The canal walk is not safe to walk alone. There are homeless in the area. It is an interesting…read morewalk. There are restaurants but you have to check ahead to see when they are open. We walked early because it was extremely hot. There are no public bathrooms in the area. Lucky there was a porta potty. The walk is a bit of a walk make sure you wear sunscreen and carry water.

So much history! Great photo ops…read more Lovely scenery I really enjoyed it, even the creep scary part!

Starting in the 1800s, the area near what is now Richmond's Rothesay neighborhood was occupied by a…read morelarge number of granite quarries. As they closed and were allowed to fill with water, they became popular recreation spots. Back in 1931, a Richmond man named Jimmie Scott purchased four forested acres in Rothesay including the Philadelphia Quarry. Local legend holds that the quarry provided the stone used to build Philadelphia's expansive New Public Building, now known as City Hall, thereby earning its name. The next year, Scott opened The Philadelphia Quarry Club, a private swimming hole. The $50 yearly membership fee was out of reach for most Richmonders, especially at the height of the Depression. At first, the club leadership struggled to even build a permanent bath house. But despite financial difficulties, occasional algae blooms, toe-nibbling fish, and battles against the local nonpoisonous snake population, the exclusive and secretive club has survived to this day and now has more than 400 members. ‍‍

Carytown is one of the most charming areas in RVA! There's parking scattered throughout the…read moredifferent shops and along the streets. Wall murals cover any free wall space & the business are diverse! Highly recommend checking this area of Richmond out. Plan to spend a few hours strolling the streets, taking in the art, browsing the many unique stores, grabbing a cupcake & taking in the sights!

Why do I love Carytown?…read more This is a great spot shopping district to walk around, to see people from all over (and their dogs!), and shop! For the Love of Chocolate is one of the best - I'm allergic to chocolate so I can only spend so much time in there due to the smell, but the candy selection makes up for it! The Byrd Theater, and a variety of restaurants are amazing! What don't I like? It's mostly minor things. The stores don't have a uniform hours: there will be some open at 8 or 9, most open at 10, but others will open at 11 or even 12. For restaurants this makes sense, but I'm just referring to retail/service right now. A lot of the resale shops have either gone downhill, or been replaced with lesser versions. Overall: I still go, but only when I need something. I still enjoy it, but it comes with a bittersweet aftertaste of what I miss.

Cool locals public art. Take photos and post online use #alantheraptor when posting to social…read moremedia. Alan is friendly with the local birds.

10/10 recommend getting services done here! eva is great, i've been coming to her for a little over…read morea year now and i am so glad i did! i always feel so pretty when leaving! love you eva!

Huge thanks to our Yelp Community Manager, Lauri T. and the entire staff of Escape from RVA…read more.. Upon entering the venue, there was a Yelp table with stunna shades and keychain bottle openers. And around the corner there was a room with a refrigerator loaded with beer and a table across it with about 8 large gourmet pizza pies. As for the object of the event, Escape from RVA basically takes a group of people and "locks" them in a themed room with a bunch of random things and hidden clues. I think there's 3 or 4 different rooms. Some are more difficult than others, but if you need a freebie clue, all you had to do was ask. The room itself isn't actually locked. So you can leave and go to the restroom or whatever you need at your own free will. In the center of each of the rooms is a chest that is heavily chained with about eight different combination locks. The object is to find the hidden clues to reveal the combinations so you can open the chess, which will then give you a clue on how to actually get out of the room. The event was pretty fun, but I kind of got tired and frustrated shortly into it. Even though I wasn't much help, seeing everything unfold was pretty cool. All in all, this was by far, the most unique elite event that I've ever been to. I had a good time and I was happy that I went.

