extremely low crime, it would be a big adjustment to us to have to deal with high crime, even of the minor sort.

schlegal1

Wanderer - The crime stats really aren't a good guage of what kind of encounters you will actually have with crime in an area. So much of it is drug related (in SW Va. especially related to meth) and stays in a certain area of a city/county. A lot of it is also domestic/family disputes -- again, something with which you would not have much interaction. Talking to area residents about level of safety is a better guage than stats.

schlegal1

I would add, having looked at the stats you cite to, that they could also be misleadingsly low--are these based on convictions? arrests? reported incidents? If it's just convictions, there are certainly more criminal acts than convictions in a given area and the stats can then become skewed up or down based on how vigorously the Commonwealth's attorneys prosecute the crimes that come through their office. Maybe Asheveille or C-ville prosecute more cases to conviction than other areas of the U.S.

LilyLou

Hi,

If you do stop in Fredericksburg - you mentioned you might(right off of 95 if you are headed that way)
You might check out
http://www.oldtownfredericksburg.com/
and if you are looking for quick stop to see a snapshot of the city go to
Goolricks www.goolricks.com which has the oldest operating soda fountain in the country. Good milkshake.

Just thinking if you are just passing through for an hour or so that will get you right down in the historic district, you can interact with some locals and get a nice shake.

Have fun your trip sounds great.