Michie Tavern: Enjoy nearly 250 years of southern hospitality
The Michie Tavern near Charlottesville, Virginia, has a history of hospitality for more than 240 years. It was founded in 1784 by Revolutionary War veteran William Michie.
Michie Tavern’s History
The tavern was originally located in Earlysville, about 18 miles from its current location. Until the Civil War, it operated and was the epicenter of the town’s social engagements. After the Civil War, stagecoach travel plummeted, and the tavern would become the Michie family’s private home. It remained in the family’s hands until 1910, when it was sold at auction. For nearly the next two decades the Tavern would be a private home.
In 1927, it was sold to Mrs. Josephine Henderson, a local businesswoman who had an idea to restore the aging historic structure to its former glory. She thought the tavern was perfect to display her large collection of antiques and open a museum. The only problem… Location location location.
Automobile tourism had taken over, and no place nearby was more popular than Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. With that, she bought a piece of land a half-mile from Monticello, disassembled the tavern, and moved it piece by piece 18 miles down the road to the base of Carter’s Mountain. As it was in its heyday, the Michie Tavern was again opened for business along a busy thoroughfare and welcoming strangers at its door. Which it still does to this day, but instead of antiques, it’s a culinary experience.
Eating at Michie Tavern
My wife and I visited on an early fall weekend. We had just finished a tour of Monticello. Moving the tavern to attract visitors clearly still works. Michie Tavern is open daily for lunch from 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM. We arrived there at about 12:30. The parking lot was full, with cars circling eager to find a spot. The line to get in the door was easily 50 people deep and cascaded down the stairs in front.
After a few laps, we finally found a parking spot and got in line. We both were starving, so needless to say, we were excited to get inside. The line surprisingly moved quite fast. We waited for maybe twenty minutes.
Once inside, the place is massive! Workers were dressed in 18th-century clothing, and it was a loud and lively atmosphere. We loaded up on Southern fare at the buffet. Fried chicken, stewed tomatoes, black-eyed peas with country ham, and cornbread were available.
The food was incredible. My wife and I loved everything we had. We both ate way too much, that’s for sure. The servers bring you seconds, so you don’t have to wait in the buffet line again. We finished off the fine meal with warm peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream.
If you are visiting Charlottesville, Virginia, make sure to plan on having lunch at the Michie Tavern, it was certainly worth it!
