The cows living near this secluded, verdant and peaceful Trappist monastery must be happy – their milk is so sweet that the nuns at the monastery are famed throughout Virginia for the quality of the gouda cheese they produce with it. Pop in to admire the setting, visit the modern upstairs chapel and buy a 2lb wheel of cheese ($28).
Afterwards, consider stopping off in the nearby village of Crozet to enjoy a coffee and snack at the local branch of Charlottesville's excellent Mudhouse Coffee Roasters.
