Charlottesville : Michelin's recommendations

Set amid the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounded by the lush horse farms of Albemarle County Virginia, this university town features rich history, natural beauty and many cultural attractions. Established at the heart of a network of tobacco plantations and grain farms yet well-removed from Virginia's established aristocracy, the area produced three of the country's first five presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe). The former estates of all three are open to the public. Charlottesville's pedestrians-only downtown mall is grace by fountains, plantings and benches as well as boutiques, restaurants and bars; enjoy a stroll here, rubbing elbows with undergrads from the prestigious University of Virginia.