An outdoor weekend in Richmond, VA
Virginia has always been like "home" for Matt and me. Matt lived in Northern Virginia for High School and Grad School, and it was where his parents lived for 20+ years. I lived outside DC, in Virginia, the first five years of my post-grad life and we both have numerous friends in various cities across the state. So many of my best memories haven take place in Virginia. While we each had been to Richmond a few times over the years, we had never really taken a vacation to the area or explored the touristy sites. Fall 2020, we REALLY needed a break and I really needed to see a friend of mine who resides in Richmond with her family. We rented a car, drove from NYC to Charlottesville for a few days (wine tasting, apple farming, outdooring dining galore!) and then headed to Richmond to take in the city. It rained most of our stay and Covid-19 restrictions and fears prevented us from really trying any restaurants, but we somehow managed to fall in love with the city anyway.
The main accomplishment to achieve while in Richmond, was to see the city. Despite having such a good friend in town, I really didn't know what Richmond looked like. I know that sounds weird, but I didn't know anything about the neighborhoods, restaurants, or tourist areas. Thanks to the internet and a few DC Instagram personalities I follow, I was able to pick out the top areas to check off my list, keeping in mind, we couldn't go inside anywhere.
There are a couple really fabulous, well known hotels, in RIC, The Jefferson and The Quirk Hotel, but we decided not to stay at these fancy spots while all the amenities were closed for the Coronavirus. We stayed in a hotel near Virginia Commonwealth University so took a drive through the campus and then stopped by the famous St. John's Episcopal Church, In 1775, this church was the site of Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech. We also love how the church is revisiting their history to acknowledge their role is systemic racism and to add the stories that haven't been told.
After peeking through the church gates (the church itself was closed due to Covid), we headed to the quirky neighborhood of Carytown. There are so many cute shops and restaurants. We explored Carytown Cupcakes, World of Mirth, Mellow Mushroom, Can Can Brasserie, Mongrel, Chop Suey Books, & Clementine. Art adorned the walls of Carytown and we stopped to snap a photo at each cross street. To keep with our art and anti-racism theme of the day, we next headed to one of the most aw inspiring monuments I've ever seen, The Robert E Lee Monument. In the Black Lives Matter protests of the summer, arts and activists changed a statue of hate and slavery, into an insightful and meaningful dedication to Black lives. I was blown away by the significance and the beauty. I believe it will be taken down this year (like the rest of the confederate statues on Monument Row) so we were fortunate to see it in all it's glory.
Our next order of business was checking out the local bar scene. Thanks to the rain and Covid-19, we limited our options to the breweries that had outdoor, covered seating. The Scott's Addition neighborhood is full of artsy old warehouses that have been turned into breweries, cideries, distilleries, and rooftop restaurants. Ardent Craft Ales checked all our boxes and we spent hours tasting their selection. Our friend Kelly joined us later in the day and we spent a relaxing afternoon with friends and laughter.
Every morning in Richmond should start with breakfast at Sub Rosa Bakery. We ate here numerous times over the course of our visit and every time we were blown away. During quarantine, they only operate as take out, but eating in your car is totally worth it! The bakery grounds their own grains and cooks in a wood burning over. The pesto tomato tart is my favorite but you cannot pick a bad option. Waiting in line for your food is a happy experience, thanks to the yellow building and striped awnings. After returning from Richmond, I noticed that Sub Rosa was named one of the best bakeries in the country by Food & Wine magazine. I whole heartedly agree.
Downtowns are my absolute favorite. Sure massive skyscrapers and financial districts of major cities are cool, but I really love the downtowns of smaller cities and towns, Richmond is a decent size city so their downtown was the perfect mix of charm and big city amenities. The Main Street Station is a gorgeous building with a Big Ben style clock that hovers over Main St. Hopefully we can see inside next time. Train station are usually so grand.
One of the best parts of this area of the city is Ironclad Coffee Roasters. The space is astetically pleasing, there is outdoor seating (and walls that open to make the entire inside - outside!) and best of all, the coffee is incredible. I always go for the signature latte and Matt tries a version of cold brew. Both did not disappoint.
Once we got a glimpse of the sun, we decided to walk the Belle Isle Suspension Bridge. Richmond has class 3 rapids running through the city, so the walk over the river was astounding. The Fall leaves in the area also made for a beautiful visual backdrop.
The houses of the historic Fan District are definitely worth a visit on your tour of the city. We drove to the neighborhood and decided to zig zag through the tree lined streets. At one point, I had to jump out and start snapping pictures. All the old details and Victorian intricacies made me want to photograph every single home.
The last stop on our outdoor Richmond journey, was the over the top, impressive, Hollywood Cemetery. The last resting place for a couple of US Presidents and named for the beautiful holly trees on the grounds, Hollywood Cemetery is a stunning park along the river. The changing leaves were vibrant and we explored every corner of the immense cemetery. We definitely got lost a few times, but it was worth it because it enabled us to see more than we originally planned. From hundreds of small, simple, Civil War soldier tombstones, to opulent and grand grave sites for US Presidents James Monroe (5th) and John Tyler (10th), the cemetery is very diverse in it's various resting places. It's a beautiful place to spend your everlasting eternity.
I promised my friend that we'd visit more often so when it's safe to travel again, we'll be back for a proper visit to dine in the restaurants, visit the museums, and actually hang out inside Kelly's house :)
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