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Has anyone every been to a game at Virginia?

Posted on 7/17/16 at 5:53 am
Posted by Grandioso
Driftwood, TX
Member since Dec 2015
1597 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 5:53 am
While my daughter was at UNC, my wife and I would visit her once in the fall to catch a game. Now that she is graduated and moving to NYC, we'd still like to get together and take in a North Carolina football game. I threw out going to the Virginia - North Carolina game in Charlottesville as it is something new and it is supposedly the "South's Oldest Rivalry". Also, my daughter has been before and she said Charlottesville is a great town. UT is on the road that weekend (at Kansas State), so I'm getting pretty excited and thinking about booking soon.

What's the best way to get there? Fly into Richmond or DC and rent a car from there? I know Charlottesville is supposed to be a great town, but I'm under the impression that it's strictly a college town. Should we look for a hotel or bed and breakfast? Would tickets be fairly easy to snag or should I try and get them beforehand? How's the tailgating and restaurant/bars? Any place we must go and see? I'm certainly going to check out The Monticello.
Posted by Tiger Live2
Westwego, LA
Member since Mar 2012
9615 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 6:14 am to
quote:

What's the best way to get there? Fly into Richmond or DC

Richmond would be easier. But Charlottesville does have an airport as well.
Posted by StraightCashHomey21
Aberdeen,NC
Member since Jul 2009
125538 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 7:15 am to
UVA games are very much a whine and cheese crowd.
Posted by TotesMcGotes
New York, New York
Member since Mar 2009
27883 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 7:17 am to
Fly into DC or Charlotte and then fly into Charlottesville from there. Bodo's for breakfast, Tavola for dinner.

Stay at the Omni or Oakhurst.

Tickets are pretty easy to come by.

Plenty of tailgating. It's not LSU, but campus will be pretty busy for game day against UNC.
Posted by WG_Dawg
Hoover
Member since Jun 2004
86618 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 8:08 am to
quote:

supposedly the "South's Oldest Rivalry


UGA/Auburn was played 8 months before unc/uva..just fwiw.
Posted by Broseph Barksdale
Member since Sep 2010
10571 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 8:59 am to
Take the time to explore the entire western Va area. Beautiful place. Go to the Devil's Backbone brewery near Wintergreen.
Posted by ctiger69
Member since May 2005
30616 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 10:29 am to
No
Posted by Gary Busey
Member since Dec 2014
33277 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 11:32 am to
I've never been, but that's bad arse that Thomas Jefferson designed their campus.

I just looked at their Charlottesville on Google maps and that place looks absolutely bad arse.
Posted by St Augustine
The Pauper of the Surf
Member since Mar 2006
64629 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 12:30 pm to
beautiful area of the country up there
Posted by PowerTool
The dark side of the road
Member since Dec 2009
21284 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 2:18 pm to
I haven't been for a game, but would definitely visit the town. I guess it's a "college town," but not exactly in the way most of us think of that term. It's a rich to upper middle class college town, so they have nice restaurants, shops, etc. It's not like you'll be stuck slumming in grungy college hangouts. The town is very walkable and nice. Beautiful campus, of course.
Posted by Mr Personality
Bangkok
Member since Mar 2014
27364 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 2:22 pm to
I'll be interested to see if Bronco Mendenhall actually makes UVA respectable.

Posted by PNW
Northern Rockies
Member since Mar 2014
6193 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 3:29 pm to
I visited Charlottesville last month when school just let out and I was a little underwhelmed with the city itself. I drove by their football stadium and it's neatly tucked on campus, similar to UGA, but on a much smaller scale. You can literally see down into the stadium from the road. As for downtown, meh. It's okay but nothing special. It's also not the most walkable college town I've visited. Everything seems spread out. The Shenandoah Valley is what makes the place feel special.

I know this didn't answer your question but go with low expectations and you probably won't be disappointed with your experience there.
This post was edited on 7/17/16 at 3:32 pm
Posted by TulaneUVA
Member since Jun 2005
25935 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 5:27 pm to
Richmond is about 1 hour with little to no traffic on the interstate. DC is about 2-2.5 hours away on a highway with multiple towns, etc, but it's not a bad drive. It all depends on what flights you can get for what price and factor in your time. Charlottesville airport is the most convenient but you will pay at least $200 more to fly into CHO.

