Articles · October 17, 2026

Map of Ramazani House on Brandon Avenue in Henge Days, with its east-southeast wall highlighted in pink and every wall labeled with its bearing. — Ramazani House, the first building in the list, in Henge Days. Pink marks the wall the sun lines up with on Family Weekend mornings.

University of Virginia Family Weekend, October 23 to 25, 2026: seven buildings to photograph on Grounds and in downtown Charlottesville

Seven walls on the University of Virginia's Grounds and in downtown Charlottesville that line up with the morning sun during Family Weekend, October 23 to 25, 2026, with the weekend's listed events and a spot for the family photo.

For October 23 to 25, 2026.

Family Weekend at the University of Virginia runs from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, October 25, 2026. The seven buildings below have a wall that faces the rising sun on those mornings, on Grounds or a short ride away in downtown Charlottesville. Post your pictures with #HengeDays.

The weekend's schedule

The events below are the ones the University's schedule pages listed in search results on October 17, with the football time from Duke's athletics schedule. Check times and places at orientation.virginia.edu/family-weekend before you plan around them. All seven walls are morning walls, because the sun sets this weekend behind Observatory Hill.

Friday, October 23, daytime: the Bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe exhibit and an engineering undergraduate research expo. Before them, every wall in this list has its head-on moment between 7:40 and 8:03 AM, on Grounds and downtown.
Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM: Virginia plays Duke in football at Scott Stadium. No wall on Grounds lines up with the sunset with a clear view this weekend. Observatory Hill and its woods stand west of the stadium and the Alderman Road dorms.
Saturday, October 24, 10:00 AM: historical tour of the University.
Saturday, October 24, 10:00 AM to noon: Family Weekend Brunch at Observatory Hill Dining Room. Before it, Ramazani House at 7:52 AM or Yen House at 7:47 AM, both golden light.
Saturday, October 24, 1:00 PM: Fraternity and Sorority Life 101.
Saturday, October 24, 8:00 PM: the Family Weekend choral concert in Old Cabell Hall. No sunset wall lines up beforehand. The afternoon is free for downtown.
Sunday, October 25, 10:30 AM: tour of the history of African Americans at the University.
Sunday, October 25, 11:00 AM: Third-Year Ceremony at the Ting Pavilion, at the east end of the Downtown Mall. Before it, the Jefferson School at 7:44 AM, the family photo spot below.
Sunday, October 25, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM: Raven Society open house in Poe's Room on the West Range.

Part 1: Grounds

1 Ramazani House

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 108°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:50 AM, 2.8° above the horizon.
Leaves: Charlottesville is in the Piedmont. A forecast updated October 15 puts most of Virginia at peak between October 22 and November 3, with the Blue Ridge ahead of the lowlands (More Than Just Parks).
Where to stand: The wall is the building's front on Brandon Avenue. Stand on the sidewalk across Brandon Avenue, east-southeast of the wall, with the sun behind you. The sun lines up with the wall at 7:53 AM on Friday, 7:52 AM on Saturday and 7:50 AM on Sunday, 3.8, 3.3 and 2.8 degrees up. These are golden days: at the head-on moment the sun is 2 to 6 degrees up. Nothing in the outlines stands in the way. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

An upperclass residence hall on Brandon Avenue, south of the Lawn near the hospital. It opened in fall 2024 with Gaston House as one complex of apartments for about 340 students. Ramazani House has six stories. It is named for Rouhollah K. Ramazani, who left Iran in 1952 and taught at the University until 1998 (The Cavalier Daily).

Map of Ramazani House in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 108°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Mon, Oct 19 to Sat, Oct 31, 202613 mornings · best Sat, Oct 31

7:39 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 108° wall

Its row in the Henge days list, with the time of the head-on moment on the best day. Save keeps that day in your planner, which can send it to your calendar app. Saving asks you to sign in with an email link; there is no password.

A year of head-on days for each wall of Ramazani House — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

2 Yen House

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 107°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:45 AM, 2.0° above the horizon.
Leaves: Early to mid color in the Piedmont. A forecast updated October 15 puts most of Virginia at peak between October 22 and November 3 (More Than Just Parks).
Where to stand: The wall is the east side of the house, facing the drive that runs up from Sprigg Lane. Stand on the footpath between the house and the drive, east-southeast of the wall, with the sun behind you. Stay out of the drive. The sun lines up with the wall at 7:49 AM on Friday, 7:47 AM on Saturday and 7:45 AM on Sunday, 3.0, 2.5 and 2.0 degrees up. These are golden days: at the head-on moment the sun is 2 to 6 degrees up. The President's House on Carr's Hill rises toward the sun, but its estimated roofline stays at 1.2 degrees, below the sun on all three days. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

A house of the International Residential College on Sprigg Lane, next to Alumni Hall and a short walk from Newcomb Hall. It was named Lewis House in 1984 and renamed in 2017 for W. W. Yen, Class of 1900, the first student from China to earn a degree at the University (The Cavalier Daily). OpenStreetMap still lists it as Lewis House, so the building page shows that name.

