Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, January 28, 2014: Michie Tavern, Charlottesville, Virginia

Situated a few miles downhill from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is Michie Tavern.

Visiting Michie Tavern is like stepping back in time because of its colonial atmosphere and furnishings.  The top photo is of a desk in the Tavern, its setting certainly reminiscent of the 18th century.  I really like how that soft light of the cloudy day illuminates the bottles, inkwell and candlestick.

Michie’s offers great southern-cooking style food in their Ordinary (that’s really its name) dining room and is an excellent lunch option for those visiting Monticello.  You’ll consume your meal on pewter plates, sitting on small wooden benches and using plain plank tables as you might have 200 years ago.  Tours of the tavern are available, and some period buildings sit beside the tavern if you want to see them.  The tavern was built in the late 1700s and moved to the current site in 1927.