Virginia: Fall in Charlottesville and Albermarle County

Virginia Cider Week will kick-off its third edition, which will be held from November 13 - 22.  During Virginia Cider Week, restaurants, shops and cider makers across the state will hold dinners, in-store tastings, workshops and classes promoting Virginia cider. 

Virginia is the first state to have an officially proclaimed “Cider Week”, and this is only the second-week long cider celebration in the US.  Over 100 restaurants and shops in 30 cities will promote cider during Virginia Cider Week. The cider celebration includes over 60 special events taking place at various locations across Virginia, with a large concentration of events in Charlottesville and the surrounding area.  

Visitors can expect cider promotions and tastings at shops, cafes, bistros and fine dining restaurants. All the details can be found at www.ciderweekva.com.  

TEDxCharlottesville 2015 promises to be one of the most popular events in Charlottesville again this year.  Hosted by TEDxCharlottesville and Starr Hill Presents, “What If…” will be held at the Paramount Theater on November 13.  Following the success of the past two years’ sold-out events, the all-volunteer committee team is dedicated to re-inspire the community with a dynamic program.   

The focus on “What If…” will encourage consideration of how the world would look different when we suspend our judgment. The core of age-old questions asked by explorers (“What if the world isn’t flat?”), scientists (“What would happen if you could split an atom?”), and artists at the start of every new piece of work, “What If…” inspires new thinking, demands introspection, and challenges the status quo.  Tickets to the full-day conference and information about this event are available at http://tedxcharlottesville.com/.   

Even though the fall season is well underway, Charlottesville and Albemarle County still offer some of the most spectacular autumnal landscapes in the country.  The Shenandoah National Park Fall Color Report describes the current scenery:  “The Piedmont has about a 50 percent color change now. Most notable are the hickories' brilliant gold tones, and the red maples varying from yellow to orange to red. The oaks are just beginning to lend their more subdued tones to the palette. You know that autumn has reached the whole state when eastern Virginia's maples begin to turn red, starting from the tops down. Patches of color can now be seen all the way to the coast. 

Watch for big changes soon in eastern oaks, maples, and sweet gums.”  Charlottesville is located only 26 miles from the Rockfish Gap entrance to the Shenandoah National Park, which is a unique location to enjoy this colorful season either by foot with a crisp hike or relaxing drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  For more information, please visit www.nps.gov/shen.    

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB): 

In addition to serving as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia, through www.visitcharlottesville.org, the CACVB assists tour operators, meeting planners, reunions and other groups in planning visits to the destination.  

 CACVB’s mission is “to enhance the economic prosperity of City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.”  CACVB operates the Downtown Visitor Center (610 E Main St) which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a second visitor center, the Albemarle Tourism and Adventure Center downtown Crozet (5791 Three Notch’d Rd), as well as a touch-screen kiosk at Monticello’s Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center. 

The official website of the CACVB is www.visitcharlottesville.org.  In addition, the organization manages powerful social media channels; ExperienceCharlottesville on Facebook, @VisitCVille on Twitter, CVilleVA on Pinterest, and @CharlottesvilleVA on Instagram and Vimeo.