Maureen Egan - Insiders Guide® to Richmond, VA

INSIDERS GUIDE TO

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INSIDERS GUIDE

Copyright 2010 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Insiders Guide is a registered trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Editor: Kevin Sirois

Project Editor: Kristen Mellitt

Layout Artist: Kevin Mak

Text Design: Sheryl Kober

Maps: Sue Murray Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-0-7627-6020-6

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Well, youve opened it, so thats a start. If I can convince you to keep reading rather than use it as a paperweight, then youre heading in the right direction.

I think Richmond is a wonderful place to live and play and work. I couldnt have written this if I thought otherwise. Its my goal to make you feel welcome and comfortable in Richmond. On my first trip here many years ago, I got lost roaming around with my two small children asleep in the car. I wanted to stop somewhere to buy a map, but wed had such a rough night I didnt dare stop the car and risk waking them. It wasnt a good feeling wandering around aimlessly relying only on the view out my car windshield to guide me. It eventually worked out fine, but Id rather you have more to go on when you arrive here for a visit or a move.

Though this is by no means an exhaustive guide to everything you need or want to know about the metropolitan Richmond area, it exhausted me to write it, so I think you should read every word. Some of my best lines are near the end, I swear. Seriously, though, jump around to your hearts content. The Area Overview is an introduction to our many separate areas and localities. Read Getting Here, Getting Around to learn about traveling here and around town unless youre being chauffeured your entire visitour roads are quirky. The History chapter will give you an appreciation for the good, the bad, and the ugly that has transpired here. The Accommodations chapter notes some lovely bed-and-breakfasts in town that offer something different from the hotels listed. If youre staying for a while, youll find plenty of suggestions as to how to fill your days and nights in the Attractions and Nightlife chapters, and if kids are involved, theres an entire Kidstuff chapter with them in mind. Many of the events listed chronologically in the Annual Events chapter are family-friendly; some are even pet-friendly.

If you are in Richmond on business or pleasure, youll find great restaurants all over the area in the Restaurants chapter, including several that are cool nightspots as well, and the Performing Arts chapter will point you to many entertaining venues.

I lobbied to include the A River Runs Through It chapter because I think its the key to enjoying and understanding Richmond. Ive included multiple suggestions for getting out to enjoy the outdoors in the Parks, Recreation, and A River Runs Through It chapters. And the Commemorating the Civil War and Emancipation chapter highlights the long-overdue and mature approach Richmond is taking to understand and acknowledge its complicated history. Its not all black or white, blue or gray, North or South. Youll see in the Museums and Art Galleries chapter just how much a capital of the arts the city is. If youre worried you didnt see your favorite house museum there, dont fret; those are listed in the Attractions chapter under Historic Houses. Speaking of those houses, the Architecture chapter is an introduction to Richmonds varied and impressive built environment. Day Trips will get you out in the mountains to the west, plantations and Williamsburg to the east, or to wineries all over.

Listings include Web sites whenever possible, but to get the latest updates consider checking out the attractions, restaurants, and nightlife spots on Facebook, Twitter, and whatever new social networking site has taken over the world since I wrote this.

Moving to Richmond or already live here? Be sure to check out the blue-tabbed pages at the back of the book, where you will find the Living Here appendix with sections on relocation, real estate, education, and health care. Combing through the Relocation chapter in conjunction with the Area Overview chapter ought to give you the lay of the land.

If you find any errors as you go along, Im sorry about that. It would help the next edition if you would inform us of any errors or omissions. Please drop us a line at Insiders Guide to Richmond, GPP, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437-0480 or at editorial@globepequot.com.

AREA OVERVIEW

R ichmond sits in central Virginia, at the fall line of the James River, which means Class IV (and sometimes V) white-water rushes right through downtown. But the vibe of the area is anything but rushed. Its sophisticated yet friendly, and an uncomplicated place to navigate.

The city of Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is 62.5 square miles and has a population just over 200,000small for a big city (and part of our charm, no doubt)because Virginias peculiar laws mandate that cities are separate entities from the counties that surround them. So theres Richmond, the actual city, and then theres Richmond the region, which is much larger2,000 square miles with 975,000 peopleand includes the big three counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover and the much less populated rural counties of Goochland, Powhatan, and New Kent. The even larger (5,700 square miles) Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which contains several other localities, including the city of Petersburg to the south, bumps the population to 1.2 million. The regions population surged 12.3 percent from the year 2000 through the first half of June 2009. That growth will likely continue as, among other factors, the expansion of the U.S. Armys Fort Lee base near Petersburg brings in new residents to the southern part of the Richmond region.

Richmond, Chesterfield, and Henrico are among the most populous localities in Virginia, with both counties outnumbering the citys population. The regions ethnic diversity continues to grow as rising numbers of Asians, Hispanics, and Latinos move to the area. The area as a whole is approximately 65 percent white, 30 percent black, and 5 percent Hispanic, Asian, and Native American. Richmonds population is more balanced with 44 percent white, 52 percent black, and 6 percent Hispanic, Native American, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander. The median age of residents is 37.