Charlottesville/Central Virginia

[439th Signal Battalion]

This upcoming April, my family and I plan to pull our travel trailer and camp in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area for a week. Aside from visiting Monticello and the Chancellorsville/Fredericksburg/Wilderness, etc., battlefields, what else can you recommend in the area?

 

Are there any good museums and family venues around or Civil War sites that off the beaten-path? How about militaria and antique stores? Any places/roads/areas to avoid?

 

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

 

 

[RDUNE]

I've never had much luck with the antique malls in Charlottesville. They tend to have higher-end antiques (art, furniture, silver, etc) and very little militaria. There is a vintage clothing store in town that I've seen uniforms at, but the prices were unrealistic. If you're willing to travel a bit, I've always found good military stuff at Rockys Antiques in Weyers Cave, and at Rolling Hills Antique Mall in Harrisonburg. Both are about an hour from Charlottesville but worth the drive, in my opinion. If you only had time for one I'd definitely do Rockys. The Factory Antique Mall just north of Staunton is also worth stopping at but be prepared for sticker shock. The Stonewall Brigade museum is in the same area and well worth a visit.

 

-Ryan

[Cobra 6 Actual]

If you are going to do the Civil War battlefields in the Fredericksburg area it is just 20 minutes up Interstate 95 for the excellent National Museum of the Marine Corps.

[swag]

The Quartermaster and Women's Museum at Fort Lee is only about 1.5 hours from Charlottesville.