Charlottesville KOA

Thomas Jefferson's magnificent Monticello is a big draw here, and so is the woodsy Charlottesville KOA in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills, where dogwoods bloom in spring and hardwoods blaze with brilliant fall colors. It's just a half hour to Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway for stunning vistas, hiking trails, cave tours and waterfalls. KOA offers a combination ticket for a trio of historic sites: Monticello, Ash Lawn-Highland (home of James Monroe) and Michie Tavern, where a costumed staff serves an 18th-century lunch. Also tour Jefferson's lovely University of Virginia campus and Walton's Mountain Museum, which re-creates some of the real John Boy's life. Try tubing and rafting on the nearby James River, enjoy a wine tasting at a local vineyard or dine in downtown Charlottesville. Back at KOA, enjoy the pool, sports field, game room, beaver pond and pedal karts.