Charlottesville Named Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine Top Adventure Town For Third Time in Five Years

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – For the third time in just five years, Charlottesville was voted a top adventure town by readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors in the magazine’s fifteenth-annual Top Adventure Towns contest. This award celebrates the area’s incredible range of outdoor activities—from hiking, biking and watersports to hot-air ballooning and guided horseback tours.

From 100 adventure hubs across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, readers narrowed down nominees in four different categories: tiny town (population less than 3,000), small town (population 3,001-16,000), medium-sized town (population 16,001-75,000), and large town (population 75,001+). This year, readers selected Floyd, Va. (tiny town), Brevard, N.C. (small town), Charlottesville, Va. (medium town), and Asheville, N.C. (large town), as their favorites. All four will be featured in Blue Ridge Outdoors’ adventure towns coverage in the magazine’s November issue, hitting stands soon.

“National trends show us that travelers are increasingly focusing on wellness activities as they plan vacations, making Charlottesville and Albemarle County the ideal destination due to our robust outdoor recreation offerings,” said Courtney Cacatian, Executive Director of Visit Charlottesville. “We are honored to be recognized for our adventure assets and continue to work with our community partners to support increased access to the outdoors in our area for residents and visitors alike.”

In 2025, Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s outdoor recreation grew to include several miles of new hiking and biking amenities at Biscuit Run Park just a few miles south of downtown Charlottesville in Albemarle County. The Rivanna River Company also unveiled three adaptive kayaks, purchased with support from Visit Charlottesville and the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s DRIVE Outdoor grant program. A comprehensive overview of Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s outdoor recreation offerings is available on the Visit Charlottesville website.

“We are thrilled by the continued enthusiasm for the outdoors and our readers’ passion for adventure and travel,” says Leah Woody, Publisher of Blue Ridge Outdoors. “The Top Adventure Towns contest highlights the rich variety of outdoor destinations across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and we’re excited to inspire travelers from all walks of life to explore the incredible beauty of our region and the vibrant communities that call it home.”

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About Visit Charlottesville: Visit Charlottesville (The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau) 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. Visit Charlottesville 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. Visit Charlottesville’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.