History Comes Alive

Is there so much history here that you don’t know where to start? A variety of tour operators help visitors see as much as possible. The Liberty Trail is a 10-kilometer self-guided walking tour to 15 historic landmarks. If you prefer to ride, take a trolley tour or customize a Segway tour. See St. John’s, the oldest church in the city (take a tour) as well as the Virginia Capitol building and Confederate president Jefferson Davis’s home, which is surrounded by other Federal-style mansions. Grab a map and walk through Hollywood Cemetery to see the graves of two U.S. presidents and 18,000 Civil War soldiers. Delve deep into history on the Richmond Slave Trail, which recounts the story of the African slave trade. Stops at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum and Maymont, an estate with gardens and a wildlife center, round out your whirlwind tour of historic Richmond.

Trendy Things to Do

After diving into Richmond’s history, explore its upbeat culture. The Carytown neighborhood in the Museum District offers 200-plus eclectic shops, restaurants and a farmers’ market, as well as seriously good thrift shopping. Be sure to take in the city’s highly regarded street art along the way. Several food tours explore the culinary scene (and its thriving craft breweries), among them River City Food Trails, Richmond Brewery Tours and the self-guided Richmond Craft Beer Trail. For more adventure, head to Richmond International Raceway, home of NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity series auto races, or swim, fish and kayak on the James River.

Arts and Culture Abound

Don’t miss the 22,000 works of art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Holocaust Museum, which is dedicated to telling the stories of local Holocaust survivors. Stop and smell the roses and other plants at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden or catch a performance of the Richmond Symphony, Richmond Ballet or Virginia Opera.

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Thomas Jefferson designed the state capitol building in Richmond, Virginia’s third capital city.

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