Visiting historic Michie Tavern

In an area as historic as Charlottesville, it is understandable that people would want to dine in a historic tavern. Luckily for locals and visitors alike there is Michie Tavern. With its location within an easy drive of Monticello and Highland, it is a natural choice.

Michie Tavern has a long and interesting history. The main section of the building dates to 1784 and though it was originally an “ordinary” it was not at its current location. In 1927 a local business woman, Mrs. Mark Henderson, purchased the tavern and moved it to its present site. Her motives were as much preservation as business. The building was dismantled, pieces numbered and it was moved 17-miles. It reopened in 1928 as a museum.

Today, while there is a museum there, depending on the time of year, you may be given a tour of the premises or may be given a folder to do a self-guided tour. Michie Tavern is also a great place to eat lunch. It is a destination in its own right and people come from all over the country and the world to partake of their hospitality.

The menu is pretty much the same every day with an occasional change for special events. In case you think that might be boring, rest assured, the food is so good and the variety so extensive that you will never think that there is anything that needs to be added to the menu.

The food at Michie Tavern is served cafeteria style. You pick up your charger and silverware and pass by the food being offered. Southern fried chicken, marinated baked chicken, hand-pulled pork barbecue, black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot green beans, coleslaw, whole baby beets, biscuits, and cornbread. All of it is exceptionally well presented and cooked. As if this wasn’t enough, wenches will come by and replenish any particular food item that you would like more of. Beverages and delicious desserts, including peach cobbler are offered at an additional charge.

Dining is offered both inside and out. The atmosphere is very historic even though this is not really the historic part of the building. After you finish dining, there are some additional buildings which are worth a visit on the property including several shops and a general store. It really is no wonder that Michie Tavern is a not to be missed destination in Charlottesville.


There are special holiday events that are so popular that it is not really worth mentioning them because they sell out within hours of the tickets being released. It seems that the locals know what a good thing they have in their midst.

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.