After an emotional performance, colonial actors take a break at St. John's Church. Photos by Ginger Warder.

Lots of Free Attractions in Historic Richmond, Virginia

By Ginger Warder

You can spend a weekend in Virginia’s capital and see most of its historic attractions without spending a dime in admission fees.

I’ve lived in several states and several cities, but Richmond is one of my favorite hometowns.

We Virginians may grumble about our state income tax, but it gives back in the form of beautiful parks, world-class museums, and tons of historic attractions. The real secret is that most of those are free to residents and visitors alike.

While Richmond is known primarily as the former capital of the Confederacy, it has been home to many other “firsts”: the first African American governor in the U.S., the first hospital, the South’s first television station, and the only city in the country with Class IV white water rapids running through its downtown.

George Washington designed the nation’s first canal system here, the Kanawha. Thomas Jefferson designed the state capitol. Richmond is the only city with a historic designated avenue filled with statues ranging from war heroes to hometown tennis great, Arthur Ashe.

Here are a few of our local favorite places to spend an afternoon:

Best Free Civil War Attraction

Spend an afternoon at the Tredegar Civil War History Center and Richmond National Battlefield Park . Don’t confuse this with the next-door American Civil War History Center, which charges admission, and park for free in the Belle Isle lot one block down the street.

Civil war cannon at the Tredagar Civil War History Center in Richmond.

The National Park Services Visitor Center is located in the Pattern Building, which once housed the molds for the cast-iron products made here, including half the cannons used in the Civil War.

A short movie and several maps and exhibits tell the story of wartime Richmond. Park rangers give a guided 30-minute tour that includes Brown’s Island, used as the headquarters for manufacturing gunpowder during the war.

There’s also a great Junior Ranger program for kids. They receive a workbook and have to hunt through the exhibits for answers.

Once they complete the booklet, they get a certificate and Junior Ranger patch or pin. After your tour, take the pedestrian bridge over to Belle Isle, once a prisoner of war camp for Union soldiers. It’s a great spot for hiking, biking, or enjoying a picnic lunch.

Visit TJ's at the Jefferson Hotel for the best burger in town.

Best Free Historic Performance

Church Hill is the oldest neighborhood in the city and also home to historic St. John’s Church, where Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech during the Revolutionary War.

The historic reenactment of that day is performed by professional actors and the show is free on Sundays. You can also explore the old cemetery and the gift shop here has unique and very affordable gifts and souvenirs.

Best Burger with a Side of History

You don’t want to miss The Jefferson Hotel, one of the nation’s few five-star, five-diamond luxury properties and a historic site in its own right.

The life-sized statue of the hotel’s namesake was done by Edward Valentine, and the Palm Court lobby, once home to a fountain full of live alligators, is ringed by Louis Tiffany windows.

Locals believe the grand staircase inspired the famous scene in the Southern epic movie Gone With The Wind, and there’s even a mini-museum in the lower lobby with a who’s-who display of famous guests and events.

Maymont is a retreat for city-weary citizens of Richmond with lovely gardens and lawns.

But, the best-kept secret in town is the Filet Mignon Black Angus burger at the hotel’s casual restaurant, T.J.’s. This is the best bite of beef in town, with a generous helping of homemade fries and at $10, it’s a great deal. All the lobbyists and politicos hang out here after legislative sessions.

Best Park Worth Paying For

Richmond is blessed with an abundance of fabulous parks and most of them, like Maymont, are free.

However, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens is worth the price of admission ($10), especially in the summer when special evening programs offer live jazz, wine-tastings (Flowers after 5 on Thursdays), bring-the-pooch nights (Fidos after 5), and family activities (Families after 5).

The gift shop here is a paradise for gardeners and lovers of all things botanical, and the Tea House in the serene Japanese garden has elegant supper selections and stunning views of the gardens.

Best Museum

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is scheduled to reopen in May, 2010 after a massive renovation that added over 165,000-square-feet to the already impressive facility.

Locals believe this staircase inspired the famous Rhett & Scarlet scene in "Gone With the WInd"

A new atrium, library, gift shop, café and sculpture garden, along with over 20,000 works of art from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to modern are a visual treat for visitors.

VMFA is also known for its large collection of Fabergé jeweled items, and the museum shop is a treasure trove of historic reproductions of both glittering jewelry and objects d’art. And yes, it’s free too!

You don’t have to spend a bundle to explore Richmond, and if you live within driving distance, it would take you several visits just to see all of the free attractions.

It’s a city full of contrasts… urban and gritty in parts, historic and bucolic in others… all overlaid with a dose of Southern hospitality. The north may have “driven ‘ole Dixie down,” but Richmond has become a thriving, multicultural city with much more to offer than just Civil War history.

 

20 FREE ATTRACTIONS AND HISTORICAL SITES IN RICHMOND Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives Belle Isle and Brown’s Island Canal Walk Chimborazo Medical Museum Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitor Center Confederate War Memorial Chapel Eppington Plantation Hollywood Cemetery Jefferson Hotel Library of Virginia Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site Maymont Park and Maymont House Museum Meadow Farm Richmond Slave Trail St. John’s Church Historic Reenactment (free on Sundays) Virginia Capitol Virginia Historical Society (free on Sundays) Virginia Holocaust Museum Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Virginia War Memorial

 

 

Ginger Warder, A native Virginian, calls Richmond home half of the year. The former restaurant reviewer for Richmond.com enjoys taking her nieces and nephews to the free parks and historic sites in the city.

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How I wrote my first iphone Travel App

 

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