Comments on: Help an out-of-towner see the best of Richmond, VA

Question: Help an out-of-towner see the best of Richmond, VA

ryanshepard — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:12:43 -0800

What are some unusual/interesting/generally missed by out-of-towners spots in Richmond, VA that I should visit?

By: 4ster

4ster — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:41:15 -0800

AH! A question about my hometown!

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of the Confederacy.

Carytown

Monument Avenue

Richmond has lots of performing arts (Virginia Commonwealth University has a huge art school).

I could give you much more, if you want. What I like to do when I go back is just get on Franklin Street, Cary Street, Grace Street, or Monument Ave and just drive and stop at whatever looks good.

Have a great trip!

By: Wet Spot

Wet Spot — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 17:02:53 -0800

You can get reasonably good dim sum at Full Kee Restaurant.

By: gottabefunky

gottabefunky — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:24:22 -0800

Virginia Aviation Museum, at the airport.

Virginia Holocaust Museum

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

Go whitewater rafting through the center of the city.

The Metro Richmond Zoo

For more, there's a good guidebook by a certain (*ahem*) Mefite...

By: ryanshepard

ryanshepard — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 21:11:13 -0800

Thanks very much! Any suggestions for a romantic dinner spot by any chance?

By: gottabefunky

gottabefunky — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:20:33 -0800

The Tobacco Company (touristy but for good reason), or Lemaire at the Jefferson Hotel, one of the best in town.

By: sarahsynonymous

sarahsynonymous — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:25:58 -0800

Definitely check out the 821 Cafe, located (surprisingly enough) at 821 Cary Street. Good veggie/vegan selections if that's your bag (the chili is fabulous), and a very homey, non-forced eclectic atmosphere.

I second Carytown in general; catch a Saturday midnight movie at the Byrd, peruse the vinyl at Plan 9, wander through the numerous vintage clothing stores, or just sit and do some people-watching. World of Mirth is also a necessity, although I believe we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the awful murders of the former co-owner and her family, so be understanding if it's not so... mirthful.

By: youthenrage

youthenrage — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:38:49 -0800

The BEST restaurant in town - Mamma'Zu in Oregon Hill. Sort of Italian Cuisine with AMAZING daily specials in addition to the regular menu. You could spend anywhere between $25 and $100 for 2 people but it will definitely be delicious. Other good options: Comfort, Helen's.

Cool places to see:
Belle Isle (formerly THE ISLE OF MISERY) is worth visiting just to go over the walking bridge underneath the highway. It's better in the summer when you can swim, but the insane high human trash factor is negate when the temperature drops.

Maymont sort of a zoo, it's free and near the city and was made famous about a year ago when some idiot lady let her kid try to pet a bear and he ended up getting scratched, resulting in the bears having to euthanized in case they had rabies.

The Jefferson Hotel is worth taking a walk around, as a former employee, I wouldn't eat there though.

Driving any length of River Road can be fun, and the section of Hugeunot approaching the river from the city side is fun especially if you play the "count the rolls royces parked in the driveways" game.

By: youthenrage

youthenrage — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:41:39 -0800

Although I LOVE 821 Cafe (sausage egg and cheese on a giant biscuit with rosemary potatos for less than $5 can't be beat), The place is dirty, dingy, sort of gross and usually filled with tattooed weirdos, I would hardly call it "romantic" - and this is coming from a dirty tattooed weirdo.

By: armage

armage — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:42:21 -0800

Mamma 'Zu is good, but the service is... quirky. It's an experience to be sure, but it's not great.

For romantic, I recommend La Petite France, one of the (if not the) best French restaurants in town. Millie's is not quite as romantic, but the food is awesome and it's consistently rated the best in town. If you're more on a budget, Saigon on West Broad Street east of Willow Lawn has great Vietnamese food.

Driving down Monument Avenue, walking and shopping in Carytown, spending some time on Belle Isle and in Byrd Park/Maymont (if it's warm) are all great things to do. If it's a weekday and the sky is clear, you could go to City Hall and view the city from the 18th-floor observation deck.

By: armage

armage — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:47:09 -0800

Sorry, that should be Mekong, not Saigon.

By: armage

armage — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:50:30 -0800

Here's a pretty authoritative list of Richmond's best restaurants from Style Weekly.

By: ryanshepard

ryanshepard — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:26:13 -0800

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I'll be spending the day in Richmond tomorrow and look forward to doing some exploring. Previous trips have always involved walking around the Fan and hitting the VMFA, so I look forward to branching out.

By: stevil

stevil — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:52:29 -0800

I find myself with a sudden free day in the area, so I'll be hitting Bill's Barbecue because my family visited there 20? years ago and still tells stories about it. But also looks like Carytown will be a fun thing to do. Yay AskMeFi!