Going to be in C-Ville for a few years, What are some good or obscure places to check out in the National Park? I know Big Meadows has some of the last natural night sky sites on the East Coast
Also into /x/ locales so any hotspots there that aren't just le spoopy hick house would be good too

Some of the best bbq I've found in the area is at:
https://www.triplecrownbbq.com/
It's Fri Sat Sun only and only in warmer months

It's near Luray VA - obscure - that's my specialty!
I recommend doing all the weird lesser non-luray caves - luray caverns is big and nice don't get me wrong - but the others have charm

There's also a nice butcher shop in c-ville I like:
https://www.stockprovisions.com/

This is a chain but they have two c-ville locations and I like their poke bowls because you can get them with soba noodles instead of the usual rice:
https://www.pokesushibowl.com/

The spooky bits are where the government burnt down the houses of the people who refused to leave when they took the land for Shenandoah National Park via eminent domain.

Climb Turk Mountain ne of Waynesboro VA just before sunset and bring a flashlight for the way down (don't be a fool like me and use your phone's light!):

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/turk-mountain-trail

short-ish walk but very steep

and then a bit further north up skyline drive blackrock summit is very nice views and you can make longer loops or have an easier shorter hike

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/blackrock-summit-via-trayfoot-mountain-and-appalachian-trail

But the best views are to the west in WV as well as further SW - Breaks interstate park and the big stone gap area are gorgeous
I recommend Spruce Knob (drive up - short trail for views)
Elleber Knob - dirt road - can drive literally straight up a 4000 + ft mountain to 360 views seasonally 9/1 - 2/28 or its otherwise a short hike from the gate

This is a new trail with amazing views looking east into the highest elevation tributaries of the northbound waters feeding into the monongahela river into pburgh eventually:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/west-virginia/hawks-ridge-loop
its in a reclaimed strip mine

>>2830618
Big thanks
Let me know if there are good day trails around C-Ville

>>2830677
Turk Mountain is about an hour's drive from Charlottesville, Black Rock summit is maybe 30 minutes more away - downside being you have to pay 30 dollars to get on the road to access them.

The Rivanna River can be accessed in both C-ville itself and (more scenically) to the SE near Palmyra:

https://www.fluvannacounty.org/parksrec/page/trails-pleasant-grove

I've been in winter - quite nice - steeper than you might expect.

If you have a bike - the virginia blue ridge railway trail is maybe an hour's ssw of cville

And there's nice views off the appalachian trail if you ascend cole mountain (I recall the road as being quite rough - make sure you have an suv/truck for that one)

and yes, its an overnight, but you are right off 64 in cville and take it ~ 3 hours west and you get to new river gorge and there's obviously lots of stuff there if you haven't been - recommend beauty mountain - the parking is kinda confusing (part of a dirt road you can park off of - part of it there's signs saying not to) and the trail isn't marked or anything but the views are easily accessed

https://www.theoutbound.com/west-virginia/hiking/hike-beauty-mountain-trail

this has the best 180 view of the gorge ive seen