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Richmond
Richmond has been the state capital since 1780 and despite it's immaculate historical preservation is also home to a magnificent contemporary urban centre. Past and present blend well together in this city that has the aura of a cultured old Southern gentleman who has kept up with the times.
Richmond is an ideally situated gateway to the rest of Virginia, as it is located in the heart of the state. From the city it is a short drive to ocean, mountains, battlefields, historic colonial Williamsburg or even across into Washington DC to visit the nation's capital.
Richmond has played a large part in the history of America, most predominantly as the capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Today the city boasts a host of monuments, battlefields, cemeteries and museums that recall the days when Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee stood fast against the Union. There are numerous modern attractions as well, reflecting Richmond's four centuries of growth to become the hub of technology, culture and finance that it is in the 21st century.
High rise office and large business complexes adorn the city centre, which create a diverse mixture of modern and old architecture blended together from Fortune 500 Companies, local, regional and state offices, hospitals and universities to cobblestone, gas-lit streets flanked by 19th-century warehouses and a 300-year old farmers' market redolent with the scent of ripe fruit and fresh flowers. The old and the new together provide a rich treat for tourists.
Capitol Square
Situated on a hilltop in the downtown area of Richmond and surrounded by lush gardens and ancient trees is the spectacular oasis of Capitol Square. The magnificent centrepiece is the neo-classical State Capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, which has been in continuous use since 1788. In the Capitol's Rotunda stands Virginia's most treasured artwork, the life-sized statue of George Washington sculpted by Jean Antoine Houdon, for whom Washington posed. Another highlight of the square is the Governor's Mansion, home of Virginia governors since 1813. The mansion, which has been restored, but boasts its original woodwork, plaster cornices and ornamental ceilings, is open for tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (first floor only). Another historic building in the square is the old Bell Tower, dating from 1824, which houses a visitor centre providing tourist information about Virginia.
Telephone: (804) 786 4344; Opening time: State Capitol open daily for half-hour tours 9am to 5pm; Admission: State Capitol tours are free
The Museum and White House of the Confederacy
Home to the most comprehensive collection of Confederate relics and artefacts in America, is the Museum of the Confederacy. The exhibits include 550 battle flags, 215 uniforms, including those of well-known officers, and 1,000 military buttons. Art works include E.B.D. Julio's heroic painting, 'The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson'. Beside the museum is the White House of the Confederacy, the 1818 mansion in which Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family lived during the Civil War. It is still furnished with original items. Visitors have to join a tour to see the White House. These depart regularly throughout the day.
Address: 1201 East Clay Street; Telephone: (804) 649 1861; Website: www.moc.org; Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday 12pm to 5pm; Admission: Museum: $7 (adults), $3 (scholars); White House: $7 (adults), $4 (scholars). Combo ticket: $10 (adults), $5 (scholars). Other concessions available
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Richmond was continually under attack from 1861 to 1865, as Union armies tried to capture the Strategically places Confederacy at the end of the American Civil War. Three of those campaigns came within a few miles of the city. The park commemorates 11 different sites associated with those campaigns, including the battlefields at Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, and Cold Harbor. Established in 1936, the park protects 763 acres of historic ground. There is a Visitor Center in the Tredegar Irons Works on Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk at the corner of Tredegar and 5th Streets. Here, a film depicting the battles around the city is shown and information about self-guided tours of the battlefields is available.
Telephone: (804) 226 1981, or (804) 771 2145 (Civil War Visitor Center); Website: www.nps.gov/rich; Opening time: Battlefields are open from sunrise to sunset. Visitor centre open 9am to 5pm; Admission: Free
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Museums in Richmond is home to a magnificent collection of world art, from all periods of time and including the largest public Fabergé imperial Easter egg collection outside of Russia, consisting of 150-odd jewel-encrusted creations made for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II. The Museum also boasts a collection of English silver, one of the world's leading collections of the art of India, Nepal and Tibet, and six Gobelin Don Quixote tapestries.
Address: 200 N. Boulevard; Telephone: (804) 340 1400; Website: www.vmfa.state.va.us; Opening time: Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 5pm; Admission: Free, but a donation of $5 is suggested. Admission fees are charged for temporary exhibitions
St John's Episcopal Church
Dating back to 1741 the St John's Church is situated on the Richmond Hill and witnessed the second Virginia Convention in 1775, which was attended by George Washington and many other famous figures from history. The church is also where legendary Pocahontas was baptised and married to John Rolfe. The wooden building still boasts its original pulpit and some exquisite stained-glass windows. Between May and September living history performances are given every Sunday recreating the historic Second Virginia Convention. Informative tours explore the historic significance of the church building and grounds.
Address: 2401 East Broad Street; Telephone: (804) 648 5015 (Tour operations); Website: www.historicstjohnschurch.org; Opening time: Guided tours Monday to Saturday 10am to 3.30pm; Sunday 1pm to 3.30pm. Sunday services at 8.30am, 9.30am and 11am; Admission: Tours: $5 (adults), $3 (scholars)
