Still hyped up on patriotism, the four of us rented a car this past weekend and headed to the heart of Virginia. I’ve been to Charlottesville four times now, so I had a close-to-perfect itinerary set up for my parent’s first visit. With a little Frommer’s research and insider info from Lauren (who grew up in the city), we completed the Virginia triangle (pictured right!) and set up a decent day in Richmond too. Details are posted below, should you want to recreate to the “T” our $600-for-four-people, 38-hour trip:

Saturday, January 24

7:30 a.m. Picked up car at Avis on 17th and M. If you live in Dupont Circle, this is a much speedier option than using the rental offices at Union Station or Reagan airport. The 17 & M location closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday, so we decided to keep the car through Monday morning—and it was actually $30 cheaper than returning the car to one of the other rental locations that are open late on Sunday night. From my front door, it only took 20 minutes total to walk to Avis, fill out the paperwork, and drive back to our apartment. The return was just as speedy.
Price: $82 (car) + $35 (gas) = $117.

8:00 a.m.: Drove to Charlottesville. This included a stop at Lowe’s for a space heater—yes, my parents think my apartment is too cold too. They were out of electric heaters, but we all welcomed their clean bathrooms.

10:30 a.m.: Tour of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Charlottesville. What does the house look like? Pull a nickel out of your pocket: Monticello is etched on the backside. (On the front, you’ll see a profile of TJ.) The $15 admission ticket gets you a rushed tour of the home, and access to the grounds: We spent a few hours perusing through the vegetable gardens, admiring the privy (my family is fascinated by toilets), and examining the Jefferson graves. The visitors center/ticket office is new (opened November 2008), so if you haven’t been to Monticello in a few years, be sure to give it a look. I was particularly impressed with the gift shop, so well put together that you felt ashamed not buying anything. Go figure: I bought a giant nickel for $3.50.
Price: $15 x 4 = $60.

1:30 p.m.: Lunched at Hamilton’s restaurant. I’d eaten here a few years back with Patten’s parents, and was really impressed with the experience. So we tried it again, this time with my folks. They loved it. My carnivorous father was jumping for joy over the vegetarian blue plate special—who knew black-eyed peas would make him so happy? I had a delicious order of pappardelle pasta with sausage, butternut squash, and spinach. Patten had the jumbo crabcake and mom, the scallops in pork glaze. With tip and tax, we all ate for $80. (Key here is to go for lunch—you’ll spend twice that for dinner.) Price: $80.

2:45 p.m.: Walked about the downtown, outdoor Charlottesville mall. Adorable shops abound. Despite my “support-the-independent-businesses” proclivity, you should definitely go inside the Caspari store on the corner of First and Main. It’s one of their three retail stores worldwide: the other two are in New York and Paris. The displays are absolutely gorgeous—it’s a marvel how they house so much merchandise so tastefully. If you visit, take note of the tiny, real finches in the inconspicuous cage in the middle-left of the store. Aww, so cute! Price: Free.

4:00 p.m.: Toured the Rotunda and Academical Village at the University of Virginia. Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the nucleus of UVA—the Rotunda—was completed in 1826, several months after Jefferson’s death. The Rotunda and the grounds of UVA are listed as a World Heritage Site. The university offers free tours daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. Our tour guide was fabulous—knowledgeable, charming, and clearly passionate about his school. Price: Free.

(The next hours were spent returning a faulty rental car to the Avis location at the Charlottesville airport, and conversing with friends in our hotel room.)

8:00 p.m.: Dinner at Continental Divide. This unassuming restaurant (there’s literally no sign with the place’s name on the exterior or the interior) is a favorite among locals. Fresh Tex-Mex food served on burning-hot plates, washed down with the house margarita ($6) or a Pacifico ($3.50). This restaurant has been packed each time I’ve eaten here: had it not been for Lauren (who went to UVA), I never would have known about it. A poster of Santa Fe’s Cafe Pasquals (one of my all-time favorites!) hangs in the bathroom: a telling statement of the good food you can expect to be served. Suggestions from Lauren, which were indeed the best items we ordered: a) beef tacos, b) the Santa Fe enchiladas, and c) the bison-chili nachos (order the un-advertised half order for $4). Price with tip and tax: $115 for 6 people, lots of beer included!

Sunday, January 25

9:30 a.m.: Breakfast in our hotel, the Hampton Inn and Suites at the University. Beds were comfortable; rooms were clean. I have stayed in a lot of Hampton Inns in my life (and other 2- and 3-star equivalents), and I can say that this brand and Hilton Garden Inns are the best mid-level chains out there. This particular one is in a great location—we were about a half-mile walk away from the university and a 1/8-mile walk away from Continental Divide. Price: $130, for a standard room with two double beds.

10:00 a.m.: Drove to Richmond. Normally an hour-long drive to Richmond from Charlottesville, we took a bad turn and it took us a little extra time to get to…

11:30 a.m.: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Wow! What a gem for this city. With a veritable line-up of Degas’s and Picassos, my favorite collection was the Fabergé exhibit. The museum owns 5 imperial eggs—the largest collection of such in the U.S. We’ve all heard of Fabergé eggs, but what are they exactly? There are only 69 in the world, all created by master jeweler, Carl Fabergé, from 1885 to 1917 (he closed his shop when the Bolshevik Revolution came to town and wiped out his main clients, the Czars). My favorite here was the lapis lazuli and gold Czarevich Egg, created for Alexei Romanov after he miraculously kept evading death from his hemophiliac condition. Price: Free.

1:30 p.m.: Lunch at the Can Can Brasserie in Carytown, a neighborhood in Richmond. While Frommer’s wasn’t a huge fan of this popular French cafe, we really loved it. My French toast was unique: served as a loaf, it was fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside. Real maple syrup sealed the deal. Dad’s salmon hash was equally unique and good. Mom seemed happy with her burger, and we all liked the pomme frites. This place is happening on Sunday. Patten and I both wish we had something like this in D.C.—affordable, French, lively. Bistrot du Coin and Brasserie Beck are close, but alas, two can’t eat for $25. Price with tip and tax: $60 for four.

3:15 p.m.: Took a peak inside the Jefferson Hotel. Who knew Richmond had a AAA 5-star hotel? We just walked about the lobby (pictured below) and the main ballroom, but were certainly impressed. If I ever have the luxury of an expense account and have to do business in Richmond (that’s quite the hypothetical!), then I’d stay here.

3:40 p.m.: Tour of the Virginia State Capitol. We were a little late to catch the entire hour-long tour (they generally depart every hour on the hour), but caught enough of it to mourn what we missed. Our guide was excellent: If only we could have had more of it! The Capitol is less showy than many I’ve been inside, but tastefully simple. It’s certainly worth a visit

5:00 p.m.: Drove back to D.C. I won’t get into the details of our wild chicken chase to El Pollo Rico in Arlington (which ended at the restaurant, only to find out they’d run out of chicken for the first time in 15 years), but I will conclude here by saying we had a lovely time. Thanks to my parents and my Patten for making it all happen!