This article was first published in the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors Real Estate Weekly on 8/26/2020.

Lush green valleys, unspoiled natural beauty, mountains, hills, and farms.  The resemblance is so dramatic that if you blindfolded and spun Alun Ward around, he wouldn’t know if he was back in Wales or in Greene County, Virginia.

Ward set up shop in Ruckersville 35 years ago and later purchased the Golden Horseshoe Inn just outside Shenandoah National Park because the area reminds him of his rural life in Wales.  There, he and his wife crafted a life fitting their talent and surroundings, combining art and hosting weddings.  As Master Potter and Justice of the Peace, Ward handles the pottery production, creating functional and highly decorative food-safe stoneware.  When not at the kiln, bench, or wheel, Ward officiates weddings his wife and daughter coordinate at the former 1827 stagecoach inn.  They host 80-100 weddings and receptions in a typical year, as couples seek out unique and beautiful venues.

Besides natural beauty and rural living, anyone who cherishes local history and heritage will find plenty to love about Greene County.  Outdoors enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes can find their passion here.  Arts lovers and foodies too, will feel right at home.

Entrepreneurs Welcome

Carved out of Orange County in 1838, Greene County was named after Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene, second in command to George Washington.  Greene is aptly named, with tremendous views, natural beauty, and an entrance to Shenandoah National Park.  This attracts entrepreneurs that cater to the outdoors or event niches. 

Unique lodging like Lydia Mountain Lodge and Log Cabins offer great places to stay. Guided horseback tours at Fairfield Farm, wineries and breweries, food and catering companies, and wedding and event venues abound.

That’s what attracted Eric Bein to Greene County.  He moved from Florida to just over the border in Madison County. There he established a grass-based rotational farm in 2015. He jumped at the chance to open a Ruckersville restaurant a year later.  Greene’s natural beauty wasn’t the only draw.  He loves the rural atmosphere and entrepreneurial mix.  “Everyone was doing something, and doing it well.  You can tell people care by the way they take care of their property and handle their businesses.” 

In 2016, Bein opened Jack’s Shop Kitchen to share the bounty of his farm.  Only 15 minutes from Charlottesville, locals and visitors enthusiastically support the restaurant and it recently expanded to include dinner, along with breakfast and lunch.

Local History

Stanardsville, incorporated in 1794, is the county seat and remains the only official town in the county.  The entire town is a State and National Historic District and served as a stagecoach stop on the way to the Shenandoah Valley, with most of its buildings constructed before 1900.

A self-guided walking tour of the town, complete with its own cell phone app, begins at the historic Greek Revival style Courthouse.  Park your car there and stroll along as you learn about 30 historic buildings and the town’s role in history, including the Stanardsville Engagement during the Civil War. 

After working up an appetite on your walk, take in the grandeur and sample the menu of The Lafayette Inn and Restaurant, built in 1840.  Now an inn, fine restaurant, and event space, it served as a boarding house and hospital during the Civil War.  Designed in Federalist style with three levels and colonnaded porches, it boasts hand-hewn mortise and tenon beams with fifteen-inch-thick walls of local red brick.

But history isn’t the only reason to visit.  The Lafayette Inn has been named in several “best of” and Diner’s Choice awards and is the first restaurant in the area to be recognized for “green” practices under the Virginia Green program.

Blue Ridge Heritage

There’s no getting away from the influence of Shenandoah National Park.  One of only four entrances to SNP and Skyline Drive is at the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station on the eastern border of the county.

SNP was established in 1935 after Virginia used eminent domain to force land donation to the federal government for the park.  More than 500 families and individuals were displaced to piece together the land, 179 of them from Greene County. 

The Blue Ridge Heritage Project acknowledges their sacrifice and honors the people that were displaced.  Stone chimneys remain throughout the park marking many of those homes.  A replica chimney monument in Stanardsville memorializes the displaced Greene County families and their lives and culture before giving up their homes and land.   The monument is located next to the Greene County Administration building, at the corner of Main St. and Celt Rd.

Arts and Antiques

Another bit of local heritage, the Blue Ridge Barn Quilt Trail in Greene County, is the largest barn quilt trail in Virginia.   There are more than 125 barn quilt samplers at over 90 sites throughout the county.  Join the adventure and follow the trail map to find each quilt on barns, sheds, houses, fences, porches, mailboxes, and in gardens; all the while enjoying the picturesque countryside that makes up Greene County.

The Virginia Clay Festival is a popular annual art show in Stanardsville, though cancelled this year due to the pandemic.  Mark your calendars now to enjoy next year’s showing of Virginia potters, sculptors, and jewelers on September 18 and 19, 2021.  Hands-on clay projects for kids, artisan food vendors, and live acoustic music make the atmosphere truly festive, while participating artists demonstrate their techniques with potter’s wheels and work benches.  Visitors mingle and mix with the visiting artists from across the Commonwealth and local potters from Noon Whistle Pottery and Blue Ridge Pottery.

