What's New in 2025 in Charlottesville & Albemarle County
The year 2025 is finally here and there’s never been a better time to plan your trip to Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
From new culinary and craft beverage offerings to expansive recreation opportunities, there’s a variety of exciting, new additions to the area that you won’t want to miss! Here are some of the highlights:
Food & Drink
The Charlottesville area continues to gain national and international accolades for its renowned culinary and craft beverage scene. Named Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year at the end of 2023, and more recently, one of The Local Palate’s Top Culinary Towns in the South in fall 2024, there are plenty of reasons to add Charlottesville to your “foodie to-do” list.
The Virginia Wine Collective, spearheaded by the owners of Eastwood Farm & Winery, is set to open its doors in the spring of 2025! This facility will include seven winemaker studios, a winemaker incubator and a tasting room that will be open to the public to sample wines from the participating winemakers (with daily production tours). The Virginia Wine Collective has been designed to reduce the costs associated with independent winemaking to further support innovation and talent in the Monticello American Viticultural Area.
Don’t forget to visit Keswick Vineyards to see their new ‘Four Seasons’ tasting room, which opened in fall 2024 and South Paddock Winery, which opened to the public in late summer 2024! If you come in the spring, be sure to stop by Hark Vineyards, which will also have a new tasting room to show off. Looking for a bite? Popular Filipino food truck Little Manila opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant named Little Manila Resto between the University of Virginia and downtown Charlottesville in late summer 2024. You also can’t go wrong with Arepas Steakhouse, opened by Arepas On Wheels in summer 2024. This full-service restaurant is located at 5th Street Station and features a variety of Venezuelan cuisine! The Dairy Market, central Virginia’s first food hall, will also be welcoming Sizzle Shack, a new café and bakery, and a new lounge area with family friendly enhancements in the coming months.
Keswick Vineyards
Little Manila Resto
Arepas Steakhouse
Accommodations
1) The Virginia Guesthouse, a new hotel and conference center, is set to open in late 2025 on the University of Virginia grounds. This new property will feature 217 guest rooms, approximately 25,000 square feet of conference center space, a full-service restaurant, a café, outside terraces, and a rooftop bar.
2) At Boar’s Head Resort, the Birdwood Mansion is being renovated and expects to open its doors by fall 2025. The historic property features four accommodations in the mansion and three adjacent cottages. The culinary program at the mansion will focus on having some of the most experienced creative chefs from around the world reside at the resort and serve the Birdwood Mansion’s dining room. The tasting menu will be seasonal and offer the opportunity to explore culinary options from around the globe.
3) The Forum Hotel by Kimpton was awarded the prestigious AAA Four Diamond status in November 2024, making Charlottesville the only destination in Virginia to have two properties with this status (the other being Boar’s Head Resort).
Outdoor Recreation
The Charlottesville area is brimming with outdoor recreation opportunities and was voted a Top Adventure Town by the readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine in October 2024. Come visit us in the winter or plan ahead for the spring/summer/fall – there’s not a wrong season!
Rivanna River Company has unveiled a second sauna offering, which was completed in fall 2024. Both of the “Riversong Saunas” are constructed from Atlantic white cedar wood and heated by a Kuuma sauna wood stove. A cold-water plunge in the Rivanna River is available for those looking to cool down after the sauna experience. Additionally, Rivanna River Company will have new adaptive kayaks that will be launched in spring 2025 in an effort to make outdoor recreation more accessible to all visitors.
The first phase of Biscuit Run Park officially opened to the public in December 2024. The first phase includes 75 vehicle parking spaces, restroom facilities, and more than eight miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and exploring. At nearly 1,200 acres in size, Biscuit Run Park is now the largest County Park in Albemarle County.
James River Batteau Co. will be offering an immersive multi-day experience highlighting the history and beauty of the James River on a handmade replica of a historic batteau, beginning in fall 2025. The experience will include an open fire, farm-to-table meal, followed by a day navigating the islands and river scenery of the middle James River. The James River Batteau Festival, which includes activities in Scottsville, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2025. The anniversary of the James River batteau’s introduction to Virginia celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2025.
4) Rock Revolution
Rock Revolution, a new bouldering gym, is set to open its doors in spring 2025.
Things to Do
Whether you’re looking for something family-friendly or are a history fanatic at heart, there are a plethora of fun things to do around Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Book ahead or drop-in day of – just make sure you’re adding these unique experiences to your adventure list!
1) Unlocked History Escape Rooms debuted a new escape room called Da Vinci’s Discovery in November 2024. With this addition, there are now four history-themed escape rooms for visitors to discover. All ages are welcome!
2) Beloved Community Tours, which officially launched in October 2024, provides free virtual tours centered around local history that has been racially and culturally marginalized. These tours are narrated by community members and can be listened to via web browsers for virtual visitors or on smartphones for those who want to listen as they explore in-person!
3) The Toward a Lineage of Self exhibit at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC) opened in September 2024. As the next installment of its Pride Overcomes Prejudice permanent exhibition, this map-based exhibition tells the origin stories of historically Black neighborhoods, using the JSAAHC’s extensive property and oral history archive.
4) James Monroe’s Highland unveiled its A Window to a New America exhibition in 2024. Telling the stories of the people and events at Highland and their connections to U.S. history, these exhibits explore the rich content of Monroe's Albemarle County property. New content covers approximately 3,000 square feet of exhibition space and completes the first major revision of the visitor experience since the 2016 announcement of the discovery of the Monroes’ main house built in 1799. Visitors can expect continued updates of museum content, including the interactive Unfinished Revolutions gallery, as we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
With so many new additions to check out in 2025, it’s definitely worth the trip to Charlottesville and Albemarle County! Start planning your stay today by checking out our wide range of accommodations and speaking with one of our travel specialists, who’ll help you find all the best things to do during your stay. We hope to see you soon!