A bird’s-eye view of Brown’s Island and downtown Richmond (Photo courtesy Richmond Region Tourism)
Best place to take a first-time Richmond visitor
James River, Belle Isle, Brown’s Island, T-Pot Bridge, etc.
Mariam Ramdass experienced the James River Park System for the first time recently when visiting her brother-in-law and Park Superintendent Bryce Wilk. “Walking along the river, we came across a few herons perched near the rapids as kayakers passed by. It was a unique experience, being in the middle of a city while immersed in the well-kept natural scenery with rapids and lots of wildlife,” she says. “We will be back!”
2. Maymont
3. VMFA
Best local running route
James River Park System, Buttermilk and North Bank trails
Crystal Koch, a local runner and founder of the “RVA Runners —— All Welcome” Facebook page, with nearly 4,500 members, logs 50 to 60 miles per week, mostly on James River Park System trails. Not only is the soft surface easier on joints, she says, but “the scenery is far more interesting, and I don’t have to watch out for cars.”
2. Virginia Capital Trail
3. Monument Avenue
Photo by Jay Paul
Best way to enjoy the James River
By kayak, raft, tube or paddleboard
Depending on the river level (check conditions at jamesriverwatch.org), the James offers everything from a whitewater kayak adventure through Class IV rapids to a lazy afternoon of tubing. Locations such as Huguenot Flatwater and Robious Landing provide easy access. Local outfitters offer watercraft rentals and lessons, and the James River Association is even providing free paddle trips for hospital workers this summer.
2. Walking, hiking, running along it
3. Lounging/climbing on the rocks, at Belle Isle or Pony Pasture
Photo courtesy Maymont Foundation
MULTICATEGORY WINNER
1000 Westover Road, 804-358-7166
Maymont receives more than 600,000 visitors a year, and guests, whether they’re first-timers or frequent visitors, will often see something they haven’t before amid the flora, fauna, architecture and gardens. Among the newer attractions is the renovated Robins Nature Center, including a massive renewal of its river-themed exhibitions. When it comes to picnics, Maymont has a site so popular for dining al fresco that the spot, located near the farm exhibition, is called “Picnic Hill.” And, says Maymont Marketing Director Carla Murray, “The gazebos are cozy and romantic for couples.”
Best place to picnic
1. Maymont
2. Libby Hill Park
3. VMFA
Best city park
1. Maymont
2. Byrd Park
3. James River Park System/Belle Isle
Photo by Ayasha Sledge courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts ©
MULTICATEGORY WINNER
201 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 804-340-1400
“The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the perfect rainy-day getaway,” says Alex Nyerges, the VMFA’s director and CEO, adding that it’s a world-class museum “where challenging but important conversations about our history, our culture and the future we want to create will be had.” Our readers also recognized the VMFA as a great spot for a first date, a status confirmed by Robert J. Phanord II, the VMFA’s performing arts coordinator in its art and education division: “Just glance at our evening crowds enjoying our art collection, atmosphere and performances, and you will experience first sparks, new love and romance.”
Best place for a first date
1. VMFA
2. Carytown
3. Maymont
Best way to spend a rainy day in Richmond
1. VMFA
2. At home
3. At the movies
Best nonprofit art gallery or museum
1. VMFA
2. Tie: 1708 Gallery; Gallery 5; Visual Arts Center of Richmond
Best local hike
Buttermilk Trail
Running from Westover Hills eastward past the Lee Bridge, the James River Park System’s Buttermilk Trail forms a 6.9-mile loop with the North Bank Trail. “It’s rocky, it’s on steep hillsides, it’s got nice creek crossings and it’s nice and shady,” says Michael Burton, trail and greenways superintendent for the city of Richmond. More than half a million people enjoyed the trail last year.
2. Belle Isle
3. Pocahontas State Park
Best county park
Deep Run Park
9900 Ridgefield Pkwy., 804-652-1430
Visitors will find a new playground at Deep Run Park, and a new cricket field is complete, though COVID-19 thwarted its opening this spring. RVA MORE will build the area’s first paved bike skills course here soon, and trail improvements are also coming, thanks to Henrico County’s 2016 bond referendum, says Pam Kempf, marketing supervisor for Henrico County Recreation & Parks.
2. Dorey Park
3. Rockwood Park
Best place to people-watch
Carytown
COVID-19 cleared Carytown’s outdoor seating and sidewalks, then storefronts were boarded up to protect against potential damage during protests, but in early summer, people, often masked, began making their uncertain return to the city’s primary retail district. You’d catch their eye, and they’d catch yours, and perhaps you both thought, We’re here now, so enjoy the sights. We don’t know how long this’ll last.
2. VMFA
3. Brown’s Island
Worst neighborhood for parking
The Fan
“Finding parking in great places like the Fan is hard, especially when you have to parallel park or worry about restricted parking zones,” sympathizes Nicole Rappaport, the Fan District Association’s communications chair. “We encourage all to experience the charming neighborhood accessible by the Pulse line or by walking, biking and scooting.”
2. Carytown
3. Scott’s Addition
Worst neighborhood for walking
Scott’s Addition
The Scott’s Addition Boulevard Association is aware of its pedestrian impediments, with its massive growth spurt exacerbating a sidewalk deficiency. In a recent letter to the city’s planning department, SABA sought help with its walkability problem, including a request to “provide rigorous, but fair-minded, requirements during Plan of Development for any new construction projects that require the blockage of entire sidewalks.”
2. Downtown
3. The Fan
Worst street for potholes
All streets in the city
“Potholes are an easy target,” asserts Jim Nolan, the city’s director of communications, “but did you know we have easily paved over 100,000 potholes in the last few years —— more than any previous administration? And we spent $15 million more on road maintenance in the last year than the year before. We’ve got 30 paving projects running in one form or another right now.”
2. Broad Street
3. Forest Hill Avenue
