CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Charlottesville and the surrounding area hope 2026 will be a major tourism year, with the United States’ 250th anniversary, an event already associated strongly with the area, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Downtown Mall.

Outside of that, a number of new restaurants, hotels and other business are set to open, further raising the hopes for a big year for tourism in the area.

Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau Anna Whitlow told Cville Right Now after inching closer and closer the past few years, the hope is for the tourism industry to make an $1 billion economic impact, which she says look likely, despite tourism and travel slowing nationwide.

“We see in Virginia and in Charlottesville and Albemarle County specifically that we have a really strong drive market,” she said. “People who are a little closer in who want to come in for the weekend and experience the many different things that we have to offer in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area. So we’re bullish on 2026.”

The country’s 250th will most likely serve as a major factor in the area’s tourism success. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello has already added special tours and events for 2026 like the new “Jefferson Remembers The Declaration” tour, featuring historical actor Bill Barker as Jefferson himself.

Outside of Monticello, the Albemarle and Charlottesville Historical Society will also be offering new tours for the anniversary. The VA250 mobile museum is currently hosting The Black Patriots of Central Virginia Exhibit at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center until Jan. 31. The mobile museum is set to make multiple returns over the course of the year to the area, including at Monticello as well as James Monroe’s Highland.

“We’re seeing events and tours and things like that come in every day,” Whitlow said, adding that special pages have been added to VisitCharlottesville.org to catalog all of the VA250 events in the area.

In addition, the Downtown Mall, which was opened in 1976 as a project for the nation’s Bicentennial, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 3.

“Where 89% of the original pedestrian malls have failed, ours is successful,” Executive Director of Friends of Charlottesville Downtown Greer Achenbach told Cville Right Now. “Such a big deal. We’re so grateful to have that here in our community, and want to make sure people are coming downtown and taking advantage of that.”

Achenbach said the nonprofit is hoping to use the anniversary as a way to continue the work they do to support the Downtown Mall on a regular basis. This will include the organization’s new “Block by Block” program, where eight ambassadors from the organization  will be providing cleaning and hospitality services on the mall five days a week starting in February in conjunction with work already being done by the city for the anniversary.

The organization will also be redoing storefront windows for some of the mall’s historic businesses in addition to other beautification measures. The anniversary will culminate in a party on July 3, which will start with a traditional birthday party before migrating to a “better than ever” Friday after 5 at the Pavilion, followed by a lantern parade to end the evening. The organization is also planning on holding lantern workshop leading up to the anniversary, beginning next month.

In addition to the major anniversaries, Charlottesville will also see the opening of a number of restaurants and hotels, including the Virginia Guesthouse located along Ivy Road on UVA grounds.

The hotel, which is set to open on April 6, will feature a nearly 10,000 square foot ballroom, the biggest in Charlottesville, as part of its 25,000 total square feet in meeting space. The hotel will also hold a full service coffee shop, restaurant and rooftop bar which will all be open to the public.

Even with the hotel’s impressive amenities, General Manager Greg Hiker told Cville Right Now those behind the project see it as just one component of the expanding Ivy Corridor, which will also house the Karsh Institute of Democracy and some 2nd year student housing.

“We’re a piece of the puzzle,” he said,” and the puzzle’s still being built, so it’s a wonderful feeling to be apart of that in the whole scope of UVA.”

While the hotel is on UVA’s grounds, Hiker said his team envisions it as a place for anyone visiting or living in Charlottesville, both in and outside of UVA.

“We want that to be loud and clear, because we’ve already had some people ask us, ‘Oh, so it’s just for UVA related events,'” he said, “and we’re like, ‘Oh no.’ We want it to be open for all.”

All-in-all, the combination of major anniversaries and new openings has local officials optimistic for the new year, which Whitlow is quick to remind people carries a real economic impact, with more than 7000 people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County working in tourism related jobs.

“When we talk about what’s new,” she said, “it’s an exciting way for us to emphasize that and to celebrate the fact that this kind of business is really bringing in a lot of money to our area, which is needed to maintain the infrastructure here  and make sure that we are employing people.