One of the best things about going the adventure way is being able to enjoy new places. Sometimes these places are thousands of miles away but other times they are just a couple of hours up the road. This was the case for us on our recent trip to Richmond, Virginia. Though Richmond is only about a three-hour drive from our home, neither of us had ever spent significant time there. We wanted to change that so we jumped in the car and headed up I-95.

We were only able to spend about 8 hours in the city, but we were able to pack a lot into the short amount of time we had there. The city is full of great history, awesome food, and plenty of outdoor activities. Here is what we were able to do on our first trip to Richmond, can’t wait to get back there to check out some more of the city.

Richmond Canal Walk

The Richmond Canal Walk was one of our favorite things to do on our day in Richmond. The canal system in Richmond (and much of the United States) was completed in part because of the influence of George Washington. He was a huge proponent of canal transportation (the more you know). The Richmond Canal Walk is a little over a mile and winds along the James River, Kanawha Canal, and Haxall Canal. There is a trail that takes you farther down the James River and walking bridges over the James River that connect to some great natural areas for hiking.

Along the Canal Walk you can check out some amazing street art, incredible open areas to relax and people watch, and go on one of the most unique hikes you will ever experience – the Pipeline Trail. This trail is pretty much a catwalk over an old pipeline all underneath a railroad trestle. The Pipeline Trail runs over and alongside the James River.

You have to go climb down a short ladder to get to the trail. When we went the river was raging, made for quite the experience, plenty of white water swirling underneath us. There are railings for most of the trail, but towards the end you need to be careful – the railings disappear. You can jump the railings and stop at a small little island to look at the Blue Herons that live in the area. Definitely check out this and the other walking bridges over the water in Richmond.

Monument Avenue

Monument Avenue is one of the central roads in Richmond and is beautiful. We really enjoyed walking and driving down the avenue. The monuments are massive and are form traffic circles at the main intersections. Most of the monuments are Civil War leaders, but the city has tried to diversify them over the years. So, you have Arther Ashe right down the road from Jefferson Davis. It is an interesting dichotomy. I think what we liked more than the monuments were the houses. The houses were amazing. All of them are massive, have their own personality, and are stunning to look at. Most of them are over a 100 years old and have been renovated and kept up to date beautifully.

Carytown

Carytown is a pretty trendy, bohemian district located around West Cary Street. It is a really colorful, vibrant, active, area. There are so many great shops, bakeries, cafes, record shops, and restaurants along this stretch of road. It also is home to the Byrd Theater, one of the oldest theaters still in operation today. The whole neighborhood is beautiful and makes for a great place to walk around and enjoy Richmond.

We ate at Home Sweet Home. We went there because everything we read online said the food was great. They specialize in grilled cheeses – we both got the Upstate. It is a grilled cheese with bacon, apple, and syrup to dip it all in. It was fantastic. We also got an order of deep fried pickles. Those were bomb. One thing about this place, it really is a bar/pub first. Totally cool with that, but everything we read and checked out made it seem like it was a restaurant first. Not sure if that makes sense, we were just thinking it was something else. Food was awesome, service was great, atmosphere was different than we thought, but still fine.

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Maggie L. Walker was one of the most influential people in Richmond in the early 1900’s. Walker was the first African-American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president. She was an incredible leader of the African-American community not only in Richmond but around the country. She was able to help so many people and her legacy still stands today.

The Walker Site is located in the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood. The site is on the corner of North 2nd and Leigh streets. The site consists of Walker’s home, a visitor’s center, and a couple of adjoining buildings. In order to get into the home, you will need to take the tour. Tours begin with a 20-minute video in the visitor’s center which is followed by a 35-minute walking tour of the house. As with any National Park Site, we recommend trying out any Ranger-led program.

The house is the highlight. Ranger Ben, our tour guide, was incredibly knowledgable about Walker’s life and family. The house is 140-years old and 90% of the furnishings in the house are original. It is a really interesting house with tons of character and history. It was pretty cool looking at the dining room table that W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and other notable historical figures dined. Justin loved looking at the books in the library. Megan loved everything because she loves old houses.

This site is only open Tuesday – Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. During the winter months it closes at 4:30. As with a lot of these sites, it is totally free!

Sally Bell’s Kitchen

When we were doing research on where to eat Sally Bell’s Kitchen kept coming up. It is a Richmond institution. Sally Bell’s is known for their boxed lunch – a sandwich, side, deviled egg, cheese wafer, and a cupcake of your choice. This is southern lunch fare at its finest. Because of that, Megan loved it and I (Justin) thought it was pretty good.

Megan went with the chicken salad sandwich, potato salad, and lemon cupcake. She said all three were amazing and the potato salad was the best she has ever had. The restaurant itself is really fun. It is old but clean and has a great atmosphere. It is also an easy walk to a lot of other fun areas.

St. John’s Church

St. John’s Church is a beautiful and historic church built in 1741. The church is located at the top of the hill on East Broad St. The main reason this church is famous is because this is where Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. They do reenactments of the speech at different times during the year.

This is still an active church, but they do have tours of the grounds and the inside of the main chapel. Tours are $6-$8 and last about 25-minutes. There is a nice little visitor’s shop on the grounds where you can get information and grab a souvenir. Also, make sure you pay attention to the graveyard on site, there are tons of super old grave markers, including one for George Wythe, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Richmond National Battlefield

The Richmond National Battlefield Park is a National Park Unit that has 13 separate sites and four visitor centers along an 80-mile route. To truly experience this park you will need the whole day. Probably the main area to visit along the route is the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. This is where you should start your tour. The Iron Works is where the southern states manufactured their weapons. There is a National Parks visitor center here as well.

At Tredegar, you can check out the Civil War museum. The museum is not part of the National Parks System. This Museum costs about $15 per adult. If you purchase your tickets online you can usually get them cheaper. Parking is there for $3 an hour, but free with admission to the museum.

Not in Richmond, but there are a ton of National Park Units about the Civil War outside of Richmond. On this trip we stopped at Petersburg just south of Richmond. Fredericksburg is to the north. Plenty of other options.

Have you ever been to Richmond? What are some places we need to check out on our next trip up there? If you want to check out some of the other cities we have visited, check out our posts on Going the Adventure Way in Baltimore, Greensboro, or New Orleans.