Quaint Destinations for Discerning Travelers

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OldeTownes in

Richmond, Virginia

(Photos coming soon)

Location

I-85 and I-95
Map

Population of Richmond

About 197,000

Downtown

Brown's Island (paths, views of city)
Cafes and restaurants
Canal Walk (canal boat rides, Haxall Millrace)

Canal boat tours  804-649-2800

Carpenter Center (performances)

Richmond Ballet, Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, etc.

Federal Reserve Money Museum
Greater Richmond Convention Center
Hotels (and vacation rentals in the area)

Library of Virginia (free parking)
Old City Hall (Victorian Gothic architecture)

Church Hill, Shackoe Bottom, and Capitol Square
(The oldest part of the city)

Edgar Allen Poe Museum (1914-16 E. Main St.)

In The Old Stone House, Richmond's oldest dwelling 

www.PoeMuseum.org  1-888-21E-APOE

Governor's Mansion (1813) (near the capital building)

The oldest continuously occupied governor's residence in the USA.
A National Historic Landmark.  Tours  804-371-2642

Saint John's Episcopal Church (1741) on Church Hill

In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech here at the 2nd Virginia Convention.

Shackoe Slip (Upscale shops and restaurants in 19th Century buildings)

State Capitol (designed by Thomas Jefferson)

Life-size statue of George Washington in the rotunda

Court End (north and west of Capitol Square)

Early fashionable residential neighborhood.
Historic architecture
John Marshall House (1790) (818 East Marshall Street)

Former home of the Supreme Court Chief Justice
Tour house/museum and gardens
804-648-7998  www.apva.org/apva/marshall.html

Valentine Richmond History Center (Clay Street)

Includes Wickham House (1812) and garden cafe

White House and Museum of the Confederacy (East Clay Street)

Fan District (100-block historic district)

Possibly the largest remaining Victorian housing development

in the USA.  About 2,000 townhouses, pubs, and restaurants
in a variety of architectural styles.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1903)

Landmark Theater (North Laurel Street) (shows, concerts, lectures)
Monroe Park

Monument Avenue (National Historic Landmark)

One mile of statues (from west to east): Arthur Ashe, Matthew Maury,

Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and J.E.B. Stuart

Early 20th Century homes and apartments line the avenue.

Jackson Ward (historic district)  804-782-2777

Black History Museum and Cultural Center (Clay Street)

5,000 artifacts and documents, art, and photography. 
www.blackhistorymuseum.org  804-780-9093 or 804-780-9107

Maggie L. Walker House (National Historic Site)  www.NPS.gov/MaLW

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Statue (Adams Street at West Leigh Street)

Richmond Fire & Police Museum (200 West Marshall Street)

Firehouse (1849) is oldest in Virginia  www.VAfire.org  804-644-1849

Walking tour

Bon Air

A wealthy neighborhood in the 19th Century.
Victorian homes and mansions along winding tree-lined roads.

Carytown

A colorful strip of old shops near Virginia 

Commonwealth University

Book shops, Byrd Theatre, cafes, eclectic shops,

ice cream parlor, record shops, wine shops, etc.

Museum District (between Monument Avenue, Carytown, and Boulevard)

Children's Museum of Richmond

Science Museum of Virginia and IMAX Theater

Virginia Historical Society Museum

Virginia Holocaust Museum

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2800 Grove Avenue)

Galleries, cafe, museum shop  www.VMFA.state.VA.US  804-340-1400

Other mansions and museums

Agecroft Hall (4305 Sulgrave Road) (tours)

Built in pre-Elizabethan England and brought here in 1926.
Mansion and gardens on 23 acres overlooking the James River.
www.agecrofthall.com  804-353-4241

Bolling Haxall House (1853) (211 East Franklin Street)

Tours by appointment 804-643-2847

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2800 Grove Avenue)

Galleries, cafe, museum shop  www.VMFA.state.VA.US  804-340-1400

Other features

Campgrounds and RV parks in the region

East End

Cemeteries, Dabbs House and other Civil War sites
Richmond International Airport

Golf courses
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (25 acres, non-profit)

1800 Lakeside Avenue  www.LewisGinter.org  804-262-9887

Hours

Festivals

May-June:  Wednesdays on the Waterfront (Downtown)

May-August:  Friday Cheers (concerts) (Brown's Island)

June:  The Big Gig (two-week music festival)

(Brown's Island and other parks around the city)

Second Street Festival (Jackson Ward)

Recommended stay

1-2 days (summer)  History buffs longer.

Tourist information

Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau:

Web pages  1-888-RICHMOND

Richmond city government:  www.ci.richmond.va.us

Commercial:  www.Richmond.com  www.FunForKids.Virginia.cc

Commonwealth of Virginia (tourism):  www.Virginia.org