Richmond, Virginia: A River Runs Through It

The rapids on the James River give Richmond a unique urban feature.

We detoured from our usual road trip destinations in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana to fly to Richmond, Virginia, because that’s where our daughter Natalie Draper and her partner Peter Stone live. Despite a couple of rainy days with temperatures near freezing, we had a great time with Natalie and Peter in a fun city with a beautiful river running through it.  

Our tour guides, Natalie Draper and Peter Stone, check the accuracy of the sundial in the gardens at the Maymont Estate in Richmond.

James River

Richmond is the only U.S. city with class III and IV rapids in an urban setting. During our visit, we only saw one brave kayaker taking on the cold water, but we crossed the James River on a spectacular pedestrian bridge to Belle Isle to get a close-up view of the rapids.

The scenic James River gives Richmond a unique feel for a large city.

Despite the cold wind whipping across the river, we enjoyed the walk to and from Belle Isle.

James and Sallie Dooley lived in this mansion until 1925. It’s the centerpiece of the Maymont Estate.

Maymont: An American Estate

December is not the ideal time to visit Maymont, but we had a nice stroll through the grounds and enjoyed watching the photographers shooting the brides who didn’t let the cold weather deter them. Maymont is a 100-acre estate that reflects the extravagance of the Golden Age. It features Mansions and buildings, gardens and an arboretum, nature center, farm and wildlife exhibits.

Linda climbs a stone staircase at Maymont.

Maymont features many settings for wedding and graduation photographers to use.

The gardens at Maymont still look beautiful even in the winter.

Historic Tredegar Iron Works includes military artifacts and examples of industrial age equipment once used there.

Historic Tredegar Iron Works

We visited the recently renovated Tredegar Iron Works site that includes the American Civil War Museum—a must see place for history fans. With the U.S. Constitution in the news the week we visited, we especially enjoyed learning about the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments.

Natalie Draper, manager of the main public library in Richmond, welcomes us.

Richmond’s Main Library

The highlight of our Richmond expedition was a behind-the-scenes tour of Richmond’s main library. Natalie Draper, manager of the library, provided the tour and took us into “the chimney,” which is the storage area for books and things collected over the library’s decades of service to the city’s residents. For additional information, here’s a link to the library’s website: https://rvalibrary.org/about/locations/main-library/.

Arla and Linda venture into the depths of the vast library where only authorized librarians may enter.

Natalie and Arla discuss a Little Red Riding Hood exhibit in the library’s special collections area.

Arla meets Raggedy Ann at the library.

Natalie introduces Arla to some of the library patrons who have special chairs reserved for them.

Arla’s Shocking Moment

I’m curious and sometimes that gets me into trouble. I repeated that lesson at the Richmond Main Library where the manager, Natalie Draper, gave me a stern lecture about the need to obey all posted warnings.

I only wanted to know if there were books behind the warning sign that were too controversial to be read, especially by children. She said, “No. We’re fixing the restrooms and don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Oh, my imagination is always better than reality.

Walk across one of the pedestrian bridges over the James River to get a great view of downtown Richmond.

GEE WHIZ FACTS

• Richmond, the capital city of Virginia, was founded in 1737.

• Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” statement at Richmond’s St. John's Church in 1775.

• Forbes has named Richmond as one of the 10 coolest U.S. cities to visit.

• President Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad visited Richmond on April 4, 1865, a day after Union troops entered the city. The president was assassinated 11 days later in Washington.

Natalie, Arla and Linda hang out with President Lincoln and his son.

PARTING SHOTS: CANNONS TO SUNSETS

Arla, Doug and Natalie participate in a family tradition—the mandatory cannon shot.

Natalie recommends a library book to Arla.

Arla studies one of the collections in a vast storage area at the Richmond Main Library.

Natalie and Peter demonstrate their modeling skills at Maymont.

Deer roam the woods at Maymont.

A bird finds a solitary perch in the middle of the James River.

Seagulls make Richmond their inland home.

The James River serves as a great place for birdwatchers.

The photographer takes a break.

Farewell, Richmond. A sunset ends our visit.