Richmond is a dynamic city that celebrates art, history, and nature with many museums, gardens, hiking and cycling trails, and whitewater rafting! Some of our favorite things to do are listed below.
Museums, Galleries, and Murals
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)
Explore nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history. VMFA’s comprehensive art collection includes American art, British sporting art, African art, English silver, Fabergé, Himalayan art, and much more. The evening event on August 2 will take place at the VMFA.
Free admission.
Hours: Sat-Tue: 10 am—5 pm, Wed-Fri 10 am – 9 pm.
Science Museum of Virginia (SMV)
Features four floors of interactive labs, awesome artifacts, hundreds of interactive hands-on experiences for all ages. Family Day will be held in the magnificent rotunda of the SMV on August 4, 1 – 5 pm. During Family Day Bridges participants can get free entry to the museum’s main exhibitions by showing their conference badge.
Adult admission – $17.50.
Hours: Daily 9:30 am–5 p.m
The Children’s Museum is much more than a space for children to play — it’s a community resource of programs and activities, all built around learning through play and providing access for all children and their caregivers.
Admission – $9
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 9:30 am–5 pm
Virginia Museum of History & Culture
The only museum with all of Virginia’s history under one roof—all centuries, regions, and topics are covered.
Adult admission – $12.
Galleries, Store, & Café open daily, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
The mission of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia is to share, interpret, preserve, exhibit, and commemorate the rich history and culture of African Americans throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 am–5 pm
Adult admission – $10
Explore the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War. The museum houses a world class collection of military and civilian artifacts, which tell the story of countless individuals and their experiences both on the battlefield and the home front.
Adult admission – $18.00 (main site: Historic Tredegar at 480 Tredegar St.)
Hours: Daily 10 am–5 pm
The Old Stone House of 1740 holds one of the world’s largest collections of original manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The museum also provides an overview of early 19th century Richmond, where Poe lived and worked.
Adult admission: $10.00.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – closed
Around 20 art galleries in Richmond have their doors open to you with no admission. Among them are the Institute for Contemporary Art, Quirk Gallery, 1708 Gallery, the Crossroads Art Center, the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen, and Bella Arte Gallery.
Richmond, Virginia has over 100 murals created by artists, many of whom are alumni of VCU or current students there. Some of the murals are privately commissioned by individuals and businesses, some are created by solo street artists, and some are collaborative group fund-raising projects. You can chose murals to visit at your own pace using this map. Or take a walking or Segway tour.
Historic Hotel, Homes, Parks, and Gardens
The Jefferson Hotel
Take a few minutes to visit this magnificent hotel near VCU which includes nine original stained glass Tiffany windows. The massive stained glass dome in the Palm Court lobby is a reproduction of the Tiffany original, which was destroyed in a fire, but it is still stunning. The hotel has many public spaces to explore, including the dramatic Grand Staircase.
Free admission.
A 100-acre Victorian estate and public park which includes the Maymont Mansion (currently closed for renovation), as well as an arboretum, formal gardens, a carriage collection, native rescued wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and children’s farm interactive zoo.
Free admission.
Hours: daily 10am-7pm
William Byrd Park is a public park adjacent to Maymont. The 200 acre park includes a mile-long trail with exercise stops, monuments, an amphitheater, and three small lakes.
Free admission.
A 135 acre park like cemetery which overlooks the James River. It is the only cemetery other than Arlington National Cemetery that contains the burials of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler.
Free admission.
A 16th Tudor manor house and estate located at 4305 Sulgrave Road on the James River in the Windsor Farms neighborhood.
Adult admission: $12.00.
Hours: Tue – Sun. House: Noon-5:00pm, last admission at 4:00pm. Gardens: Noon-5:00pm.
A 50 acre botanical garden in Henrico County, just outside of Richmond with over a dozen themed gardens, a conservatory, library, children’s area, and café.
General admission: $20.
Hours: Mon-Tue 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Wed- Thu 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Fri-Sun 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Outdoors
The Virginia Capital Trail (bicycle rental)
The Capital Trail is a 52-mile paved pedestrian and bike trail that connects Virginia’s present and past capitals of Richmond, Williamsburg, and Jamestown. Along the way, you’ll find historic sites, places to eat, picnic spots, and lodging options.
Hourly bike rental rates start at $13/hr.
Richmond is the only city in the entire country where you can take on Class IV rapids right through downtown! Most popular tour covers the Class III & IV rapids of the Lower James. The Upper James is perfect for families with young children offering a relaxing float. Those wanting a longer outing can tackle the entire Falls of the James, covering the full 7.5 miles of the river.
Rates from $71.00/person for 3 hours.
Located along the James River in downtown Richmond, Belle Isle is a great place for people with a love for the outdoors. It can be easily accessed from central Richmond by a pedestrian bridge, featuring wooded areas, mountain biking trails and interpreted historical sites.
Pipeline Rapids walkway is a unique hike in downtown Richmond. The walkway is so named because there is a large city water pipeline running the length of the path. Both the pipeline and the metal catwalk on top of the pipeline are located directly under the world’s longest double track railway viaduct. It is easy to access from the Canal Walk at South 12th and Byrd streets, or from the east end of Brown’s Island.
Tours
Travel through a rich narrative of 400 years of history in one of the most fascinating and oldest cities in America. See the sights and learn about Richmond’s landmarks, riverfront, architecture and history. They offer tours aboard their classic trolley with intricate seat frameworks, and social rather than traditional bus seating.
Adults $38.
Riverfront Canal Cruises in Richmond
40-minute, historically narrated boat tours of the James River and Kanawha Canal along Downtown Richmond’s historic Canal Walk.
Adults $15.00.
Hours: Mon. – Fri.: Noon – 7pm, Sat.: 11am – 8pm, Sun.: 11am – 7pm
An Historic Movie Theater, Shopping, and the Beer Trail!
The Byrd Theatre is a beautiful historic movie theater in the Carytown neighborhood. The theater opened on December 24, 1928 and is equipped with a Wurlitzer pipe organ. It was one of the first of its kind to be originally outfitted for sound motion pictures. The Byrd is maintained by a non-profit foundation and tickets start at $5.
Nestled in the heart of Richmond, Carytown is a unique shopping, dining, and entertainment district. With a focus on small, locally-owned businesses, Carytown is home to the historic Byrd Theater as well as several unique dining and boutique shopping destinations.
Richmond Breweries and Beer Trail
While as recently as 2010, there was only ONE brewery in the city of Richmond, right now Richmond is among the top 12 destinations in the US to visit for beer lovers. You can visit the breweries individually or you can even take a brewery tour on a historic trolley.