Clifton Inn

The Clifton sits on 100 acres of Virginia countryside on the outskirts of Charlottesville, with views across the estate to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Jefferson's Monticello. The property's oldest building was constructed in 1799 as a colonial-style home for Thomas Jefferson's daughter Martha and her husband, Thomas Mann Randolph; the estate took the name "Clifton" from the Wyatt family later in the 19th century. In 2018, the current owners worked with the Blackberry Farm Design team to reimagine the inn's interiors, pairing historic character with a contemporary sensibility across the property's five late 18th- and early 19th-century buildings. Today The Clifton operates as a 20-room boutique hotel with a restaurant, bar and lounge, and wine cellar, along with an infinity pool and hot tub, a private lake, walking trails, a croquet lawn, and sprawling gardens including a chef's garden. The estate's mix of indoor rooms — among them the book-lined Library and the below-ground Wine Cellar — and outdoor settings such as the Front Lawn, Croquet Lawn, and a sailcloth Court Tent gives couples and planners a range of scales for ceremonies, receptions, and private dinners, from intimate gatherings to guest counts in the hundreds.