For the love of Yelp, how do you evaluate a CITY?…read more Since yelp seems targeted at exposing folks to new things, I guess I will evaluate Richmond with a focus on what a visitor would want to know. But what do you include in Richmond? Just the city, or the metro? Again, I am going broadly as tourists do not limit themselves to boundary lines. So Richmond. Richmond is a small city with a struggling downtown. Major industries have left, including a thriving banking hub and industry. In that way it is like many towns in the south that failed to adapt to new realities. There is limited evening activity downtown, although every good restaurant is a nice island of activity. Broad Street is mostly derelict downtown, with some shops and a few brave restaurants open. There is a convention center that was erected with a "If you build it they will come" attitude. If it is well traveled there is little to no publicity. There are several nice hotels downtown and several national tour type theaters. Ballet, opera, etc. Again, islands. In the center of downtown there is an abandoned coliseum, vintage late 1960s I think, that has barbed wire around it. The state government is centered in downtown Richmond, but even this is being pushed gradually into the burbs. And in any case the government does not drive life after dark here. The drivers of economic activity includes the VCU campuses, both academic and teaching hospital complexes. Schools are bad in the city, both in quality and in the condition of the buildings. With the exception of the neighborhoods and similar that I mention below, poverty is common. But the city is to some extent re-gentrifying. So there is hope. But the things that are necessary to make a city liveable -- grocery stores, dry cleaners, day care, retail shops, drug stores, even parking -- are very few and far between. As you move outside of the central downtown area but stay within city limits there are some beautiful and thriving areas. The Fan district, Scott's Edition, Carytown, and the Avenues area in the far reaches of the city are all beautiful and different and the hope of the city. Beautiful but not thriving is Church Hill, which abuts several high crime neighborhoods. Throughout the city there are nice parks, some semi neglected (Bryan, Forest Hill) and some self sustaining (the areas around the James river.) City government cannot decide what they want to do with these I think. The riverfront is a constant focus for potential economic development but there is no real plan despite dreams of being the next San Antonio. Across the area there are several great museums and numerous local theaters. There are outdoor music venues that get national acts. And a minor league baseball team that is terrible but entertaining (and at 34 and 55 as of today, they need to be.) In Virginia, cities cannot annex neighboring counties. So there is a different local government for Henrico County to the north and Chesterfield County to the south. Like any locality there are good areas and bad areas. Schools are generally better in the burbs. But in the sprawling burbs you will find decent home prices and easy commutes. (Sorry Richmonders I have lived in northern VA and what we deal with is nothing.) The food and drink scene in Richmond is spread out everywhere, not in one or more concentrated districts (there are exceptions.) This means everywhere you go you might be passing an excellent "find." I recommend you keep an eye on Yelp and on Style Magazine for hidden gems and the latest pop up. The nightlife and beverage programs in the metro have been noted by publications in NY and Washington. Several restaurants in the metro have been named "Best in the South" over the years by Southern Living. We love the metro. For all its problems at the center, there is room for growth and exploration.

This city is packed with history, some of which it is not very proud of. But you cannot change the…read morepast and history, is history. It was incorporated in 1742. I though that being the Commonwealth's 4th most populous city (100th in the US), that it would have a lot more going on. Don't get me wrong, it does have activities and events, it is just a slower pace. Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is home to southern charm and really nice people. There are tons of parks here and you can find some good eateries. Richmond does not have any professional sports teams and its airport is about 20 minutes from downtown. The city has a moderate climate with all four seasons. It is somewhat of a college town, serving as home to many higher learning universities including Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Richmond. I do not consider it a very safe place. I may be biased by the double homicide that I witnessed after a graduation that made national news. The Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, is based out of Richmond and is one of the city's biggest employers. The downtown area is serviced by the ride share scooters. I used them to trek about the city. Some of the city's attractions include: The Richmond Slave Trail, the Civil War Museum, the Canal Walk, the James River, and The State Capitol building. I was surprised to see, but Richmond was packed with public art. There are some amazing sculptures there and there are tons of murals to see. This city is above average for me, and I have been to many cities. I enjoyed my stay, exploring its history and tasting its great eats. I recommend visiting this city, especially if you are a history buff.