Charlottesville, even without UVA, is a beautiful town that people buy land/houses to retire away for the rest of their lives in tranquility. There are numerous Virginia vineyards in the area if that suites your tastes. Would highly recommend taking some time to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike up a trail called Humpback Rock. It's a short, but somewhat difficult hike for the amateur or out of shape. It's one of the best views of the Blue Ridge mountains that I can think of. Also consider stopping by Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, VA. Pretty good beer and atmosphere.
Downtown Charlottesville is really one pedestrian strip that has various restaurants and bars. Look them up for your taste preferences but would recommend stopping by Miller's for a drink. It's a bar where Dave Matthews formed. I believe Dave himself was a bartender there. Some pretty good pizza at Christian's Pizza.

The Corner is a strip of the town adjacent to UVA that is more student orientated. Bars and restaurants for the most part. Pretty good burgers, beers, and atmosphere at Boylan Heights. Get a damn good burger with an egg on it at White Spot. It's tradition.

The campus itself is worth doing a full tour through UVA (the tour group is called UGuides). They will offer the best information and historical perspective. A really high quality service that is difficult to get into as a student. The Rotunda is the jewel and just finished remodeling. It should be in fantastic shape.

You hit the nail on the head with Monticello. Highly recommend.

Regarding UVA football...well, it's not exactly hitting on all cylinders with recent history. They have had their glimpses of greatness (was #1 in nation in 1990), but very inconsistent. The program aside, the stadium is easy to get to and should be an easy ticket. It's aesthetically pleasing and has good sight lines/visibility. There's really not a bad seat. The hill makes it fairly unique as well. All those things aside, if the team is not doing really well that year or if it's not VT, the atmosphere will not be what you expect from SEC games. The tailgating included. I agree that it's very much a wine and cheese crowd. But
UVA alumni are some of the most loyal out there to have to endure this level of crap for this long.

The UNC series is a great game to choose. Would highly recommend you come visit if for nothing else but to see the area.
This post was edited on 7/17/16 at 5:34 pm
Posted by 12Pence
Member since Jan 2013
6344 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 6:14 pm to
We went last year. The Monticello was great and absolutely take the tour. Afterwards, we ate at some place near by. I believe it was Michie's Tavern? Kinda hokey, but I was with my in-laws and an 85 year old grandmother. The fried chicken was pretty good though. We checked out the lawn to see my father in law's old room.

Other than that, we just strolled through the campus and around University Ave/Main Street. Had a beer or two at Coupe's and St. Marteen's. That's about all I can remember.
Posted by HickoryofOld
PEC
Member since Jul 2011
253 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 9:00 pm to
Worked in Charlottesville and at UVA for a bit, so here are my suggestions.

I'd recommend Richmond, as the flights are fairly competitive and the drive is pretty easy.
Get tickets the day of. They haven't been competitive in a bit so they're easy to come by.
There are approximately 150 wineries within an hours drive of Cville. I recommend Delfosse, Veritas and King Family. Those are my favorites for wine and setting but there are a ton of great ones and you could spend a week just wine tasting.
Blue Mountain Brewery is 20 minutes west and has an unbelievable outdoor seating are, great food. If you don't take any of my other recommendations, I'd at least do this one. Weather will likely be awesome and it's just perfect sitting there and having a beer.
Someone said the town is underwhelming. It's not huge, but if you know where to go you will fall in love considering the geography, food, etc. There's a place called the Whiskey Jar that I really enjoyed for lunch. Also, many of the restaurants on the Corner, just across from campus, are well done.

Finally, walk around campus. It's beautiful and is worth your time. It may not be a usual game day for you, as the tailgating isn't great compared to bigger football schools, but the closeness to area bars and restaurants gives it a unique factor for enjoying the game and the weekend. Have fun there's a ton of things.
This post was edited on 7/17/16 at 9:03 pm
Posted by Champagne
Already Conquered USA.
Member since Oct 2007
48680 posts
Posted on 7/17/16 at 9:14 pm to
Reagan Airport, rent a car and drive to Charlottesville. There will be plenty of hotels for you to choose from. If you want to spend lots of money on B and B there are some nice ones in the area.

You'll enjoy the game at the UVA stadium. My days in Charlottesville as a student on those grounds are fondly remembered. They don't call it a "campus" they call it "the grounds".
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