But don’t wait until 2021 to get your pottery fix.  Blue Ridge Pottery and Noon Whistle Pottery, both outside of Stanardsville, will delight shoppers with their unique collections of handcrafted treasures.

Other local arts attractions include the Skylight Farm Studio, open by appointment only.  Watercolor artist and teacher Chee Kludt Ricketts presents workshops in Central Virginia.  Her work is exhibited in juried exhibitions throughout the country.

Randall Frey 18^th Century Furniture Reproductions in Stanardsville crafts quality period furniture with the same techniques used in the 18^th century to create Queen Anne, Chippendale, and Hepplewhite pieces.  Each is custom made to the buyer’s specifications with hand dove-tailed drawers, antique glass, and the finest reproduction brass fittings.

Don’t feel left out if you’re an “antiquer.”  The Ruckersville Antique District has more than 75,000 square feet of antiques, fine arts, and collectibles.  Whether period furniture, rare books, tools or vintage glassware, you won’t be disappointed.

Stop by the new Visitor Center at 9157 Seminole Trail.  Michele Wallace will make sure you have a guide or map in hand to whatever interests you and dish out the inside scoop on all things Greene County.

The Great Outdoors

Fishing vest or biking shorts?  Golf spikes or hiking boots?  No matter how you’re dressed for outdoor recreation, you’ll always be in style in Greene County. 

Golfing options range from miniature golf to country club level.  Highlands Golf Park in Ruckersville is a unique venue that includes Pirate Pete’s Mini Golf, a pro-shop, and one of the area’s most versatile practice and learning facilities.  The range gives beginners and experts the chance to start from scratch or work on any shot they can imagine. 

Greene Hills Club, in Stanardsville, is a semi-private 18-hole golf club with a pro-shop, driving range, and putting green.  Complete with pool, tennis courts, and The Hills Grille restaurant, the golf course opens to the public on weekdays.

Anglers enjoy trout fishing in streams coursing down the Blue Ridge.  The Conway River and its main tributary, Devil’s Ditch, have special regulations that do not permit bait.  In addition to trout fishing, access to the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area adjoining Shenandoah National Park offers hunting, trapping, primitive camping, hiking, birding, and horseback riding.

Bicyclists can choose between mountain biking trails or mapped road routes in Greene County.  The 14-mile and strenuous Bacon Hollow Trail climbs paved and gravel roads.  Road routes range from easy to strenuous, and eight to nearly 80 miles.  For a pleasant warm-up, pedal the South River loop.  Ratchet up the effort for the 40-mile Ruckersville loop and go all in for the various Swift Run Gap and Skyline Drive loops.

Hikers can explore 500 miles of trails in Shenandoah National Park.  Within county limits, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains several trails that range from easy walks to longer, more strenuous climbs.  The Greene County Community Park in Ruckersville also offers walking trails, along with a playground, soccer fields, and disc golf.

Rural Life

One of the gems of Greene County is the South River Valley.  The South River starts atop the Blue Ridge, cascading over an 83-foot fall.  After leaving SNP, it meanders eastward to the Rapidan River.

With 300 acres of rolling fields and mountain views, Fairhill Farm Country Vacation Rentals and High Fields Farm overlook the South River Valley.  Equestrians and their horses are welcome.

The Preserve at South River is a 275-acre licensed game preserve.  Honored in 2019 with the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District’s Wildlife Habitat Award, Owners Jimmy and Sally Hazel found their antidote to the hectic lifestyle of Northern Virginia. They began work on this vision nearly 20 years ago.  Hazel planted and maintains the cover for game birds and habitat management and holds driven game bird shoots for hunters.

Even without a horse, fishing rod, or hunting license, the South River Valley is enticing people with its natural splendor.  Matthew Woodson, REALTOR® with Roy Wheeler Realty – Greene, claims the South River Valley is one of the most beautiful in Virginia.  He encourages buyers seeking splendid views and elbow room to consider one of Octonia Highlands 22 lots available in the Valley.

Room to spread out draws people to Greene County. This has only been heightened by the pandemic.  But on the southern end of Greene County, along U.S. 29, more compact developments and apartments have sprung up. These take advantage of proximity to Albemarle County and Charlottesville job markets, with a more affordable price tag.  Even here, prices are going up.

Prior to the pandemic, home sales were trending up.  In the second quarter, the median sales price was up 16% from the same quarter last year, a gain of $41,500.  This was the largest median price increase in the county in over three years.

Greene County is a highly desirable location where people can build a life they love, in a home they love; just like Ward, Bein, and Hazel did.  After 35 years, what Ward really cherishes is the sense of community.  “Not only do we live amongst incredible beauty, but people still care about each other here.  These days that can be hard to find, so once you do find it, you don’t want to let go.”