MONTICELLO HOSTS WINE FESTIVAL

A celebration of Monticello and fine wine. Wouldn’t Thomas Jefferson be proud? Mark your calendar and plan to attend! Saturday, September  18, 2010, Monticello will be hosting a very special early fall wine festival  to celebrate the  legacy of wine making in Virginia and the opening of Mr. Jefferson’s restored wine cellar. 

Monticello’s invitation to the event:

“Join us for an unforgettable evening of fine wine and live music. Sample the region’s best wines on Monticello’s beautiful West Lawn while enjoying the rare opportunity to stroll around the gardens after hours and learn about Jefferson’s passion for wine and his recently restored wine cellar. Local wine experts will be on hand to answer questions about our region’s finest wines and how they compare to the vintages that Jefferson enjoyed.”

The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm has partnered with another bed and breakfast to reserve a special VIP table  in the shadow of the mansion for this year’s event. The additional benefits for your enjoyment of the VIP table will be gourmet local cheeses from Everona Dairy and Caromont Farm, meat, freshly baked breads, three bottles of local wine and dessert.

In addition, you will be treated to tastings from several local wineries, a tour of the mansion, and a special tour of Jefferson’s new wine cellar with the restoration expert.Your complimentary Monticello wine glasses will be a fine memento of your visit.

We invite you to stay at the Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm and receive our package for this festive celebration, which includes:

* Two nights in a luxurious room with a queen-size bed
* A full, homemade country breakfast each morning
* A bottle of local wine and complimentary glasses
* A free tasting and tour at one of our fine wineries during the day on Saturday, September 18
* The VIP table presentations, house and wine cellar tour, plus wine tasting at Monticello
    from 6-9 PM.

The package cost is $695.00 per couple. All taxes and gratuities are included. To reserve your room with us and a space at the VIP table contact us at 1-866-566-7388 or book online through our website noting Monticello Wine Festival Package in the "Special Needs" section of the reservation form.

MONTICELLO AND THOMAS JEFFERSON

Thomas Jefferson's Beloved Monticello

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 -- Prime Time, 8 pm, ET -- Don't Miss It!

 At least 90% of our guests visit Monticello during their stay at
The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm. If you are a previous guest or a soon-to-be guest, you will find the following of great interest!

The History Channel will feature the world premiere of the original documentary, "Jefferson" with scenes shot at Monticello and interviews with numerous Monticello scholars. 

Following is the commentary offered by the Monticello Foundation and the History Channel about their film featuring this American icon.

"Monticello and Jefferson Experts Featured in History Channel Film

Tune in next Tuesday to view the world premiere of "Jefferson," a History Channel documentary featuring scenes shot at Monticello and interviews with our scholars.

This original film is set to air in prime time, Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 8:00 p.m., ET. "Jefferson" features scenes filmed at Monticello and interviews with Monticello scholars Susan Stein, Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy and Lucia (Cinder) Stanton as well as Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon-Reed and other scholars.

The History Channel's Synopsis of the Film

Embrace and celebrate Thomas Jefferson's complicated life and legacy. Thomas Jefferson is the most researched, most written about, most referenced, and most quoted of our Founding Fathers. And yet, somehow, he remains the most stubbornly inscrutable. His life is a seemingly impenetrable thicket of contradictions: he enshrined the words "All Men are Created Equal," and yet was a lifelong slave-owner; he was simultaneously a "man of the people," and the personification of the Virginia aristocrat; he was a die-hard American revolutionary who was also a dedicated lover of European culture and art; he advocated ruthless fiscal responsibility as President, yet his own finances were mired in debt.

This two-hour documentary embraces and celebrates Thomas Jefferson's complicated life and legacy. It is the story of an American icon who remains, in historian Joseph Ellis' memorable phrase, "a great American Sphinx." "

LODGING ACCOMODATIONS FOR LYLE LOVETT CONCERT

Country music star Lyle Lovett and his Large Band are coming to the Charlottesville Pavilion next Thursday, August 19th.  This four-time Grammy winner has over four million records sold, and will be singing some new songs off his new album, Natural Forces.  He is a favorite singer/songwriter who blends his country style with blues, rock, folk and jazz.  The concert starts at 7 pm, and if you like the country, start your trip by staying with us at The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm - a beautiful country retreat - but only 20 minutes from the Pavilion!

BRAVE COMBO AT THE CHARLOTTESVILLE PAVILION

Put on your dance shoes and come down to the Charlottesville Pavilion this Friday for a free concert (in the continuing series of "Fridays After Five") by Brave Combo, a premier dance band that plays a combination of rock/polka/salsa/zydeco and more. Brave Combo was founded in 1979, in Denton, Texas and have won two Grammy Awards, and nominated for seven.  The show starts at 5:30, with Joseph Moses opening.  After dancing the night away, come stay with us at The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm for some rest and relaxation!

STUDENTS HANGOUT, UVA'S "THE CORNER"

Something for everyone - even you!

There is something for everyone this time of year where the students hang out at UVA's "The Corner". Come visit before the students return and see what this famous students' hangout is all about.The "downtown" of the University of Virginia, it was once truly a "corner" where the main road to Charlottesville entered the University grounds. Now a five-city-blocks long hub of activity, home to numerous restaurants, gift shops, bookstores, boutiques -- and nightlife -- it is the place to be.

You may be interested in its history -- When UVA was built by Thomas Jefferson in the 1820's the original grounds were two miles from the town of Charlottesville. Mr. Jefferson chose the site so that he could watch the construction progress from his home at Monticello. From the beginning it was only natural that a commercial area began developing near the University train station. As years passed, the town grew to the west and now encircles and extends beyond the University, but "The Corner" still remains.

Another interesting place to visit while staying at the Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm - a bit of the past and present, all rolled into UVA, eclectic shops, fine dining and good times. Oh, and don't forget Elliewood Avenue - the city's liveliest dead-end street. Enjoy the sidewalk space at The Corner -- that is, until the students return!

NATURE'S BEST SWIMMING POOL IN SUGAR HOLLOW

Just a one-half hour hike from the Inn is the famous Blue Hole - the most memorable, cool and refreshing swimming hole adventure you will ever have!
Slide down the rocks where water cascades into the hole, swim around to your heart's content or just sit on the edge and dip your toes in -  you will definitely have tons of fun!

Charlottesville, VA Bear Sighting

The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm is full of surprises -- of the wildlife type!

Look who stopped by our herb garden this afternoon.  "Don't mind me, I'm just wandering through", he says.

Seeing this male yearling bear (or maybe 2 yr. old) was lots of fun and not at all unusual for Sugar Hollow. If it's not the bear we are seeing then it will be our gray fox family, fawn and doe (the bucks are too smart to come out into the open very frequently), flock of wild turkey, or...who knows? Always something to entertain!