Local Visitor Centers The City’s Visitor Center – Downtown is located directly across from City Hall on the east end of the Downtown Mall (610 East Main Street). The center provides many services including same-day hotel reservations, local and statewide travel information, brochures, guides, maps, and more. Open Monday through Sunday 9:00am to 5:30pm. The center is operated by the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB). For more information call: 434.293.6789 or toll free: 877.386.1102. The CACVB also offers assistance to media, meeting planners and group tour operators. Click here to email for more information.  To list your organization, news release or event on the CACVB’s website, visit www.pursueCharlottesville.com.

City Ranked #1 Place to Live in the Country Frommer’s Cities Ranked and Rated has named Charlottesville the Best Place to Live in America!  The new publication rated over 400 cities in the United States and Canada in ten different categories, and found that the Charlottesville metropolitan area attained the top overall rating in the U.S. The ten evaluated categories included Economy & Jobs, Cost of Living, Climate, Education, Health & Healthcare, Crime, Transportation, Leisure, Arts & Culture and overall Quality of Life. CLICK HERE for more. For more of what they are saying about our wonderful town CLICK HERE

Convention & Visitors' Bureau Wins a Major Award The Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau in conjunction with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has been awarded “The Gabriella Page Historic Preservation Award” by the APVA – Association for the Preservation of Virginia Activities. By working together the two agencies developed a regional Heritage Tourism Map and Heritage Tourism Toolkit for Central Virginia. The Heritage Tourism Map includes the location and description of each historical site, as well as hours of operation and contact information. The Toolkit presents legal tools for protecting buildings and landscapes, physical tools for rehabilitating and restoring sites, and management tools for operating these places as a tourism destination.

City Voted as Most Distinctive by National Trust for Historic Preservation With a captivating blend of colorful history, distinctive architecture and Southern hospitality, Charlottesville, Va., is a destination unlike any other. In the shadow of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains in Albemarle County, Charlottesville still reflects the revolutionary ideals of the founding fathers who once called this place home. Here visitors can walk in the footsteps of Jefferson at his beloved University of Virginia and at Monticello, the home he designed and redesigned, built and rebuilt over the course of four decades. Nearby are Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of Jefferson’s dear friend, James Monroe, the nation’s fifth president and Montpelier, a National Trust Historic site located in nearby Orange, Va. and the home of James Madison, father of the Constitution. All of the presidential homes run year-round special events, including programs specifically geared for children, guest lectures, wine and opera festivals, hunt races and archaeology workshops. Because Thomas Jefferson is credited as being the father of American wine, it’s no surprise that today the area surrounding Charlottesville is home to many nationally recognized wineries, which offer tastings and tours for discriminating palates. Charlottesville is also known as one of the most scenic spots in the Mid-Atlantic for a hot air balloon ride and is quickly becoming an entertainment destination with the restored Paramount Theater, the newly built Amphitheater and The John Paul Jones Arena. Spectacular scenery and championship courses designed by some of the industry's top architects create a winning combination for golfers. Charlottesville’s many nearby rivers and lakes also provide the perfect setting for aquatic pursuits, such as sailing, swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing and tubing. And at the end of a long, enjoyable day, visitors find the Boar’s Head Inn, a country resort outside Charlottesville that is a member of National Trust Historic Hotels of America, the perfect retreat. For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today named Charlottesville, Va., to its 2007 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. Charlottesville was selected from 63 destinations in 27 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities. “When you combine the spectacular natural beauty of the region with Charlottesville’s architectural and cultural heritage, it’s easy to see why this is such an ideal destination,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Jefferson loved his home here more than any place on earth, and two centuries later, visitors are just as captivated by Charlottesville’s charms.” The 2007 list of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations includes: Charlottesville, Va. -- In the shadow of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville, Va., is a picture-perfect college town with vibrant shops, restaurants, wineries and a slew of presidential homes including Jefferson’s Monticello, Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland and Madison’s Montpelier, a National Trust Historic site located in nearby Orange, Va. Chatham, Mass Chestertown, Md Durango, Colo. Ellensburg, Wash. Hillsborough, N.C Little Rock, Ark. Mineral Point, Wis. Morgantown, W. Va. Providence, R.I West Hollywood, Calif. Woodstock, Ill

The area is full of festivals and events occurring throughout the year and for every taste.  For a listing of some of the biggest events and the area's vibrant arts scene CLICK HERE For area entertainment venues CLICK HERE