WHAT’S NEW IN CHARLOTTESVILLE FOR 2021


Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

·5 min read

Reopening of Keswick Hall, Dairy Market food hall and several new restaurants set to open in Charlottesville & Albemarle County this year

Charlottesville, Va., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to welcome several new additions to the area’s robust tourism portfolio. Highlights of what’s new for 2021 in Charlottesville & Albemarle County include the following:

  • Dairy Market – Now Open
    Located in the historic Monticello Dairy Building in downtown Charlottesville, Dairy Market officially opened its doors in December of 2020 and is Central Virginia’s first food hall. At capacity, Dairy Market will have up to 18 merchant stalls featuring an array of diverse culinary options including Angelic’s Kitchen, Moo Thru, Manila Street and Take It Away. In addition to the food merchants, Dairy Market will be anchored by Starr Hill Brewery, one of the Charlottesville area’s most iconic craft breweries. Click here for more details about Dairy Market and its food merchants.
  • Reopening of Keswick Hall – Spring 2021
    Keswick Hall, located in the pastoral countryside of Albemarle County, has been undergoing a transformative remodeling and expansion process for several years. The results of these renovations will be revealed during a grand reopening in the spring of 2021 and include an additional 42 suites, a new spa & wellness center and reimagined resort grounds. The resort has also partnered with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who will serve up his finest world-renowned culinary offerings. The restaurant will source ingredients from local family-owned food suppliers in addition to implementing sustainable practices. To learn more about the renovations at Keswick Hall, click here.

  • The Ridley – Spring 2021
    The Ridley restaurant will be a top destination for upscale-casual dining and fresh seafood offerings in Charlottesville. Located within The Draftsman hotel (an Autograph Collection property), The Ridley will combine convenience and accessibility with an unparalleled dining experience. As one of Charlottesville’s Black-owned restaurants, the concept pays homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to receive a graduate degree from the University of Virginia. The team responsible for Charlottesville’s new restaurant concept is headed up by Warren Thompson, UVA alumnus and CEO/founder of Thompson Hospitality, and his long-time business partner, Ron Jordan, CEO of Jordan Hospitality Group. The menu will include offerings such as soft shell crab, fried lobster tails, branzino, and red snapper. Click here for more information about The Ridley.
  • Broadcloth Restaurant at The Wool Factory – Opening in 2021
    Broadcloth will open its doors in 2021, becoming the signature restaurant at The Wool Factory – a distinctive food and beverage destination which opened in 2020, located in the historic Woolen Mills neighborhood of Charlottesville. Designed to make guests feel as though they’ve been welcomed into Executive Chef Tucker Yoder’s home, the space will feature an intimate dining room, cocktail bar, a private dining room for up to 18 people and a chef’s table for four in the kitchen. Broadcloth’s menu will be built around Chef Yoder’s strong relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Click here for more information about Broadcloth and The Wool Factory.
  • James Monroe’s Highland Offers New Behind the Scenes Tour – January 2021
    James Monroe’s Highland will reopen with public tours (by reservation only) starting on January 15. For the remainder of January and February 2021, Highland will be offering tours of the historic site for groups of up to six people from the same household or pod. Tours will include an introduction to the site and early previews of new exhibits in the 1818 Presidential Guesthouse. These new exhibits are scheduled to open in the spring of 2021 and will focus on the stories of Highland’s free and enslaved residents and the property’s time and place in U.S. history. Click here for more information about James Monroe’s Highland.
  • CACVB Mobile Visitor Centers – Winter 2021
    The CACVB will shift its model of offering visitor services by introducing two mobile visitor centers – one of which will be dedicated to visitor services in Albemarle County, with the other dedicated to the City of Charlottesville. The mobile visitor centers will replace the traditional brick and mortar visitor centers that have most recently been in the Transit Center on the Downtown Mall and the historic train depot in Crozet. The two mobile visitor centers will run on a predictable weekly schedule with flexibility to provide on-site visitor services for popular events. This more responsive and agile model will allow the CACVB to operate remotely in multiple locations and provide more equitable coverage in both jurisdictions. Click here for more information about the CACVB’s mobile visitor centers.

A selection of photos is available for download by clicking here. Continue to check our media releases page throughout the year for the latest offerings from Charlottesville & Albemarle County.