University of Virginia Academical Village & Rotunda
Academical Village
The university complex planned by Jefferson. Its Rotunda and great lawn are classics of American architectural history, and the site is a World Heritage property.
The University of Virginia was founded by Jefferson. Its Academical Village is centered on the Rotunda, modeled on the Pantheon. Ten pavilions of professors' houses and student rooms enclose The Lawn, a grand green. Together with Monticello, it was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1987. The campus is free to visit, and the Rotunda's interior can be entered during the day. Student-led free history tours run several times a day. You can also see Room 13 in the West Range, where Edgar Allan Poe once lived. It is about 10 minutes' walk from downtown, or a short ride on the free shuttle bus.
Opening hours
Campus open all day; Rotunda about 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- The Fralin Museum of Art
- Historic Downtown Mall
- Michie Tavern
- Carter Mountain Orchard
- Monticello
- Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
- James Monroe's Highland
- King Family Vineyards