Getting Here & Where to Stay

Our woodworking school is located in historic Albemarle County, Virginia, just 8 minutes away from the Charlottesville airport.

It is also within reasonable driving distance from major metro areas such as Washington D.C. (2 hours), Richmond (1 hour), Philadelphia (4 hours), New York City (6 Hours), Pittsburg (5 Hours), and Charlotte (4.5 Hours). Many of these areas are also connected to Charlottesville via the Amtrak rail line.

The address of the school is 5700 Buffalo River Rd. Earlysville, Virginia 22936.

Flying into the Charlottesville airport is quite often more affordable than flying into Washington D.C. or Richmond.
Quite a few car rental centers, hotels, Airbnb’s, and restaurants are near the airport, so students will find it easy to join us from anywhere in the world!

Lodging

There are many hotels within 10-15 minutes of the school. Here is a Google Map search of nearby hotels and also a TripAdvisor list of nearby hotels. A new hotel was recently built 8 minutes from us, which you can see here. You can also checkout AirB&B for nice accommodations near the school. AirB&B is where most students seem to find the best deals. 

Camping

Here are some google map listings for campgrounds in the area. We have stayed at Misty Mountain Campground, which is one of the closest (about a 30 minute drive), and it’s quite nice. They have a lot of good amenities, RV sites, tent sites, and also some more secluded sites. There’s also Shenandoah Hill’s campground (25-30 minutes away). We haven’t stayed there, but it looks nice. There are also camp sites in the Shenandoah National Park, which we’ve camped at many of them. The entrance to the park is about 17 minutes from our place, and the closest campground (Loft Mountain campground) is about 45 minutes from the school, and Big Meadows is about 50 minutes away. You can check out Shenandoah camp sites here. You will, however, have to pay a park entrance fee. There is also a KOA campground about 35 minutes away (here).

The Historical Charlottesville Area

What better place to learn how to build historical furniture with antique hand tools than in the very same area where many of the American founding fathers kindled the flames of democracy? Just 30 minutes to the southeast, Thomas Jefferson laid the foundation for the Declaration of Independence and built an American landmark: Monticello. Practically next door to Monticello is James Monroe’s farm, Ash Lawn-Highland (one of my favorites). Just 30 minutes to the northeast James Madison formed the ideas for the American constitution at his famous Montpelier farm .

Two hours to the east is Colonial Williamsburg and 45 minutes to the west is the Frontier Culture Museum.

All around this area the Revolutionary war and Civil wars were fought to galvanize the new American republic. The Shenandoah National Park gate entrance is 18 minutes away from the school.

 

And the historic downtown Charlottesville area (15 minutes away) will be a highlight of your trip. Make sure you plan some extra time to visit these historic landmarks!