Greenwood Gourmet Grocery — Picnic Supplies
Before any big day out — Monticello, a hike, a winery visit, or a drive over the mountain — stop at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery and let them make you lunch. The sandwiches are exceptional, the cheeses and local provisions are the real thing, and arriving at any beautiful outdoor spot with a Greenwood picnic basket is a very different experience than drive-through fast food. This is how you do it right. The Farm has a picnic basket in the front hall you can borrrow.
Chiles Peach Orchard
One of the most beloved family outings in the area, especially from summer through early fall. Pick your own strawberries, peaches, apples, and other fruit depending on the season, then reward yourselves at the bakery and ice cream counter. The views from the orchard looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains are spectacular, and the whole experience has the kind of unhurried, hands-in-the-dirt charm that kids carry with them. The peach ice cream in August is not to be missed.
Blue Ridge Tunnel — Walk Through History
The Blue Ridge Tunnel is one of the most unique and memorable short walks in Virginia — and almost nobody outside the area knows it exists. Built between 1850 and 1858 under the direction of the great engineer Claudius Crozet (the man the town is named after), it was hand-carved through solid granite by Irish and enslaved laborers over eight years at a cost of tremendous human effort. At 4,237 feet long, it was the longest tunnel in North America when it was completed. Walking through it today is genuinely thrilling: the tunnel is arrow-straight, so you enter […]
Wildrock
Wildrock is a one-of-a-kind outdoor nature discovery and play space that is unlike anything you’ll find in most parts of the country. Designed to get kids (and adults) genuinely immersed in unstructured outdoor exploration, it’s a beautiful, intentional space in a natural setting. Reservations are required — it’s not a drop-in experience — but that also means it never feels crowded, and the experience is all the more special for it.
Greenwood Community Center — Roller Skating
This is one of the most delightful finds in the area — and almost nobody from outside the community knows about it. The Greenwood Community Center, an 18-acre park just minutes from the farm, is home to the only roller-skating rink in the county, and it has been a beloved local institution since the center opened in 1950. The original grand auditorium was built with a wood-floored roller-skating rink, and it still holds skate nights every Saturday evening from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is just $3 to rent skates or $2 if you bring your own. This […]