Travel What is there to do in Richmond, VA?
- Thread starter devoted7
- Start date
yeah, Richmond... not that exciting, sorry. I spent a month there on business a few years ago.
the cute shops and restaurants and general good people-watching are in Carytown (long stretch of Cary St). I don't remember any specific ones though. one restaurant I remember really liking was this place called Ipanema (not in Carytown) which is vegan/vegetarian and really yummy, even for non-vegetarians like me.
you can walk around the VCU campus, that can be nice.
you should insist on a rental car if your employer is not already providing one.
the cute shops and restaurants and general good people-watching are in Carytown (long stretch of Cary St). I don't remember any specific ones though. one restaurant I remember really liking was this place called Ipanema (not in Carytown) which is vegan/vegetarian and really yummy, even for non-vegetarians like me.
you can walk around the VCU campus, that can be nice.
you should insist on a rental car if your employer is not already providing one.
Lol- well, sure, if you're from NYC, it's definitely not going to be quite as exciting as you're used to 
devoted7, what are you looking for, exactly?
There's a ton of history here, to start. Check out any of the museums, visit the Canal Walk, Hollywood Cemetery, and Edgar Allen Poe's house, just to name a few. There are a TON of Civil War sites in the area. St Johns church, where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech is here and does tours.
Go to Shockoe Bottom if you're into nightlife (and there's a lot of upscale dining in Shockoe Slip, just up the street). For shopping, head to the West End to Short Pump or slightly south to Stony Point Fashion Park (my favorite). Personally, I'd skip Carytown. Overrated, though there are a few cute shops there. It does host things like the Zombie Walk, but unless you're there the weekend before Halloween, that won't help you.
Maymont Park is beautiful- check out the Japanese garden especially. The Italian Rose garden is also beautiful, but probably not that exciting this time of year. There's a lot of trails and places to walk along the James River- Belle Isle is very accessible from downtown, as there's a footbridge directly to it.
Check out and see who's playing at The National or The Hat Factory, if you're looking for music/concerts. If you're more into the arts, the Landmark or the Carpenter Center usually have something going on.
I don't know how much free time you've got, but Williamsburg is only an hour or so south, and it is a lot of fun if you're into history. It's one of my favorite places in the US. You can also drive Route 5 and see all the plantations along the James River.
You will definitely want a car. Our public transport sucks. But, on the flip side, the traffic we have barely qualifies as traffic. There's a ton of other stuff I could mention, but when you live here, the things that are probably interesting to other people aren't always so obvious. Happy to help, though, if you need recommendations for restaurants, etc.
devoted7, what are you looking for, exactly?
There's a ton of history here, to start. Check out any of the museums, visit the Canal Walk, Hollywood Cemetery, and Edgar Allen Poe's house, just to name a few. There are a TON of Civil War sites in the area. St Johns church, where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech is here and does tours.
Go to Shockoe Bottom if you're into nightlife (and there's a lot of upscale dining in Shockoe Slip, just up the street). For shopping, head to the West End to Short Pump or slightly south to Stony Point Fashion Park (my favorite). Personally, I'd skip Carytown. Overrated, though there are a few cute shops there. It does host things like the Zombie Walk, but unless you're there the weekend before Halloween, that won't help you.
Maymont Park is beautiful- check out the Japanese garden especially. The Italian Rose garden is also beautiful, but probably not that exciting this time of year. There's a lot of trails and places to walk along the James River- Belle Isle is very accessible from downtown, as there's a footbridge directly to it.
Check out and see who's playing at The National or The Hat Factory, if you're looking for music/concerts. If you're more into the arts, the Landmark or the Carpenter Center usually have something going on.
I don't know how much free time you've got, but Williamsburg is only an hour or so south, and it is a lot of fun if you're into history. It's one of my favorite places in the US. You can also drive Route 5 and see all the plantations along the James River.
You will definitely want a car. Our public transport sucks. But, on the flip side, the traffic we have barely qualifies as traffic. There's a ton of other stuff I could mention, but when you live here, the things that are probably interesting to other people aren't always so obvious. Happy to help, though, if you need recommendations for restaurants, etc.
Lol- well, sure, if you're from NYC, it's definitely not going to be quite as exciting as you're used to
devoted7, what are you looking for, exactly?
There's a ton of history here, to start. Check out any of the museums, visit the Canal Walk, Hollywood Cemetery, and Edgar Allen Poe's house, just to name a few. There are a TON of Civil War sites in the area. St Johns church, where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech is here and does tours.
