|
Richmond Holidays, Hotels & Travel Guide
Travel guide to hotels & holidays in Richmond
- Richmond Holiday Package Deals
|
!
Search & Compare Discount on Richmond Hotels or Holidays
|
Richmond Holidays Overview
A guide to holidays in Richmond - The stately Southern granddame of Richmond has
been Virginia's state capital since 1780, and although a bastion of
history, it also has all the hallmarks of a lively and modern urban
centre. Acting as an ideal gateway to the rest of the state, a
range of attractions is within easy reach and visitors can enjoy
the neighbouring sights and sounds of the ocean, mountains,
battlefields, historic colonial Williamsburg, or can even drive
into Washington DC to visit the nation's capital.
Richmond has played an enormous role in American history,
particularly as the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil
War. Today visitors can enjoy a host of monuments, battlefields,
cemeteries and museums that hark back to the days when Jefferson
Davis and Robert E. Lee held out against the Union. This is not a
city stuck in the past, however, and there are numerous modern
attractions including an active nightlife, plenty of restaurants,
bars and outdoor concerts. A stroll along the attractive Canal
Walk, and along the restored Haxall and Kanawha Canals, provides a
great way to relax and there is also the option to catch a boat;
some tours include an historical narration or there is the 'drive
yourself' option. The cityscape is an
interesting combination of modern high rise office complexes
housing financial institutions, Fortune 500 Companies, government
offices, hospitals and universities and the more charming
cobblestone, gas-lit streets flanked by 19th-century warehouses and
a 300-year old farmers' market, filled with the scent of ripe fruit
and fresh flowers.
Advertisment: Search for a Holiday deal.
There are options for all Richmond holidays, hotels,
Richmond Flights and other deals with the
multi-search
booking engine.
Richmond
holidays - Top Places To Go
1. Capitol Square
legis.state.va.us/cap_tours/online_tours/virtual_tours.html |
What is it? Richmond's Capitol Square is a glorious oasis
of old trees and green lawns in the heart of the downtown area,
perched on a hilltop. 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.
Hours of Operation: As of 1 March 2005, the building was closed to the
general public due to construction, expected to continue until
April 2007. Ordinarily the State Capitol is open daily for
half-hour tours 9am to 5pm
Phone:(804) 786 4344 |
2. The Museum and White House of the Confederacy
1201 East Clay Street
www.moc.org |
What is it? Civil War buffs flock to the Museum of the
Confederacy, which houses the most comprehensive collection of
Confederate artefacts, personal memorabilia and art to be found
anywhere in the United States. 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.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday 12pm to
5pm
Phone:(804) 649 1861 |
3. Richmond National Battlefield Park
www.nps.gov/rich |
What is it? Between 1861 and 1865, Union armies
repeatedly set out to capture Richmond, strategic capital of the
Confederacy, and end the 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.
Hours of Operation: Battlefields are open from sunrise to sunset. Visitor
centre open 9am to 5pm
Phone:(804) 226 1981, or (804) 771 2145 (Civil War Visitor
Center) |
Richmond
holidays - Top Events
|
