What’s New in Charlottesville & Albemarle County for 2021

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to welcome several new additions to the area’s robust tourism portfolio. Highlights of what’s new for 2021 in Charlottesville & Albemarle County include the following:

Dairy Market – Now Open

Located in the historic Monticello Dairy Building in downtown Charlottesville, Dairy

Market officially opened its doors in December of 2020 and is Central Virginia’s first

food hall. At capacity, Dairy Market will have up to 18 merchant stalls featuring an array

of diverse culinary options including Angelic’s Kitchen, Moo Thru, Manila Street and

Take It Away. In addition to the food merchants, Dairy Market will be anchored by Starr

Hill Brewery, one of the Charlottesville area’s most iconic craft breweries. Click here for

more details about Dairy Market and its food merchants.

Reopening of Keswick Hall – Spring 2021

Keswick Hall, located in the pastoral countryside of Albemarle County, has been

undergoing a transformative remodeling and expansion process for several years. The

results of these renovations will be revealed during a grand reopening in the spring of

2021 and include an additional 42 suites, a new spa & wellness center and reimagined

resort grounds. The resort has also partnered with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who

will serve up his finest world-renowned culinary offerings. The restaurant will source

ingredients from local family-owned food suppliers in addition to implementing

sustainable practices. To learn more about the renovations at Keswick Hall, click here.

The Ridley – Spring 2021

The Ridley restaurant will be a top destination for upscale-casual dining and fresh

seafood offerings in Charlottesville. Located within The Draftsman hotel (an Autograph

Collection property), The Ridley will combine convenience and accessibility with an

unparalleled dining experience. As one of Charlottesville’s Black-owned restaurants, the

concept pays homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to receive a

graduate degree from the University of Virginia. The team responsible for

Charlottesville’s new restaurant concept is headed up by Warren Thompson, UVA

alumnus and CEO/founder of Thompson Hospitality, and his long-time business partner,

Ron Jordan, CEO of Jordan Hospitality Group. The menu will include offerings such as

soft shell crab, fried lobster tails, branzino, and red snapper. Click here for more

information about The Ridley.

Broadcloth Restaurant at The Wool Factory – Opening in 2021

Broadcloth will open its doors in 2021, becoming the signature restaurant at The Wool

Factory – a distinctive food and beverage destination which opened in 2020, located in

the historic Woolen Mills neighborhood of Charlottesville. Designed to make guests feel

as though they’ve been welcomed into Executive Chef Tucker Yoder’s home, the space

will feature an intimate dining room, cocktail bar, a private dining room for up to 18

people and a chef’s table for four in the kitchen. Broadcloth’s menu will be built around

Chef Yoder’s strong relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Click here for more

information about Broadcloth and The Wool Factory.

James Monroe’s Highland Offers New Behind the Scenes Tour – January

2021

James Monroe’s Highland will reopen with public tours (by reservation only) starting on

January 15. For the remainder of January and February 2021, Highland will be offering

tours of the historic site for groups of up to six people from the same household or pod.

Tours will include an introduction to the site and early previews of new exhibits in the

1818 Presidential Guesthouse. These new exhibits are scheduled to open in the spring

of 2021 and will focus on the stories of Highland’s free and enslaved residents and the

property’s time and place in U.S. history. Click here for more information about James

Monroe’s Highland.

CACVB Mobile Visitor Centers – Winter 2021

The CACVB will shift its model of offering visitor services by introducing two mobile

visitor centers – one of which will be dedicated to visitor services in Albemarle County,

with the other dedicated to the City of Charlottesville. The mobile visitor centers will

replace the traditional brick and mortar visitor centers that have most recently been in

the Transit Center on the Downtown Mall and the historic train depot in Crozet. The two

mobile visitor centers will run on a predictable weekly schedule with flexibility to

provide on-site visitor services for popular events. This more responsive and agile model

will allow the CACVB to operate remotely in multiple locations and provide more

equitable coverage in both jurisdictions. Click here for more information about the

CACVB’s mobile visitor centers. A selection of photos is available for download by clicking here. Continue to check our media releases page throughout the year for the latest offerings from Charlottesville & Albemarle County.

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of

visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique

experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global

resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of

Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to

the destination. The CACVB’s mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of

the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of

the meetings and tourism markets.

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