My parents came down to visit this weekend! They arrived in the late afternoon on Friday, and when I got home from school we went to Bizou for dinner on the downtown mall. Laura and I had visited Bizou once on a trip to Charlottesville, but it was restaurant week at the time so we didn’t get the chance to experience their regular menu. The restaurant describes their menu as Virginian cuisine made with French techniques and international inspiration. All I know is that the food and drinks were deliciously prepared and we had a great time catching up.

In the morning, Laura and I picked up my parents at the Hyatt Place and made our way to the UVA portion of downtown Charlottesville, which is called The Corner. They had never experienced the local favorite bagel shop, Bodo’s Bagels, so our breakfast choice was easy. I love Bodo’s Bagels. Afterwards, we took a walking tour of The Corner, got a little extra coffee at Corner Joe’s, and then I took my parents to the mechanical engineering building by way of the historic parts of the UVA grounds. I really enjoyed showing them the Rotunda, the Lawn, Brown Engineering Library, and the area where I spend most of my time near the mechanical engineering building. I also still have a lot to learn about the area; there’s so much history to this school!

After the tour of Grounds, we went to the downtown mall to check out some of the shops. We stopped into a handful of stores and sniffed every candle that we could find. When we were hungry we went to Revolutionary Soup for take-out sandwiches and soups and ate when we got back to our apartment. We took a brief respite and played with Ruby, but it wasn’t long before we were back on the road. The penultimate activity of the day was to visit Laura and my favorite winery, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard.

My parents had never been there before, and in my opinion it is the best winery in the region. It truly checks all the boxes you want in a vineyard experience: great wine, great food, great atmosphere, and great views. Nestled in the rural part of Crozet, VA, the farmhouse is located at the top of a gentle hill and overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains. The lawn is perfectly manicured and the farmhouse is wonderfully designed and adorned. It is no surprise why so many people want to get married there and it’s also no surprise why the vineyard can charge top dollar for events hosted there. For our visit, we enjoyed a tasting at the bar inside. The sommelier tending bar even replaced the final wine of the standard tasting selection with the final wine of their “reserve” tasting because he, “could tell we’re real wine people, and that last red is for those who don’t actually like red wine.” After our tasting we enjoyed a bottle of wine with a flat bread straight from their pizza oven and a salad. We enjoyed the beautiful vistas of the dining room as well as each others’ company until nearly closing time. As the sun set we drove home to relax in our apartment and enjoy more snacks before saying good night.

The next morning, Laura and I took my parents back to the downtown mall for breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, Grit Cafe. It really is the perfect place for breakfast with guests on a Sunday morning. Shortly after they left for home and Laura and I spent the rest of the day recuperation from another fun whirlwind family-visit weekend. Their new house will be completed soon, and I can’t wait to return home to see it.