Michie Tavern is located at 683 Thomas Jefferson Parkway in Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902. Michie Tavern has entertained travelers for more than 200 years. Some travelers arrived on horseback, some on foot, and some by coach. The rooms at Michie Tavern would smell of cooked venison and tobacco. You could hear the voices rising in heated political debates from room to room.

Today, as you visit the Michie Tavern, a costumed hostess welcomes you into the past as "Stranger." The term "Stranger" was used in the early 18th-century for travelers passing by the Michie Tavern.

You will be much like the 18th-century visitor at Michie Tavern enjoying the same homemade southern fare that was served in the 18th century era. You can tour through the Tavern-Museum before or after your meal.

In the 18th century, taverns were a place to eat, drink, sleep and a center for socialization of the community. On the second floor of your tour is the Assembly Room. This is a large, sunlit room that once served as a ballroom, makeshift school room, a place for worship and for extra sleeping accommodations. Other rooms included in your tour are an elaborately decorated Ladies' Parlor that also served many purposes in the 18th century era.

Continue your tour through various outbuildings and down a winding path through the woods to the Meadow Run Mill and General Store.

Michie Tavern offers an overnight stay packaged: Autumn in Albemarle. This package includes:

Monticello Tour: A tour of Thomas Jefferson's Home & Grounds, a World Heritage Site
Michie Tavern ca 1784: Southern Midday Fare and Tour of Historic Tavern
Jefferson Vineyards: Wine Tasting and Tour of Winery
Carter Mountain Orchard: Breathtaking Vistas and Complimentary Cider

The overnight stay package is available Sundays through Thursdays in November, except the 22nd and the 25th. The package is $165 that includes hotel accommodations for one person. Extra room guests are an additional $36 per adult; $17 for children ages 6-11. Call 434-971-5500 to reserve your package and/or for more information.

The General Store

The General Store is housed within the Meadow Run Grist Mill and offers shopping opportunities in a charming old mercantile atmosphere. There are a wide variety of quality gifts for all ages and occasions. On the first floor there are Virginia-made products such as wines, jams/jellies, candies and stone ground flours, meals and mixes. There is also an educational section containing entertaining games and toys pertaining to the past. The second floor features Jewelry, pottery, tin-ware, pewter-ware, glassware, apparel, collectibles, framed prints, a year-round Christmas section and a reading room of period newspapers, history-related books, artwork and chest sets. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. year-round.

The Tavern Gift Shop

This gift shop is adjacent to the Dining Room and reflects the 18th-century Tavern featuring gift ideas for the history buff such as reproductions of civil war guns, swords, historical documents, colonial dolls and needlework kits. The wine cellar features a variety of local and regional wines for sale. Open daily, year-round 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Clothier Shop

This is a unique shop focusing on fashion housed in a cozy circa 1822 structure. Items include:

Clothing
Patterns
Shawls
Scarves
Hats
Colonial pockets
Handkerchiefs
Haversacks
Braided and hooked rugs
Quilts
Jewelry
Books and more

Hours are seasonal: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Michie Tavern is open seven days a week, year-round. They offer continuous tours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m., interactive tours are from April to October, and self guided tours are November through March.

Source: Michie Tavern Online

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2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved

Written by: Connie Limon. For more vacation ideas visit http://smalldogs2.com/VacationIdeas For a variety of FREE reprint articles and special topic articles rarely found elsewhere visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com