Short Pump Town Center
Distance: 1 hour
Ever get the bug to go shopping? Think Charlottesville’s Fashion Square Mall leaves something to be desired? Have some time to kill?
Then drive about an hour east, and partake in the shopping mall dream that is Short Pump Town Center. With two stories and more than 200 shops and restaurants , even the shopping killjoy can find something to do for a few hours.
Short Pump Town Center is grounded by Macy’s, Dillard’s and Nordstrom department stores. The mall contains popular stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, J. Crew, Express and H&M, as well as other novelty stores like Soak!, Delia’s, South Moon Under and the Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Sports enthusiasts can enjoy the two-story sports and outdoors stores Dick’s Sporting Goods and Orvis, as well as check out the Washington Redskins shop.
Interested in electronics? Short Pump features the closest Apple store to Charlottesville. You can also poke around in Brookstone or check out the latest speaker technologies at Bose.
And don’t forget the food. Short Pump’s food court is a little small, but it offers Auntie Annie’s, Chik-Fil-A, Panda Express, Villa Pizza and others. The best food to try is at the restaurants located in and around the mall.
Maggiano’s Little Italy is a superb, moderately priced Italian restaurant with large portions good for groups willing to share. The Cheesecake Factory is also a choice for dinner or a quick dessert within most college students’ budgets. Coldstone Creamery can also satisfy a sweet tooth. If you’re willing to spend a bit more money, the Copper Grill Lobster and Steak House is worth the extra bucks.
If you’re looking for something quick, try Chipotle or Red Robin. And if you’re searching for a more international flavor, Tara Tai is quite popular.
Whether you’re frantically searching for that holiday party outfit or you’re craving a relaxing shopping day topped off with a first-class meal, Short Pump Town Center is the destination for you.
— Lindsey Wagner
Great Falls Park
Distance: 2 hours
More often than not, the only “nature” one could expect to encounter these days is the decaying brown leaves blown over to the sidewalk from the Lawn, or, if you’re lucky, that squirrel that sits on the trash cans outside of Garrett Hall, nibbling on a dried-up pizza crust.
As entertaining as either of these options could be, Great Falls Park, just more than two hours away in Northern Virginia, offers a remedy to this nature-deficiency. Tucked away in a hidden pocket of trees off Georgetown Pike, the park, open from 7 a.m. until dark, presents a myriad of activities to tempt anyone with the slightest bit of enthusiasm for the outdoors. One of the key features of the park is its three scenic falls overlooking the Potomac River, accessible by the River Trail. There are also other trails for horseback riding, hiking and bicycling, of 10, 15 and 5 miles, respectively. The entrance fee for horseback riders, hikers or bicyclers is $3 — not unreasonable for the benefit of outdoor activity. Additionally, the park offers opportunity for aquatic adventures such as whitewater boating — in kayaks and canoes — in the Potomac River that runs through the park. There are varied current patterns, from easy to extreme.
Finally, there are also picnic tables and grills available for use on a first-come, first-serve basis on a large grassy field — perfect for group picnicking or marshmallow-roasting on a crisp autumn afternoon.
For more information or updates about any closed trails, visit http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm.
— Connie Huang
U Street
Distance: 2.5 hours
Despite what University students may have been told by their history professors, a journey to the past requires only a full tank of gas and a map of Route 29.
Should students decide to take a break from studying with a short road trip to the nation’s capital, they may experience the historic and vibrant culture of the U Street Corridor in northwest Washington, D.C.
In less than 2.5 hours , students can begin to enjoy some of the sites once frequented by jazz legends Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Visitors can stomp the same pavements as the men and women who rioted in the streets after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968.
They can walk to one of several U Street landmarks, including the Lincoln Theater — which is a fine example of the Victorian-style architecture of the neighborhood — and the Prince Hall Masonic Temple — a Neoclassical building designed by prominent African American architect Albert I. Cassell. Or visitors can simply grab a bite to eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a local hot-spot that first opened in 1958 and has been a long-time favorite of comedian Bill Cosby.
Nicknamed Washington’s “Black Broadway,” U Street predated Harlem as a center of black culture and continues to serve as the heart of the city’s black community today. At night, the street attracts a diverse group of music-lovers because it is known to boom with the rhythms of classical and contemporary jazz, as well as indie rock and hip-hop.
A perfect blend of the past a present, U Street provides students with opportunities for both learning and leisure.
— Stephanie Waties
Highland County
Distance: 2 hours
Just less than two hours to the west of Charlottesville lies Highland County , a great place to spend a few days away from the pressures of the University. The lofty mountains and gorgeous vistas of its eponymous high land – it boasts one of the highest average elevations east of the Mississippi – have earned it the title of “Virginia’s Switzerland.”
After a semester of being crowded in buses, in classrooms and on sidewalks, how better to unwind than getting in touch with the great outdoors in Virginia’s least populous county? Try hiking historic Civil War trails, camping in the wooded mountains or swimming in the cool valley streams. Even the drive out is breathtaking, as Route 250 takes you past a number of scenic views and along the George Washington National Forest. And if you stick to the streets, there’s still plenty of entertainment. Besides the ease of playing the cow counting game in the car with your friends, the natural beauty of the county and sparse traffic make it a popular destination for motorcyclists and classic car enthusiasts to go for weekend drives; the inns and restaurants near Highland’s sole stoplight provide some delicious dining options.
The first weekend in December, Highland hosts its Wintertide celebration, featuring a bevy of seasonal attractions. You can even pick up your own Christmas tree from the county that provided the U.S. Capitol’s 2004 Christmas Tree – the first and only time the commonwealth has provided a tree for the occasion. If you can hold out until the second and third weekends in March, don’t miss the annual Highland Maple Festival. Celebrating the local maple syrup industry, you can watch old-fashioned maple syrup making, observe the crowning of the year’s Maple Queen or sample the fresh-cooked pork rinds and to-die-for maple donuts.
— Hunter Tammaro
Union Station
Distance: 2.5 hours
Light streams in from the arched windows, reflecting against the white marble floors and impressive statues of the street level concourse. This isn’t so much a train station as an architectural gateway rising in the heart of the city of American politics and history. Not many train stations were built with gold leaf and white granite. Not many train stations were inspired by the Arch of Constantine or the Baths of Diocletian — and in turn inspired the style of the U.S. Supreme Court Building, as well as the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials.
But Union Station in Washington, D.C., is still more than something pretty because it serves ‘We the People’ in a way most American residents can understand — as a transportation hub and shopping center — by boasting more than 100 shops and restaurants that cater to both locals and tourists alike.
The lowest level of the station has both commuter rail tracks and subway tracks. The other concourses, however, are home to a food court, several other restaurants, dozens of shops and a movie theater, all of which bring more than 32 million people to Union Station each year, more than any other destination in the nation’s capital. Combining the aura of politics and tourism, Union Station is both a historical landmark and modern-day shopping center.
The bus system is also the most convenient source of transportation for those without cars who find it difficult to make travel plans to destinations outside of Charlottesville. Anyone can take the Greyhound, which is part of the Charlottesville Transit Service, to Union Station in Washington, D.C.. The station is just a short bus ride away but can be a breath of fresh air for students who need to get out of town. Combining Fashion Square and the Amtrak station downtown wouldn’t work so well. Union Station does.
—compiled by Irene Kan
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