“Meet Virginia”

Richmond, Virginia March 28 – April 4, 2022

Richmond is an edgy city but with southern charm. The city has lots to do between museums, monuments, art galleries, breweries and shopping. Since Richmond was the capital of the confederacy and an older city, it contains a lot of history.

The civil war museum of Richmond is built in the the Tredegar building which was the site of the old Tredegar Iron Works that suppled the South with artillery during the civil war. We really liked the museum. Steve and I like museums, especially history museums.

We also went to the White House of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis lived here with his family during the civil war until he evacuated on April 3, 1865 right before the North took over the city. The home was lavish by the standards of 1865 and our tour guide was awesome. In 1865 the home sat on top of the highest point looking out over the city. Now the house is surrounded by a large large hospital and looks out of place.

Richmond was also home to John Marshall, and his home is well preserved. While not as lavish as the Confederate White House, it is still an impressive home for an impressive man.

Another gem we found in Richmond was the home of Maggie Walker. She was the first black woman president of a bank and a tireless worker on civil rights in Richmond in the early 1900s. Her credentials were pretty impressive and I would definitely recommend reading about her.

Richmond is home to one of the best Art Museums in the Southeast (from the museums brochure). However, I cannot disagree with this assessment because the Richmond Art Museum contains three Van Gogh paintings as well as Monet, and Renoir. Granted, the works are not the most famous – but still – awesome.

We took a day trip to Appomattox to continue our civil war journey. When General Lee evacuated Richmond, he traveled west toward Appomattox. After a few skirmishes along the way, General Lee and General Grant met in Appomattox Court House (name of the town) at the McLean House (name of the home where they met). We went to the Civil War Museum in Appomattox and the National Park at Appomattox Court House. Both were great and told the story of the surrender the Confederate Army of Virginia by Lee.

Richmond is also a foody town. We tried a couple of Restaurants. One was the Can Can Brasserie in the Carytown section of Richmond. The food was awesome and Carrytown is kind of a quirky section of town with shops and restaurants. We also went to Lunch/Supper (Yes – that is the name of the restaurant) This was a dive but super cool. The food was excellent.
I know you are surprised, but Steve and I also went to a brewery. Richmond has over 30 breweries. We enjoyed our visit to Stone Brewery, a national brewery with its main brewery in San Diego, with its only facility outside of California located in Richmond of all places.

Next up Charlottesville Virginia

“Meet Virginia” by Train