Friday, November 30, 2007

First Saturday Bird Walk -- Ivy Creek Natural Area

Greet December with a free early morning bird walk at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 1st, led by Teresa Shaner of the Monticello Bird Club. Meet at the parking lot of Ivy Creek Natural Area off Earlysville Road. For more information, call 434-973-7772 or check ivycreekfoundation.org

Monticello Holiday Signature Tours - December 2007

These are hour-long, small-group house tours (including the Dome Room, which is never included in the standard 20-minute tour), which offer visitors an intimate look at how the holidays were celebrated in Jefferson's time, plus the rare opportunity to experience Monticello after dark. $40. 5:30pm and 5:45pm. Tickets required and must be purchased in advance. 434-984-9822. Check the Monticello website for more information and exact dates. http://www.monticello.org/visit/holiday_signaturetours.html

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree at Ash Lawn-Highland

Every year Ash Lawn-Highland, the former home of President James Monroe, invites local families to come cut their own Christmas tree on the Ash Lawn-Highland property. This year, the fun begins on Saturday, November 24th, and goes through December 24th. Cutting is permitted from 11 am to 4 pm daily. A donation, which will be used to help preserve the historic Monroe home, is requested. Check in at the Gift Shop for directions to the cutting fields.

Holiday Open House at Wintergreen Winery

Wintergreen Winery in Nellysford is having a Holiday Open House on Friday, November 23rd, from 10am to 5pm. Free wine tastings. For more information and directions, see the Wintergreen Winery website: http://www.wintergreen-winery.com/

Friday, November 16, 2007

Free Stuff!

I'm very excited about the free stuff I just added to my author's website (www.jeancooper.com). One item is a free website that helps researchers find genealogical materials in the University of Virginia Library.

The newest item is My Favorite Places in Historic Tidewater Virginia, a supplement to my guide to Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This is a set of tours that were cut from the original manuscript because of page limitations, but which I believe are worthwhile for the traveler to the Tidewater area. Therefore, I offer it to you free, to go with my guide. Enjoy!