<p>I will be visiting UVA for about a day and doing the information session/campus tour and I would love some suggestions of places to visit that I might not see on the tour. Any suggestions of restaurants or must-see stops to get a real feel for UVA and Charlottesville would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Here’s a great thread on places to eat:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/1122511-restaurants-cville.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/1122511-restaurants-cville.html?</a></p>
<p>One on fun things to see and do in Charlottesville:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/947199-fun-things-see-do-virginia.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/947199-fun-things-see-do-virginia.html?</a></p>
<p>And another on helpful information for visiting Charlottesville:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/1068015-helpful-info-those-visiting-charlottesville.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/1068015-helpful-info-those-visiting-charlottesville.html</a></p>
<p>Have a wonderful time!!</p>
<p>There is a historical tour given during the school year. I’m not sure if it is offered in the summer or not. It basically covers the history of the Rotunda and Lawn with some of the gardens thrown in depending on the tour guide. It is completely different than the admissions tours. We really enjoyed it and it was probably more of a selling point for S than the admissions info. If you are in state and have visited the grounds several times, it may not have as much of an impact, but it was great for us.</p>
<p>I went to UVa during Days on the Lawns and I was a bit disappointed with the tour. I’m not sure if all of the tours were the same or if DOTL has a different touring schedule, but my tour only took me to areas in central Grounds. We stopped at about 5 places throughout the tour as most of it was listening to three tour guides talk (which didn’t help me out much because I did a lot of research on the school before I visited).</p>
<p>The only reason I wasn’t really upset about the tour is because it, like every other organization on Grounds, is student run and the ladies did a wonderful job of capturing my attention! They were really charming and I enjoyed their company! I also understood that the Grounds are huge! It would be nearly impossible to complete a tour of the entire school while maintaining a sense of brevity! When I went to UGA, they had us tour their entire campus using a tour bus, which I thought was a great idea! I wish UVa would adopt this concept!</p>
<p>If you have any friends that have cars and are still at the school, you should give them a call and ask for them to give you a tour of the school! My friend did that for me and I REALLY enjoyed it! She drove me around and took me to some dorms and the gym! </p>
<p>To answer your question directly, you should tour everywhere outside of central Grounds (anything near the Lawn, Newcomb, Brown College, McIntire) because these areas are already covered by the tour guide!</p>
<p>Try the frat/sorority houses and the old amphitheater! </p>
<p>UVAorBust created a thread asking about restaurants a while back. It was really popular! If you can’t find that thread, you can always go somewhere on the Corner (near the Lawn).</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>It is really hard to take it all in with one visit, especially if you are visiting other schools on the same trip. Try not to miss downtown Charlottesville, even if it is for just a quick walk and a meal. Also the “corner”, the frat and sorority house area and I would recommend walking around past the McCormick dormitories and seeing Alderman Road and down to the Aquatic Fitness Center, the football stadium and the Gooch/Dillard housing area. (It is also a freshman dormitory. If you are a baseball fan the UVA baseball stadium is nice too! Good Luck.</p>
<p>At orientation, it lists a tour of academic buildings. That would be useful so you learn you way around before you have to rush between classes.</p>
<p>On your way to or from Cville, people might want to visit Montpelier in Orange Va. It was the home of James Madison, and was restored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.</p>
<p>Cville has a very active downtown, including a successful downtown pedestrian mall, a large arts historic theater, and an outdoor concert pavilion.</p>
<p>If you want to see some interesting architecture, take a look at the Darden Grad School of Business. They tried to recreate the design of The Lawn with new buildings.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your help. I absolutely can’t wait to visit!</p>
<p>You should definitely visit Monticello.<br>
Jackuk</p>
<p>At some previous orientations, UVa offered an after hours tour of Monticello in the evening. I didn’t see it on this year’s schedule.</p>
<p>If you want to see Monticello on a summer weekend, make online reservations in advance.</p>