Other Attractions

The best way to see the downtown sights is on foot, but a narrated trip with Richmond Tours (tel. 877/913-0151 or 804/213-0151; www.richmondtours.com) is a good way to get the lay of the land before striking out on your own. The 3-hour "Discover Richmond" tour departs daily at 9:45am and gives an overview of the city. Fares are $23. The 2-hour "Richmond at a Glance" tour hits the highlights. It runs from April through October daily at 2pm and costs $21. Children under 12 get a $2 discount on all tours. They'll pick you up at your hotel if you book at least a day in advance.

Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk
George Washington envisioned a system of canals that would link America's eastern seaboard with the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the west. In Richmond, construction began in 1789 on the James River & Kanawha Canal, which was to run alongside the James River and connect it to the Kanawha River. It reached as far as Buchanan, Virginia, before the railroads made canal transportation obsolete in the early 19th century (its towpath was later sold to the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad, which laid tracks along it).

The city has restored more than 1 mile of the canal between Tobacco Row and the Tredegar Iron Works, at the foot of 5th Street, and turned it into the Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk (tel. 804/648-6549). Brochures are available at the city's visitor centers.

The ends of the walk are the most interesting parts. Near the eastern end, at the foot of Virginia Street in Shockoe Slip, you can take a 35-minute ride on the canal in a bateau operated by Richmond Canal Cruises (tel. 804/649-2800; www.richmondriverfront.com). Weather permitting, the motorized passenger boats run Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 7pm, Sunday from noon to 5pm, in summer. Spring and fall schedules are usually Friday and Saturday from noon to 7pm, Sunday from noon to 5pm, but call to confirm. Rides are $5 for adults, $4 seniors and children 5 to 12, free for kids under 5. Buy tickets at the booth at the foot of Virginia Street.

You can cross the canal on the 14th Street Bridge, a block away, and see the Floodwall Picture Gallery, whose mural of Robert E. Lee stirred up nearly as much controversy as the statute of Arthur Ashe on Monument Avenue. The wall was built after the James flooded during Hurricane Agnes in 1972, causing some $350 million in damages in the area (whose restoration led to their emerging as dining-entertainment areas).

At the western end of the walk, at the foot of 5th Street, the Tredegar Iron Works on Brown's Island was the South's largest industrial complex during the Civil War, producing about half of the Confederacy's armaments. The restored brick building now houses the National Park Services' Richmond Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. Opposite the visitor center, Brown's Island is the scene of festivals and free outdoor concerts and movies.

View from Above -- For a fine bird's-eye view of the city, go up to the observation deck of the New City Hall, 900 Broad St. at 9th Street. You can see for miles over Richmond and the James River.

Keep Going -- It's convenient to combine a tour of the Civil War battlefields east of Richmond with the James River plantations, since the Fort Harrison and Glendale/Malvern Hill visitor centers are near Va. 5, the plantations route.

Thick Walls -- While walking around downtown, stop into the Old City Hall, on Broad Street between 9th and 10th streets. Built in 1894, it is a dramatic Victorian Gothic with gray-stone walls 3 feet thick. Now a private office building, it has an interior courtyard that's a three-story marvel of painted cast iron. Visitors are welcome to enter the first floor during business hours. It's well worth the stop.

A Lifelike Washington -- The Houdon statue of George Washington in the Rotunda of the Virginia State Capitol is the only one ever made of the first president from life.

More Cool Stuff for Kids -- Next door to the Science Museum Of Virginia, the Children's Museum of Richmond, 2626 W. Broad St. (tel. 877/295-CMORB or 804/424-CMOR; www.c-mor.org), has more innovative hands-on exhibits for kids age 6 months to 12 years. Admission is $7 per person. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30am to 5pm, Sunday from noon to 5pm.

A Riverboat Cruise -- Modern technology's answer to an 1850s riverboat, the paddle wheeler Annabel Lee (tel. 866/211-3810 or 804/664-5700; www.annabellee.com) offers a variety of lunch, dinner, and sightseeing cruises down the James River, some as far as the plantations. She operates from April to mid-October. Call or check the website for prices and departure times. Reservations are a must, especially on weekends.

Nearby Attractrion -- About 14 miles north of Richmond on I-95, the communities of Ashland and Hanover have deep historical roots. Patrick Henry once tended bar at Hanover Tavern, built in 1723, and argued cases in the Hanover County Courthouse, dating from 1735. For more information contact the Ashland/Hanover Visitor Center, 112 N. Railroad Ave. in Hanover (tel. 800/897-1479 or 804/752-6766; www.town.ashland.va.us). Open daily 9am to 5pm except major holidays.