From U.S. 29 north
of Charlottesville, proceed directly south on Rt. 29/Emmet Street (passing the University Hall basketball arena on the right) to the light at Business 250. Take a left at the light onto University Avenue. You will pass one more light (Rugby Road). The Rotunda is just past this on your right.

From I-64
follow signs to the University of Virginia Information Center, exiting from Rt. 29/250 Bypass to Ivy Road/Route 250 Business East. Turn right off the exit ramp. You will pass the U.Va. Information Center, where you may stop and pick up a map of the U.Va. Grounds. After you pass the Information Center, proceed through four traffic lights (the last one is at the intersection with Rugby Road). The Rotunda is just past this on your right.

Parking Garages
The University's central hourly visitor parking garage is on Emmet Street, about a block south of the intersection with University Avenue. Visitor and patient parking is also available in two University parking garages across from the University Hospital. The University's garages have parking spaces designated for persons with disabilities. There is also hourly parking on "the Corner" in municipal garages on Elliewood Avenue, Fourteenth Street, and Wertland Street.

University of Virginia Visitors Center
If you are planning to visit the area, we recommend that you stop at the U.Va. Information Center on Business 250 (also known as Ivy Road) and pick up a map and other brochures about the University. The Information Center is open seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.

Tours: Free guided tours of the Rotunda and Lawn are provided year-round. Tours meet daily (except during the Thanksgiving holiday in November and the three-week holiday break in Dec.-Jan. and the final exam period during the first three weeks of May) at 10, 11, 2, 3, and 4 at the Rotunda entrance facing the Lawn. Call (434) 924-7969 for more information. Admission tours are also available. Call the Office of Admission at (434) 982-3200 for more information. Tours are accessible to individuals in wheelchairs, and interpreters are available for the hearing impaired. The Rotunda provides brochures with walking tours of the Academical Village, the Rotunda, and the Pavilion Gardens.

The University of Virginia Bookstore: The University of Virginia Bookstore, located above the Central Grounds Parking Garage on Emmet Street, is an excellent source of books, souvenirs, and information about the University and surrounding area. The bookstore offers a section on local authors, texts and picture books about Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, as well as U.Va. memorabilia.

Newcomb Hall: The student union, Newcomb Hall, houses snack shops on its lower level and an information desk on the third floor.

Named in honor of Princess Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottesville was settled in the eighteenth century on a hill overlooking the Rivanna River. Today, Charlottesville is a small, thriving city that has kept up with the well-cultivated tastes of its inhabitants. The city's population is 40,000; the local area population is 145,000. There are few places in the United States that combine a picturesque and cultivated countryside that is so rich in historical associations with the proximity of a national park and a wide array of cultural opportunities. Money Magazine in 1998 named Charlottesville among the top cities in the United States.

Theatregoers attend on-Grounds productions by the Virginia Players and the Heritage Repertory Theatre or performances by the Four County Players and the Light Opera Society. Music-lovers look forward to the University's Tuesday Evening Concert series or concerts by local bands and symphony orchestras. University students, community members of all ages and visitors to the area enjoy fine art from around the world at the permanent galleries and special exhibitions at the University of Virginia Art Museum. The city also supports a number of art galleries and twenty-six movie theatres.

The area celebrates spring with a Dogwood Festival and Parade, highlighted by blooming azaleas, dogwood and redbud trees. The Virginia Festival of the Book, which brings together readers and writers from around the country for lectures, seminars, and discussions about literature, poetry, and nonfiction, also occurs in early spring.
Summer festivals include the weekly after-work celebration -- Fridays After Five -- a lively concert series at the grassy amphitheatre at the western end of the historic downtown mall. Summer also brings a Fourth of July celebration and ceremonies at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.

Fall hosts regional crafts fairs to the area, wine tasting tours, and breathtaking scenic drives through the Blue Ridge Mountains to view the fall foliage.

Every winter brings First Night Virginia's New Year's Eve festivities for families, featuring live music, entertainment, and fireworks at midnight.

Downtown Charlottesville is the legal, financial, and social hub of the community. It's not unusual to see lawyers walking from their Court Square offices to try their first case of the day. Or old friends meeting for breakfast at one of the local eateries on the Downtown Mall, a tree-lined pedestrian walkway connecting the convention center and ice-skating rink with the city's new municipal amphitheatre. Recently, the mall has undergone a renaissance, as new coffee houses, art galleries, outdoor cafes, an indoor ice-skating rink, a multiplex theatre, and restaurants have brought more people to the area for recreation.

In the quiet times of the day, you can just glimpse the sleepy southern town that was Charlottesville forty years ago. But as the sun rises, the pace of activity picks up considerably, and Downtown Charlottesville moves firmly into the twenty-first century. The restaurants and retail stores on the mall are bustling, as professionals, students, and townspeople stop for lunch or to check their e-mail in one of our many coffee shops with Internet connections.

Charlottesville and Albemarle County have a combined population of around 117,000, with higher education, tourism, light manufacturing, agriculture, and retail trade constituting their economic base. Over the years, community leaders have done much to preserve the natural beauty and character of Albemarle County. The countryside, especially in the springtime, ranks among the most beautiful sites in the nation.

Take a picnic and drive into the countryside; you'll discover numerous Civil War sites and historical markers detailing more than two hundred years of history. Beautiful estates, bounded by split-rail fences and cedar trees, dot the rolling-hill landscape.

The Albemarle County Courthouse: Two blocks north of the Downtown Mall. Built in 1762, the courthouse was the site of a raid by British dragoons hoping to capture fleeing state legislators. Most escaped, though Daniel Boone was captured.

Ash Lawn-Highland: Slightly more than two miles from Monticello. The restored home of President James Monroe, this 550-acre estate features gardens, farm-crafts demonstrations, and a hiking trail. The scene of many special events such as the Summer Festival (opera & musical theatre), the Champagne and Candlelight Tour, and the Colonial Crafts Weekend. (Mar.-Oct.: 9-6; Nov.-Feb.: 10-5; open daily except Christmas, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving. Admission is charged.)

Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention and Visitors Center: Route 20S at I-64. A rich source of information about area sites, food, and lodging. The special exhibit, "Thomas Jefferson at Monticello," is an excellent preparation for a visit to Monticello, located just a few miles away. (Open Mar.-Oct.: 9-5:30 daily and Nov.-Feb.: 9-5 daily. Admission is free.)