Our group of seven had a wonderful float today aboard Will and Will2's handcrafted batteau! The men…read moredid an incredible job of showing us a beautiful and unspoiled stretch of the James River; they educated us on the history, the boats, and the commerce of those early days of our nation's founding, and as if that were not enough, treated us to a five-star luncheon and music. John B. Richmond, VA

We loved our dinner cruise on the Batteau. Will and Will were excellent hosts. We met them at a…read morelocal park and then followed them down to the river where we boarded the batteau. There were two batteaus tied together with six guests in each boat with Will and Will and the chef. It was a beautiful evening with a perfect temperature. We really enjoyed the stories told along our route. During the delicious dinner we enjoyed Will playing guitar and singing. It was a fun, unique and memorable experience that our group of six really enjoyed.

Fascinating and fun! Great couple of hours to walk around and learn a bit of history.read more

Man, I wanted to like this as I am a self-proclaimed Presidential History nerd. However, it is…read morejust land that Monroe once owned because his buddy Tommy Jefferson told him to buy it, sold because he was broke, then the house burnt down years after he left, then someone else built a house here. That's the house you see. Now they do have an outline of the foundation of the house that was once here. So, there is that. Then the new(er) house is full of exhibits on Monroe. Honestly, I am glad I went but if you are pressed for time, it's one you can skip.

When Tony and I went to Appomattox Court House State Park we visited the Isbelle House with my…read moredaughter Noel and her boyfriend Adam and believe me the day outside was GORGEOUS!!! The home has a lot of historical value. It is actually called the The Bocock-Isbell House but on the signs at the park it is just listed as Isbelle House. I found more about it on the internet after I left the park. The Bocock-Isbell House is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989. The Bocock-Isbell House has major importance to the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park by virtue of its association with the history and the site of General Robert E. Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant of the American Civil War. This information is shared from what I learned on the internet about the homes historical value. It was constructed in 1849 to 1850 by brothers, Thomas S. Bocock and Henry F. Bocock. Thomas was a member of the United States Congress and Speaker of the Confederate House of Representatives. At the time Henry was Clerk of the Court for Appomattox County. Lewis Daniel Isbell (1818-1889) was Appomattox County Commonwealth Attorney during the American Civil War (Judge later) and occupied the house at the time General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865. He was Appomattox County's representative to the Secession Convention of 1861 and voted to secede from the Union. The Bocock-Isbell House has importance because of its distinctive characteristics of a type, period, and method of construction during the nineteenth century in rural Virginia. The building with its resources associated with the Bocock-Isbell House are typical of both a county government seat ("court house") in Piedmont Virginia in the mid-nineteenth century and of a farming community in Virginia. The Bocock-Isbell House was restored in 1948 to 1949 and preserved in 1992 to 1993. Work was done on it again to stabilize it in 1995 and again it was preserved in 1999. FREE TO ENJOY AND TO TOUR

This palace is absolutely STUNNING. It's such a shame it's fallen into such disrepair. Each room…read morehad its own unique feel, and the artwork and detail was breathtaking. The best part by far was the stained glass window. The gardens were probably once beautiful but it's been decaying so much over the years that all you see are just sad remnants. WARNING: if you have severe asthma, do NOT visit. My father has moderate asthma and was only able to stay inside for about fifteen minutes before his throat started to close up due to the must. The place itself smells musty- not a BAD or rotten smell but just old. There's a feeling of immense love and sadness in the house and it's imperative that you learn the rich history of the house to truly appreciate it. The inside of the palace is only only open to the public on certain days of the year and not all the rooms are open. I was very satisfied with what rooms were open.

Taking a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway or Skyline Drive? I suggested taking a slight detour on…read moreAfton Mountain to travel back in time to 1912 with a visit to Swannanoa Palace, a white marble mansion that was a bit of an albatross for James and Sally May Dooley. While the Maymont Estate in Richmond is a much more expansive visitor experience today, this hidden gem, modeled after the Villa de Medici in Rome, is certainly worth a stop, either on one of their open house weekends ($6 fee) or just to see in person from the outside. The real belle of the ball is inside - the 4,000 piece Tiffany stained glass window of Mrs. Dooley, which is a backdrop to the grand central staircase and artistic domed ceiling. There are plenty of interesting fireplaces, doorways and tower views. You will certainly notice the musty presence of mold throughout the building with various walls and ceilings falling apart. The grounds include some terraced gardens and somewhat restricted views of the surrounding area. It is a shame the interior of the building is in such a state of disrepair and the property hasn't been kept up, as it could be an amazing special event space. Still, people apparently elect to have weddings there, even though there is no running water and everything would have to be brought in. There is a no trespassing sign on the front door, so the inside is only accessible on one of the special open house days. The grounds are easy to walk around and being on top of the mountain it has a nice temperature, at least 5-10 degrees below of Charlottesville. Visiting should certainly be a part of any UVA student's bucket list, much like watching the sunrise/sunset from the peak of the quick Humpback Rocks hike.

James Madison lived at Montpelier his entire life. This is a really interesting historic home that…read morelater belonged to the DuPont family, who eventually donated funds to turn it back into a historic site as Madison's home. That renovation/restoration took a long time, and it's now a lovely place to visit and learn about our 4th President and his wife Dolley Madison. In addition to the house, which acknowledges its part in running a plantation through the work of enslaved people, it has exhibits about slavery at Montpelier and archeological finds. The property also has lovely grounds with a beautiful garden that's filled with many colorful flowers in the spring. The visitor center offers a movie, and the house docents offer hour-long tours on the half hour. They also have picnic tables under shady trees to enjoy lunch. The views from Montpelier are breathtaking. They charge a fee to visit the house and grounds. If you only want to visit the grounds, the fee is lower.

