Wine and Roses at Monticello

“They are not long, the days of wine and roses;

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes

Within a dream.”

--Ernest Dowson

“Savor the sights and scents of antique roses in peak bloom while tasting local wines in the garden during this ever-popular event.” Sounds like wonderful, relaxing day, right? It’s definitely shaping up to be so at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello on May 31, 2014. From 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., you have the opportunity to attend the The CHP Open House, featuring Wine and Roses.

From rose cultivation to beekeeping, experts in a variety of fields will be making presentations, leading tours and seminars, and guiding you in a wine tasting:

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.: This talk with Connie Hilker will answer all of your questions about growing roses in Virginia. (Triva: A personal who cultivates roses as Connie Hilker does is knows as a “rosarian.”)

11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Enjoy a rose walk garden tour led by Peggy Cornett, the plant curator at Monticello.

1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.: Taste an array of local wines as you learn from the Father of Virginia Wine himself, Gabriele Rausse.

1:30 P.M. to 2:30 P.M.: Monticello’s beekeeper Paul Legrand will share his wealth of knowledge about bees, focusing on the first 18 months of a bee hive.

Click here to download a full schedule for Wine and Roses.

High Meadows Vineyard Inn is only a 25-minute drive from Monticello, so check room availability now, and book your room for a Wine and Rose getaway.

Photo by VAHistorical.org

The Scottsville Museum

Scottsville, Virginia is a historic James River Town with a rich past,  vast collection of stories, and a wealth of information that we enjoying sharing with visitors. No place better reflects this preservation of the past than the Scottsville Museum, which is in itself a piece of history: 

“Housed inside the former Disciples of Christ Church, built in 1846, the Scottsville Museum displays permanent and rotating exhibits on James River transportation, the Civil War, Native American artifacts, school life, theater, clothing, toys, furniture, and photographs.”

Where the River Bends—The James River is a huge part of Scottsville’s past, present, and future: “The rolling waters of the James River are ever moving and ever changing, a living symbol of history flowing through time.  Throughout history, the river has brought a source of food, transportation, trade, and recreation to our town's inhabitants.” Where the River Bends is a museum exhibit that explores the history of the river from the Monacan tribe to the Civil War to modern day reeling and rafting on the water.

Photo Archives—From 1890 to 1935, a local photographer by the name of Willie Burgess captured the sights of Scottsville with his camera, providing us with a visual record of days gone by. His photos and others are part of a program called Capturing Our Heritage, which digitizes and preserves photos, documents, and oral traditions of the town. See this archive for yourself at the Scottsville Museum, and enjoy a portrait of the past.

High Meadows Vineyard Inn is only a short distance down the road from the Scottsville Museum, so book your room, and get ready to indulge in some rich, local history.

Pine Knot: A Roosevelt Retreat in Albemarle County, VA

I can imagine that holding the position of president of the United States is a difficult, stressful, time-consuming task that would require periodic escapes just to retain a bit of sanity. Theodore Roosevelt certainly felt this way, which is why he and his wife Edith acquired a small, rustic cabin in Albemarle County.

In 1905, Edith Roosevelt purchased 15 acre of land—complete with a worker’s cottage—and she called this wooded retreat “Pine Knot.” Edith knew her husband was fond of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and although the purchase was primarily for Teddy to escape the “strain of political life in Washington D.C., Pine Knot was as dear to her as it was to her husband.

Teddy, Edith, and five of their six children made regular visit to the cabin, taking a four-hour train ride from Washington D.C., and then riding on horseback or in a carriage the rest of the way. Although in Edith purchased another 75 acres to add to the property, the Roosevelts never again visited Pine Knot after Teddy’s term as president.

Today, Pine Knot stands as a symbol of history. The Theodore Roosevelt Association initiated the opening of Pine Knot as a public historic site, furthering their effort with repair and renovations. If you are interested in local history, sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and vibrant, woodland settings, then Pine Knot is a must-see in the area. (High Meadows is only a 12-minute drive from Roosevelt’s cabin. Click here to check availability at our inn.)