Map of Yen House in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 107°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Sun, Oct 18 to Thu, Oct 29, 202612 mornings · best Thu, Oct 29

7:38 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 107° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Yen House — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

3 Corner Village

Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The rising sun lines up with this wall on Oct 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:42 AM, 1.4° above the horizon.
Leaves: Early to mid color in the Piedmont. A forecast updated October 15 puts most of Virginia at peak between October 22 and November 3 (More Than Just Parks).
Where to stand: The wall is the long east side of the building. Stand on the footpath along that side, toward the Wertland Street end, with the sun behind you, and frame the wall at an angle. Stay off the service drive beyond the path. On Sunday the sun lines up with the wall at 7:42 AM, 1.4 degrees up, close to the horizon. On Friday at 7:45 AM and Saturday at 7:44 AM it is golden light, 2.4 and 1.9 degrees up. Nothing in the outlines stands in the way. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

Student apartments at 1215 Wertland Street, a few minutes' walk east of the Corner, the block of shops and restaurants on University Avenue across from the Rotunda. Of the walls near the Corner, this long brick side is the one the sun lines up with this weekend with a clear view.

Map of Corner Village in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28, 20264 mornings · best Wed, Oct 28

7:36 AM Henge sunrise, sun on the horizon ESE 106° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Corner Village — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

4 Courtyard Charlottesville University Medical Center

Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The rising sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:36 AM, 0.4° above the horizon.
Leaves: Early to mid color in the Piedmont. A forecast updated October 15 puts most of Virginia at peak between October 22 and November 3 (More Than Just Parks).
Where to stand: Stand on the sidewalk on the far side of 12th Street Northwest, east-southeast of the wall, with the sun behind you. The sun lines up with the wall at the horizon all three mornings: 7:40 AM on Friday, 7:38 AM on Saturday and 7:36 AM on Sunday, 1.4, 0.9 and 0.4 degrees up. Friday has the most light on the wall. Nothing in the outlines stands in the way, but buildings across the street may take the first minutes. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

A hotel on West Main Street at 12th Street Northwest, between the Corner and downtown. If you are staying there, this wall is outside your door at sunrise. Its long east side faces 12th Street Northwest.

Map of Courtyard Charlottesville University Medical Center in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Fri, Oct 23 to Mon, Oct 26, 20264 mornings · best Mon, Oct 26

7:34 AM Henge sunrise, sun on the horizon ESE 106° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Courtyard Charlottesville University Medical Center — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

Part 2: Downtown Charlottesville

Downtown is about 2 kilometers east of the Rotunda along West Main Street, a short ride by the free trolley that runs between Grounds and downtown, by bus or by car. The Downtown Mall is a brick pedestrian street of shops and restaurants. Court Square, the Paramount Theater and the Ting Pavilion are at its east end. Between Saturday's brunch and the evening concert in Old Cabell Hall, or after Sunday's ceremony at the Ting Pavilion, the Mall is where to walk and eat. The three walls below are at its west end and a few blocks north of it.

5 Jefferson School City Center

Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 107°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:44 AM, 1.7° above the horizon.
Leaves: Downtown's street trees turn gold and orange from mid-October (Visit Charlottesville). A forecast updated October 15 puts most of Virginia at peak between October 22 and November 3 (More Than Just Parks).
Where to stand: The wall is the long brick east side, facing 4th Street Northwest. Stand on the walks on the building's east side, between it and 4th Street Northwest, with the sun behind you. Stay out of the drive and parking. The sun lines up with the wall at 7:47 AM on Friday, 7:45 AM on Saturday and 7:44 AM on Sunday, 2.7, 2.2 and 1.7 degrees up. These are golden days: at the head-on moment the sun is 2 to 6 degrees up. At 141 meters, the longest lit wall in this list. Nothing in the outlines stands in the way. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

Jefferson High School opened here in 1926, one of the few high schools for Black students in Virginia at the time. The school traces its roots to a school for freed people founded in 1865. It closed in 1965, was saved by alumni and neighbors in 2002 and reopened in 2013 as the Jefferson School City Center, home of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (Jefferson School African American Heritage Center). 2026 is the high school's centennial (WVIR).

Map of Jefferson School City Center in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 107°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Sat, Oct 17 to Wed, Oct 28, 202612 mornings · best Wed, Oct 28

7:38 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 107° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Jefferson School City Center — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

Family photo spot. Stand the family on the walks a few steps out from the Jefferson School's east wall, turned partway toward the camera. The photographer stands east-southeast of them, with the sun low behind and to one side, which lights faces and the brick behind them in the same warm light. Go on Saturday at 7:45 AM or Sunday at 7:44 AM, when the sun is lowest. Sunday is 3 hours before the Third-Year Ceremony at the Ting Pavilion, about a kilometer away. Post it with #HengeDays. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

6 Afghan Kabob House

Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 109°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:59 AM, 4.5° above the horizon.
Leaves: The oaks along the Downtown Mall turn gold and orange from mid-October (Visit Charlottesville).
Where to stand: The wall is the restaurant's east side, on 2nd Street Northwest at West Market Street. Stand on the sidewalk on the far side of 2nd Street Northwest, east-southeast of the wall, with the sun behind you. The sun lines up with the wall at 8:03 AM on Friday, 8:01 AM on Saturday and 7:59 AM on Sunday, 5.5, 5.0 and 4.5 degrees up. These are golden days: at the head-on moment the sun is 2 to 6 degrees up. Nothing in the outlines stands in the way. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

A restaurant at 200 West Market Street, a block north of the Downtown Mall. A listing on Toast gives its hours as 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday and 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM on Sunday (Toast). Check them before you go. Photograph the building in the morning and come back for lunch or dinner.