This is a great place to visit if you are interested in America's founding, American style of…read moredemocracy, or to celebrate the upcoming Sestercentennial of the United States. (Having experienced the bicentennial as a kid on a summer-long vacation, I am looking forward to it.) The guided tour of the house is well done. The out-buildings and grounds are self-guided. There are many and spread out, and the whole property is on a gentle slope. Could be an issue if it is a hot and humid day. Be sure to visit the garden! Think twice about buying the Looking Through the Landscape book for $10.00. I thought it would be something I could put on my bookshelf but no. Hardly a pamphlet, it contains QR code links to YouTube videos they created. It was snuck in during the checkout process and frankly left me feeling duped. I chalked it up as a donation.

This historic village has so many neat buildings throughout! The old one room schoolhouse was a…read morepersonal favorite of mine. Primarily, this village is an event venue, complete with a stage for entertaining. I believe my favorite part about the area was the monument (pictured below) that marks where General Robert E. Lee had his last camp on his return from Appomattox Courthouse on April 12, 1865 after the Confederate Army's surrender.

Hello everyone, I had an absolutely fantastic, once in a lifetime experience at Patrick Henry's Red…read moreHill. The property is beautiful, relaxing and well-maintained. I highly recommend checking out this place. The admission is very affordable and the experience is worth the cost. I really enjoyed learning about the property from Patrick Henry's descendant. He was very kind and well-informed about the life of Patrick Henry. The first part of the experience includes a short film about Patrick Henry's life and family. Patrick Henry's descendant explained everything about Patrick Henry and was passionate about history. My family and I were very fortunate to have the whole property to ourselves. The property has breathtaking views and is very peaceful. I enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing the different historical buildings. The whole experience was truly memorable and enjoyable. I will definitely visit again when I travel to Virginia from Florida. I went to purchase a book in the gift shop about Patrick Henry and his descendant gave me a free copy. I really appreciated that and enjoy learning more about the founding fathers.

It's off the beaten path but a neat look back to Colonial times. A great patriotic look at one of…read morethe more outspoken voices of the American Revolution. Also has a nice display to honor the slaves and freedmen who made their homes there. It was a nice history lesion and afternoon spent in the beauty of the Virginia countryside

This was such a fun trip. We did the Rock Bottom tour. If you are looking for more than just the…read morewalking tour, this was Great! We did this with our older teen boys and they loved it. You will get dirty so bring clothes you don't mind getting muddy. This was such a great memory!

First time visiting caverns, and it was an amazing experience. A must for anyone that likes caves…read moreand 54°.

What a gorgeous place! I went in the late winter/early early Spring and even though there were no…read moreleaves on the trees, it was still gorgeous. Monticello is the estate of Thomas Jefferson and there is so much history packed into the tour but the beauty is what captivates you. The woodwork, the flooring, the artwork...I could go on and on. The tour guides are excellent! Very knowledgeable, engaging, friendly and they keep history honest. I loved that they stuck to the facts and told the history as it should, the good, the bad and the ugly. The estate is still kept immaculate and holds so much history in every detail. The view alone overlooking the mountainside takes your breath away. It immediately sets your mind to wandering and fantasizing of a time long ago and how spectacular it must have been to live surrounded by such beauty. I highly recommend and would recommend going in late Spring or early Summer or Fall when the leaves have changed color.

Monticello is probably the most famous of all the President houses (Mt Vernon may have it beat)…read more As a self-proclaimed Presidential history nerd, I have been to several presidential homes, libraries, museums, gravesites, monuments, etc. Monticello's history is the most interesting because of many factors including Jefferson's architectural obsession, the atrocities with slavery that occurred with building and maintaining it, and the innovations and experimentation Jefferson used while living here. Monticello is a huge operation. You should definitely get a reservation. You park at the bottom of the hill (or maybe middle of it) then you go through metal detectors and are now in the cafe/gift shop/bathroom area. From there you can take the 1/2 mile walk up hill to the home or take the bus. Once you are up top, you will be put into different huddles depending on your tour time. Oh, there are several different style tours, we just did the general admission tour. Anyway, you can walk around the grounds while you wait. The whole thing is very well organized. Our tour guide took us through various rooms in the house, pointed out various artifacts from Jefferson's past, told stories and was very knowledgeable when asked questions. The group I was in was probably 20 people. The whole tour took 45 mins. Then we walked the grounds independent of the tour including looking at Jefferson's family cemetery plot. My only issue is that I went on July 1st, 2026, so the whole back (or front) had a huge tent set up for the America 250 celebration. Not a big deal just didn't get the complete feel or pics.

We booked a party bus for my brother's bachelor party and it was the best time ever. Our driver…read moreAlan was the man, very kind and funny. Service was excellent and we would absolute do it again!

Fantastic option for visiting wineries with larger parties! We rented the Crozet Trolley for a…read morebirthday celebration consisting of visiting wineries over the course of the afternoon. We were not sure how many people we would have, but Crozet Trolley has space for much more than the 14 guests that most of the wine tours in the area can accommodate. They were flexible with our schedule, transported us efficiently to our destinations, and helped to make the afternoon fun. I would highly recommend Crozet Trolley for visiting wineries in the Crozet area.