Illustration by Nathan Arizona
Best place for a child’s party
1345 Carmia Way, 804-379-2500
Children can bounce off the walls when celebrating at Sky Zone. The indoor park features trampolines, obstacle courses and games, all under one roof. Sky Zone offers a variety of options to ease the process of party planning. Guests can choose from three party themes and packages to create the perfect experience for any child.
2. Weinstein JCC
3. PARK365
Best youth art instruction
200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 804-340-1400
Whether it’s after school, over the weekend or during the summer, any student can take art lessons at the VMFA. “One of the things I love about our programs is that we want to bring their ideas and imagination to life by using problem-solving skills and different materials,” says Megan Endy, coordinator of youth and family studio programs. “Next thing you know, you’re looking at their imagination in your hands.”
2. Visual Arts Center of Richmond
3. Art 180
Best adult art classes
Visual Arts Center of Richmond
1812 W. Main St., 804-353-0094
Adults can take classes in art media including stained glass, ceramics and photography at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. The classes are taught by professional artists and are offered in a variety of formats to accommodate busy schedules. “All studios are under one roof together so people cross paths and bump into each other,” says Jordan Brown, director of education and programming. “That bumping into each other creates friendship and a cool community here.”
2. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
3. The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen
Photo courtesy Greater Richmond School of Music
Multicategory Winner
Greater Richmond School of Music
804-442-6158
Greater Richmond School of Music owner Charlene Hartley has helped spark a love for music among Richmond’s youth by ensuring everyone has access. “This is one of our goals, taking music to the student instead of depending on students having to come to us,” she says. “When we go to the school itself, we are able to solve that gap.” In addition to visiting 12 area schools, GRSM offers music lessons for homeschoolers, runs a summer camp and offers private, group and band instruction. While GRSM offers lessons on a variety of instruments, Hartley encourages students to suggest new instruments they’d want to learn, she says.
Best youth music instruction
1. Greater Richmond School of Music
2. The Music Tree
Best children’s after-school or weekend enrichment classes
1. Greater Richmond School of Music
2. Weinstein JCC
3. The Music Tree
Best place for adults to learn a new skill
1. Greater Richmond School of Music
2. Fred Astaire Dance Studio
3. The Music Tree
Best youth dance instruction
The Junior Assembly Cotillion has shaped the lives of Richmond’s tweens and teens for more than 78 years, teaching social dancing skills and etiquette. The cotillion is the largest and oldest in Virginia and continues to evolve. “For the first time this year we added an etiquette dinner for our students,” says owner Liz Stanko, who has a passion for helping students through their formative years. “They are learning important tools that will carry them into adulthood.”
2. Richmond Dance Center
3. Weinstein JCC
Multicategory Winner
100 Arboretum PIace #110, 804-476-8297
Fred Astaire Dance Studio allows anyone to dance to their heart’s content. The studio offers instruction in partner dance styles including Latin, foxtrot and waltz, and regularly hosts events. “We have a staff that is really motivated and inspired to work with people who have all kinds of abilities,” says Maggie Small, a former Richmond Ballet dancer who operates the studio. She loves seeing students reinvent themselves. “Watching people discover their love of dance at an age that isn’t being a kid taking dance lessons is really inspiring to me,” she says. “Being able to say they identify as a dancer is a very powerful thing.”
Best adult dance classes
1. Fred Astaire Dance Studio
2. Richmond Dance Center
3. Tie: Richmond Ballet; TURN Cardio Jam Studio
Best dance event or series
1. Fred Astaire Dance Studio
2. Richmond Ballet
3. SOUL Aerial and Performing Arts Center, “Alice in Wonderland”
Photo courtesy Square Code Fitness
Best boutique fitness center
1315 E. Main St., 804-658-0566
Work toward a balanced, healthy lifestyle with Square Code Fitness in Shockoe Slip. The fitness center focuses on personalized training in a group setting. “We give access to high-quality training,” founder Kellie Mega says. “In group fitness you typically don’t get personal training. Here, you get the community aspect and the support.”
2. Tie: Jazzercise Richmond Fitness Center, BOHO Studios
3. NOEX Fitness
Best membership gym
Feel the burn while working out at ACAC. Between the Midlothian and Short Pump locations, ACAC offers a variety of ways to get your heart pumping. Whether it’s mind-body exercises, swimming, using cardio machines or playing pickleball, there’s something for everyone. “You’re going to find seniors, families, professionals and they all have a common goal of working on health and wellness,” says marketing director Wendy Greene.
2. Weinstein JCC
3. YMCA
Photo courtesy Humble Haven Yoga
Best yoga studio
6980 Forest Ave., 804-318-5395
Close your eyes and open your mind at Humble Haven Yoga. The studio helps others connect their mind, body and spirit through the principles of yoga. A variety of training styles, events and workshops allow everyone to find the best way to implement yoga into their lives. In-person and online training is available to ensure everyone can acquire skills to change their life for the better.