Map of Afghan Kabob House in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 109°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Thu, Oct 22 to Tue, Nov 3, 202613 mornings · best Tue, Nov 3

6:44 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 109° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Afghan Kabob House — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

7 Midway Manor

Charlottesville, Virginia

Wall: east-southeast, facing 109°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 23 to 25. Best: Sunday, October 25 at 7:58 AM, 4.3° above the horizon.
Leaves: The oaks along the Downtown Mall turn gold and orange from mid-October (Visit Charlottesville).
Where to stand: The wall is the east side of the long wing. Stand on the walk along that side, with the sun behind you. This is a residential property, so stay on the walks and out of the drive. The sun lines up with the wall at 8:02 AM on Friday, 8:00 AM on Saturday and 7:58 AM on Sunday, 5.4, 4.8 and 4.3 degrees up. These are golden days: at the head-on moment the sun is 2 to 6 degrees up. A building east of it has no height in OpenStreetMap. The check assumed one and found its roofline at 3.6 degrees, below the sun on all three days. Computed from the building outline and the sun's position, and not checked on the ground.

Apartments at 100 Ridge Street, at the west end of downtown. The site held the Midway Hotel, a hospital in the Civil War, and then the Midway School, built in 1893 and the first home of Charlottesville High School. The school was torn down in 1973, and Midway Manor took its place. In 2022 the city backed a bond to refurbish it as affordable housing (cvillepedia).

Map of Midway Manor in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 109°, toward the sunrise on the days in the row below; every wall carries its bearing.

Thu, Oct 22 to Tue, Nov 3, 202613 mornings · best Tue, Nov 3

6:43 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 109° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Midway Manor — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

How the list was made

Henge Days computed every named building within 350 to 500 meters of 13 points: the Rotunda and the Lawn, the Corner, Newcomb Hall, the McCormick Road dorms, the Alderman Road dorms, Scott Stadium and the Aquatic and Fitness Center, John Paul Jones Arena, the Darden and Law grounds on North Grounds, both ends of the Downtown Mall, Court Square and Park Street, the Jefferson School and the Belmont Bridge. It used OpenStreetMap outlines. It kept walls where the sun lines up with the wall within 6 degrees of the horizon on at least one day from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, October 25. It then traced the sun's path from each wall and dropped the walls where a neighboring building stands higher than the sun. A second pass covered West Main Street, Starr Hill, IX Art Park, Belmont, Rugby Road and Emmet Street.

Three days is a short window. The Lawn's pavilions, the Rotunda, Old Cabell Hall, Brooks Hall, the Chapel, Newcomb Hall, the arena, the courthouse on Court Square, the Paramount Theater and the churches on Park Street and East Jefferson Street have no wall the sun lines up with on these days. Downtown, the Swan Tavern on Court Square and First United Methodist Church line up, but taller buildings stand in front of them at that moment. Most picks above are golden days, with the sun 2 to 6 degrees up, and each entry says which.

Hills and trees are not part of that check, and the times assume a level horizon. East of town the land is lower, so the morning walls below face open sky, though the Southwest Mountains on the eastern skyline can hold back the sun for the first minutes on the lowest mornings. To the west, Observatory Hill rises about 250 meters above sea level, with woods on its slopes. The evening walls the check found near the Alderman Road dorms, among them Saint Thomas Aquinas Church and Zehmer Hall, face those woods and are left out.

How to read each entry

Each entry shows the building as Henge Days shows it. The map marks the building's outline from OpenStreetMap, gives every wall its compass bearing, and highlights the wall that lines up with the sun. Below it are the wall's row from the building's Henge days list, with a Save button that keeps the best day in your planner, and a year of head-on days for every wall.

Plan a trip of your own

Search for a building, or tap one on the map, and pick the wall you want lit.
The Henge days list shows the next days the sun lines up with that wall, at the horizon or in golden light, with the time.
The Today tab shows the sun's path for one day and when it is square to each wall. Check the cloud forecast there before you go.
Save a day to your planner to get a reminder and a calendar entry, or use Along a street to find every wall that lines up along one road.

Post your picture from one of these walls with #HengeDays.

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University of Virginia Family Weekend, October 23 to 25, 2026: seven buildings to photograph on Grounds and in downtown Charlottesville

The weekend's schedule

Part 1: Grounds

1 Ramazani House

2 Yen House

3 Corner Village

4 Courtyard Charlottesville University Medical Center

Part 2: Downtown Charlottesville

5 Jefferson School City Center

6 Afghan Kabob House

7 Midway Manor

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