This weekend is a great time to visit, with four big events landing on the same day! Can’t make this weekend? No worries! We’ll swap in a new lineup each time Discover Black Cville has something worth building a trip around.
Start your weekend early and give yourself time to relax and explore the area before the main event.
This Black-owned bed and breakfast is centrally located and gives you that home away from home feeling for the weekend, close to Monticello, the Downtown Mall, and all of the great spots on this list.
Spend an afternoon exploring the Downtown Mall, browsing locally owned shops like Rock Paper Scissors. Purchase some unique stationery, gifts, and keepsakes before heading over to Stella’s Cuisine for lunch. This cozy soul food restaurant serves up favorites like fried chicken, rich sides, and generous portions. Stella's is located inside York Place, a building with its own Black-owned legacy on the Mall.
Kick things off with an upscale night out at The Ridley, inside The Draftsman hotel on West Main Street. The restaurant pays homage to Dr. Walter Ridley, the first Black student to earn a doctoral degree from UVA and serves Southern-inspired fare with a seafood-forward menu in a polished, modern setting.
This is the day the whole trip is built around. Here's how to spend it.
Start the morning with coffee and pastries (or a full brunch) at MarieBette in the Rose Hill neighborhood. The croissants alone are worth the trip.
From 10AM to 6PM at Booker T. Washington Park, join the Chihamba African American Cultural Arts Festival, Charlottesville's long-running celebration of West African and African American heritage through dance, drumming, storytelling, and the Ujamaa Marketplace. Plan to grab lunch here, between the marketplace and food vendors on site, you won't need a separate stop.
From 3PM to 7PM, head to Boar's Head Resort for Daze of Rose, the rose wine garden party founded by Matt Harmon of Harmony Wine. Expect rose all afternoon, good music, and a relaxed garden party atmosphere.
Ease into your last day before heading home.
Close out the weekend with Southern-inspired brunch at Milk & Honey, known for chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and mimosa towers. It's the kind of meal that makes you linger a little longer before hitting the road.
From there, it's up to you, one more stroll down the Mall, a stop by a shop you missed, or just coffee to go before you head home.
Keep these other annual events in mind and plan another trip to Charlottesville and Albemarle County!
Juneteenth Celebrations | June 19th
Chihamba AA Cultural Arts Festival | late-July
Daze of Rose | late-July
Soul of Cville Festival | mid-August
Virginia Film Festival | late-October
Two Up, Wine Down Festival | early-November
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