2. The Hot Yoga Barre
3. Project Yoga Richmond
Best local race (5K, 10K or marathon)
Richmonders have participated in the Monument Avenue 10K organized by Richmond Sports Backers since its debut in April 2000. The race has grown and developed into a great community celebration of active living, says Pete Woody, Sports Backers’ public relations and communications manager. Participants can run the race or cheer from the sidelines while enjoying music, porch parties, lovely views and watching for creative costumes.
2. Richmond Marathon/Half Marathon
3. Tie: ASK 5K & Fun Walk; Tacky Light Run
Best martial arts instruction
Grandmaster Dong’s Martial Arts
Since he was 7 years old, Grandmaster Dong has been practicing traditional martial arts. He has been sharing his years of experience with students for more than 50 years. “We want them to be good future citizens with manners, etiquette, politeness and self control,” Dong says. He hopes his work not only helps his students’ physical strength, but also their mental and spiritual essence.
Photo courtesy Feed More
Best place to volunteer
1415 Rhoadmiller St., 804-521-2500
Feed More distributed about 40 million pounds of food in 2021, helping those who are food insecure in Richmond and beyond. Volunteers at Feed More have myriad ways to help, including preparing meals, assembling care packages and delivering meals. “Volunteers get a sense of connection,” says Timothy Bothe, director of volunteer engagement and strategy. “Food insecurity can hit anyone at any time.”
2. Richmond SPCA
3. Richmond Animal Care and Control
Best local fundraising event
You can descend the grand staircase at The Jefferson Hotel with your pet by your side at the SPCA’s black-tie fundraising event. For more than 20 years, the SPCA has held the Fur Ball to raise funds to cover medical treatment for homeless animals. “The more money we can raise, the more lives we can save in the year ahead,” says CEO Tamsen Kingry.
2. Lebanese Food Festival
Best new neighborhood in Chesterfield
With a resort-style pool, dog park, playgrounds and miles of trails, Harpers Mill is a great place to live and play. Located 20 miles south of Richmond at the intersection of Highway 288 and Hull Street Road, this community features a variety of neighborhoods suitable for everyone, from first-time homeowners to retirees. Its active adult community has a pickleball park, and a variety of events and clubs make it easy to meet the neighbors.
Best neighborhood in the city of Richmond
The blocks of Monument Avenue that run through the Fan may look different since its Confederate statues have been removed, but the appeal of this charming city neighborhood endures. A perennial winner in this category, Richmond’s Fan District is hotter than ever, with pandemic transplants flocking here to take advantage of the vibrant neighborhood. It’s home to college students, young professionals, families and older adults who are drawn to its walkability and scores of restaurants.
2. Church Hill
3. Museum District
Photo courtesy Ryan Homes
Best new neighborhood in Hanover
This community features more than $3 million in amenities including two stocked fishing ponds, a resort style pool and treehouse playground, and it has preserved 50% of its land as open space and woodlands, which provides a mature tree canopy in this new neighborhood. The Home Builders Association of Richmond recognized Giles for best Community Amenity in Richmond in 2021.
2. Rutland
Best new neighborhood in Henrico
Tie: River Mill, Libbie Mill-Midtown
10814 Porter Park Lane, Glen Allen; 4901 Libbie Mill East Blvd.
River Mill in Glen Allen is Richmond’s first Certified Active Community, recognized by Sports Backers for its culture of physical activity with more than 5 miles of trails, some along the Chickahominy River. Add community events, a hammock garden, and a spacious clubhouse and pool, and you have a new community that checks all the boxes for amenities. Libbie Mill-Midtown combines a convenient central location with a vibrant mix of residential, office and retail development. Residents can walk to a neighborhood restaurant, the Libbie Mill Library or along paved trails.
Photo courtesy Westminster Canterbury
Best continuing-care community
1600 Westbrook Ave., 804-264-4000
This luxury continuing-care community encompasses a 60-acre campus on Richmond’s North Side and offers amenities including a theater, a fitness and aquatic center, art classes and a woodworking shop. Independent living options include free-standing homes and apartments, and assisted living options that make it possible to age in place. Westminster Canterbury’s new expansion, Vibrancy!, features apartments with modern designer finishes.
2. Lakewood
3. Cedarfield
Photo courtesy HHHunt Communities
Best new neighborhood for those 50 and over/retired
This 55-plus community of nearly 500 single-family homes and townhouses in Goochland County features low-maintenance living and amenities such as walking trails, a dog park and pool. Located just off Highway 288 in West Creek and easily accessible to I-64 and I-295, the development is close to Short Pump and to the bucolic landscape of rural Goochland.
2. Chickahominy Falls, Hanover County
3. Giles, Hanover County
Best new neighborhood for families
Tie: Giles, Hanover County; River Mill, Henrico County
With a treehouse playground, two stocked ponds for fishing, and a resort-style zero-entry pool with a waterslide, Giles has fast become a favorite place for families to settle in Hanover County. The community has also preserved half its land as open space and woodlands, making it the ideal spot to observe nature. River Mill in Glen Allen was recently recognized by Sports Backers for its network of walking, hiking and biking trails, some located along the Chickahominy River. The community pool opened this summer, quickly becoming a popular spot for family fun. Mill Square Park offers a spot to gather with friends, with a firepit, outdoor kitchen and hammock garden.
2. Harpers Mill, Chesterfield County
