The James River Foot Bridge, part of the Appalachian Trail, offers a get-away the bustle of the workday world.

This Charlottesville tavern is really a museum and more.

Charlottesville has a hidden preserve.

This week’s Get Outta Here feature—from our series of stories that explore places of interest in our own backyard—takes us to the Meadows of Dan area on and near the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s a trip where the journey itself can be half the fun.

if you’re going
—WHAT: The Blue Ridge Pottery
—WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
—WHERE: Golden Horseshoe Road west of Stanardsville, off U.S. 33.
—INFO: Call (434) 985-6080 or visit http://www.blueridgepottery.com.

Need to get outta here? Try Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Gardens in Lexington.

The University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library is a treasure trove of documents by a number of famous authors and statesmen—even some “documents” in stone from thousands of years ago.