Virginia: Michie Tavern Tour Charlottesville

Tours of Michie Tavern are self-guided. In season there are docents in the building to answer questions.

Michie Tavern was built in 1763 about 17 miles away from where it now stands. It stayed in the family for 150 years. Everything in the tavern is from the 18th century, including a few uninvited guests. I did not get any unusual images in my pictures but one man in our group of twelve did, that’s how the topic came up. This tavern would have been a stage stop between Richmond and the frontier.

The first room we visited was the gentleman’s parlor. There is a table set for the evening snack that would have been served about 10 p.m. here. It would include cheese and bread, pies and some sweet ginger to help with digestion. A gaming table is located in the room. 18th-century men loved to play games, cribbage, dominos, checks, and all sorts of card games. Gambling was illegal but the men did it anyway. The men would have also rented a pipe from the tavern keeper to smoke some tobacco. Of course, the men would have drunk as well, the alcohol would have been served from behind the tap bar, in the tap room and there was always a man to tend the barred room, thus bartenders. 

They would have probably been drinking one of the punches which considering how much alcohol was in them packed quite a punch. When it was time for sleep the men rented a spot. The chairs were then hung on pegs on the wall, the original chair rail.

Our next stop was the ladies parlor. Here the women would have rested away from the men. We learn a little about the clothes that an 18th-century woman would have worn and also how to play a dulcimer. One of the more interesting facts was the language of the fan and how the ladies used them. We also got a chance to try our hand at writing with a quill. My effort isn’t too bad. If you brought your own candles the innkeeper would remind you to mind your own beeswax.

Upstairs there is a bedroom on one side of the hall and on the other side there is a room that would have been used to local dances and other entertainment.

The tour ends on the first floor in the keeping room. This is a very interesting and interactive tour. Be sure to head outside and walk around the out buildings and the stores on the property.