Go to Shockoe Bottom if you're into nightlife (and there's a lot of upscale dining in Shockoe Slip, just up the street). For shopping, head to the West End to Short Pump or slightly south to Stony Point Fashion Park (my favorite). Personally, I'd skip Carytown. Overrated, though there are a few cute shops there. It does host things like the Zombie Walk, but unless you're there the weekend before Halloween, that won't help you.
Maymont Park is beautiful- check out the Japanese garden especially. The Italian Rose garden is also beautiful, but probably not that exciting this time of year. There's a lot of trails and places to walk along the James River- Belle Isle is very accessible from downtown, as there's a footbridge directly to it.
Check out and see who's playing at The National or The Hat Factory, if you're looking for music/concerts. If you're more into the arts, the Landmark or the Carpenter Center usually have something going on.
I don't know how much free time you've got, but Williamsburg is only an hour or so south, and it is a lot of fun if you're into history. It's one of my favorite places in the US. You can also drive Route 5 and see all the plantations along the James River.
You will definitely want a car. Our public transport sucks. But, on the flip side, the traffic we have barely qualifies as traffic. There's a ton of other stuff I could mention, but when you live here, the things that are probably interesting to other people aren't always so obvious. Happy to help, though, if you need recommendations for restaurants, etc.
WOW, thanks for all the recommendations. I have googled a lot and some of the things you mention were on my list. Of course, I love shopping and dining, and I'm pretty much open to anything. I do plan to go to Williamsburg for a day, I'm looking forward to shopping at the outlet there. Seems like that have many stores that I'm interested in. I also plan on going to Stony Point too. The Canal Walk is something I'm also going to do. I will be staying near Petersburg/Colonial Heights, so if there are any foodie recommendations around there, that would be great. Thanks again for all the info!
PS: i forgot to ask, how's the weather like this time of year? according to the weather.com it said low 50's high 70's?
WOW, thanks for all the recommendations. I have googled a lot and some of the things you mention were on my list. Of course, I love shopping and dining, and I'm pretty much open to anything. I do plan to go to Williamsburg for a day, I'm looking forward to shopping at the outlet there. Seems like that have many stores that I'm interested in. I also plan on going to Stony Point too. The Canal Walk is something I'm also going to do. I will be staying near Petersburg/Colonial Heights, so if there are any foodie recommendations around there, that would be great. Thanks again for all the info!
PS: i forgot to ask, how's the weather like this time of year? according to the weather.com it said low 50's high 70's?
Currently, the weather is beautiful. It's pretty much what you said. Now, that could change at any time- it was in the high 80s part of last week and 60s at night, but it can swing either way. Just have a light jacket and a mix of short/long sleeved things (or just some cardigans) and you'll be fine.
If you're going to be here soon, make sure you go for a drive outside of the city- the leaves are all starting to turn, so it's going to be really beautiful soon. The mountains are about an hour and a half west, but if you need something to do, a drive on Skyline Drive would be amazing this time of year.
Okay, so, on to the food...I apologize for the spam, but here goes:
Petersburg/Colonial Heights- this is the area I'm least familiar with, but in order of recommendations from friends who live there:
http://brickhouserun.com/
http://www.bistromg.com/
http://www.andradesinternational.com/
For city of/downtown Richmond, these are my favorites:
http://www.ipanemaveg.com/
http://www.bottomsuppizza.com/
http://www.thetobaccocompany.com/
http://www.thairoom.com/main.htm
http://www.capitalalehouse.com/
And for elsewhere in Richmond:
http://www.stuzzirichmond.com/ (this is one of our current favorites- one of the only restaurants in the US to be certified by Naples to make Neopolitan pizza)
http://www.mekongva.com/ (this place just won the Great American Beer Bar award, whatever that is. http://www2.richmond.com/entertainm...es-great-american-beer-bar-finals-ar-2205837/)
http://www.pescadoschinastreet.com/ (any of the Pescados here would be good, but this is probably the easiest one to get to)
Mama Zu's (there's now webpage that I can find, but here's a link to their Yelp reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamma-zu-richmond)
Of course, there's a ton more, but it would take me all day to list them. I tried to include the quintessential "Richmond" restaurants. Good luck- I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.
Thank you soooo much for all the information
I absolutely love any non American food and you've helped a lot by providing Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish, etc...thanks again! I will be trying out some of these places!