Wow!!! Rich is home to some awesome sculptures. You will find this gem of a sculpture downtown,…read moreprominently displayed in front of the James Center. It is the work of Lloyd Lillie and was dedicated in 1986. It is in great shape, especially considering its age. It consists of three 8-foot bronze muscular figures pulling the lines of a mast to raise a sail. The mast stands about 50 feet and is also made of bronze. The deck is made of sone and brick and was constructed by Alexandra Kasuba. The figures are abstract, but still very detailed. You can feel their struggle to get the sail up. When checking out this sculpture, please be sure to look at the deck, which commonly gets overshadowed by the sculpture itself and also the figures footing and how they were built into the stairs of the building's entrance. You will find metered street parking out front and within a reasonable walking distance from the statue. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Who knew that Richmond had so much culture? This city has a lot of mural in its downtown area and…read morethey are all so good. You can literally jump from one mural to the next. I wish I could do a page for each and everyone, but that would be a full time job. You will find concentrations of them in an area by the canal and near the downtown restaurants. I wish I could pick a favorite or two, but they are also so good. I recommend spending a half day to a day on a public art tour. The downtown area is rich with art and I believe that you will throughly enjoy it.

Murals EVERYWHERE! We had one right across from our AirBnB building. I love public art, even if…read moreit's not my taste- I am always happy to see as much of it out there hopefully sparking interest, conversations and inspiring others to create. Murals throughout cities are some of my favorite ways to explore a city, they tell so much about locals, what they love, who they are, where they come from and what direction they want to go. Artist: James Bullough, 620 N Lombardy St- the mural of the floating lady is captivating. Artist: Lelo, 1711 East Main St (has lots around town)- great unique style that has you seeing more than one thing in the vibrant colors! Here's one site that gave me artist info on the ones I saw: https://richmondmuralproject.squarespace.com/murals-1

Yeah, the Confederacy thing is still kind of weird in the United States. Here we are celebrating…read morepeople who were basically traitors to their country. Yes, they believed that the United States was attacking their way of life and so they sought to leave the country. Jefferson Finis Davis was the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. He is laid to rest in nearby Hollywood Cemetery. But here on Monument Avenue is this massive structure to the man. Davis was a member of the Democratic Party and represented was one of the United States Senators and Representatives from Mississippi. He had been US Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce from 1853 to 1857. He served as a lieutenant in the US Army during the Mexican-American War (186-1848). Davis argued against secession in 1858 but believed that states had the right to leave the Union. The monument's design has a central 60 foot tall granite column topped by a female figure in bronze. An eight-foot tall bronze statue of Jefferson Davis with his right arm outstretched and his left hand resting on an open book. At the bottom of the column above Davis's head contains the seal of the Confederacy. There are thirteen columns representing the eleven states that seceded and the two (Missouri and Kentucky) that sent delegates to the Confederate Congress but did not secede. It's history. Stop by and see it before it is gone. .[Review 11790 overall, 1572 of 2019.]

My review from 2014 (omg - 8 years ago!) is long overdue for an update…read more This shop is owned by the loveliest husband and wife team that is one thing that has remained the same. Well, that and the quality of the food. Beyond that, almost everything else has leveled up and I'm here for it! Instead of looking more like a warehouse, it now looks like a cozy spot to plop down and have lunch or an early dinner with a glass of wine. I love that they now have a brewery inside and tons of prepared foods in the fridges! They have also developed spices that look amazing. This time, I ordered the carbonara which, of course, was fresh and amazing. Everything here is reasonably priced. I have not wanted a business to succeed quite as much as this one. It makes me so happy to see the growth that has happened over the last few years and I hope it continues to increase!

LOVE THIS STORE! I'm not sure if she's the owner but the woman working was so friendly and helpful…read more They have so many fresh pasta options including gluten free. There is also a small distillery within the store with a bar to sit and enjoy drinks. A few patio tables outside as well. And the best part is they allow dogs inside! This will be a regular stop of ours for fresh pasta, sauces, and more.