| Museum and White House of the Confederacy
1201 E. Clay St.
804-649-1861
This house is a part of the Court End historical district. It was the official residence of Confederate president Jefferson Davis; a newer building next door houses some interesting Confederate relics.
Virginia State Capitol
Capitol Sq.
804-698-1788
Designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, the Capitol contains some notable sculptures including busts of the eight Virginia-born U.S. presidents and a life-size statue of George Washington.
Canal Walk
Begins at 12th and Main streets
This district follows the locks of the James River - Kanawha Canal that was originally proposed by George Washington. History comes alive along the walk as strollers will encounter some wonderful sculptures and an outdoor concert center.
Richmond National Battlefield Park
3215 E. Broad St.
804-226-1981
The Visitors' Center at the park offers an informative movie and slide show about the site's three battles. This park has items of interest for all ages.
Science Museum of Virginia
2500 W. Broad St.
804-367-6552
This museum is housed in a massive, domed, former train station. The planetarium, with its huge curved screen, doubles as a movie theater. Children and adults will find themselves engaged by exhibits on a variety of scientific themes.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Boulevard and Grove Ave.
804-367-0844
This world-class museum has collections that include paintings by Goya, Renoir, Monet, and van Gogh, as well as featured displays of African masks, Roman statuaries, Asian icons, and Fabergé eggs.
Paramount's Kings Dominion
I-95 Doswell exit 98
804-876-5000
With over 100 rides, this theme park has something for everyone. Rides include simulated white-water rafting and seven roller coasters.
Colonial Williamsburg
I-64 Exit 238
757-220-7645
This incredible landmark is a convincing re-creation of the city that was the capital of Virginia from 1699 until 1780. On Colonial Williamsburg's 173 acres, 88 original 18th- and early 19th-century structures, such as the courthouse, have been meticulously restored. Another fifty buildings, including the capitol and the governor's palace, were reconstructed on their original sites. More than 225 period rooms have been furnished with over 100,000 items.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
East of Williamsburg on U.S. 60
757-253-3350
This theme park features a European theme with world cuisine and nine different recreated hamlets. The rides include some highly-rated roller coasters.
Jamestown Island
Colonial Pkwy.
757-229-1733
Jamestown was the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America founded in 1607. A five-mile nature trail is dotted with historic markers; tours of the area that detail its historic importance are offered.
Jamestown Settlement
Rte. 31 off Colonial Pkwy.
757-229-1607
This "living-history" museum features a reconstructed fort staffed by guides dressed as colonists, and an "Indian Village" inhabited by buckskin-clad interpreters. The pier includes replicas of the ships that carried the settlers to the New World.
Yorktown Battlefield
Colonial Pkwy.
757-898-3400
The museum here at the site of the last battle of the Revolutionary War displays George Washington's original field tent. Dioramas, illuminated maps and a short movie tell the story.
Yorktown Victory Center
Rte. 238 off Colonial Pkwy.
757-887-1776
The center features a Continental Army encampment with tents, a covered wagon, and costumed interpreters who speak to visitors in the regional dialects of the time. Also on site are a small working tobacco farm and a museum focusing on the lives of ordinary people during the Revolution.
Berkeley Plantation
Rte. 5
804-829-6018
This 1726 Georgian brick house has been restored and furnished with period antiques, and its boxwood gardens are well tended. In addition to a restaurant, there are outdoor tables for picnickers. |
Richmond
