Charlottesville's popular shops, restaurants and ambiance converge in one main area, known as the historic Downtown Mall. Located, as you would imagine, on Main Street, this thoroughfare is home to more than 120 shops, 30 restaurants (many with outdoor seating), art galleries, multiple performance venues and a Saturday farmers market. Stretching for eight blocks, this pedestrian-only area is popular with both visitors and locals, who say it's the perfect spot to shop, eat or simply people-watch.

In the spring, summer and fall, the mall's Sprint Pavilion hosts musical acts like Modest Mouse, Wiz Khalifa and Alabama Shakes. You can also catch free concerts at the pavilion every Friday from mid-April to mid-September as part of its Fridays After Five concert series. The mall's historical Paramount Theater is a great space to catch fine art performances from ballets to operas to musicals to films.

A little trivia for you: Did you know the University of Virginia is the only university in the United States to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO? And it's not hard to see why – it's a bastion of U.S. education, and it holds an unofficial reputation for containing the country's most magnificent campus grounds. It's also historically significant, as it was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as the first nonsectarian (or nonreligious) university in the country. Charlottesville visitors don't just tour UVA as prospective students, they also come just to relish in its spectacle.

Recent visitors gushed about the gorgeous grounds and highly recommended taking a tour. Historical tours begin in the Lower East Oval Room of the Rotunda and are offered daily during the academic school year (except on football game days at the university); hourlong tours start at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The university also offers specialty tours which expand on singular aspects of the university's past, such as the history of African Americans. These tours run at various times (guides are all students and therefore the schedule changes to accommodate class schedules). You can request different specialty tours using a form on the school's website.

According to recent visitors, fall is the best time to visit Carter Mountain Orchard, and it's not just because it's prime apple-picking season. The sweeping views of Charlottesville's autumn colors as seen from the orchard's overlook are not to be missed. In fact, some recent visitors said the views alone are worth the trip to Carter Mountain Orchard.

When you're not ogling the panoramic views, browse the country store for goodies like homemade apple cider doughnuts, apple pies and apple butter. It also sells decorative baskets, ornaments and other home goods.