Richmond Tourist Info & Stuff
Richmond is more than Tobacco Town.
The capitol of Virginia has a thriving college-meets-the-city atmosphere in the Fan area, stretching from Belvedere to Boulevard, prestigious attractions like the recently unveiled Arthur Ashe addition to Monument Avenue (a street that is worth half a day of tourist perusal all by itself), and noteworthy museums and cultural centers. . . plus thrift store and used LP wonderment on the city's Southside, great shopping areas, and a nightlife on the upswing-- it all makes for a rich and varied touristy experience.
THE RICHMOND VISTORS TOURISM CENTER, at Richmond International Airport and 550 E. Marshall Streets, offers information on the prime tourist sights (like the White House of the Confederacy, etc.). If you like to be chauffeured, join up with a Historic Richmond bus (780-0107) and get the full official lowdown on a city with a rich and varied past.
But a trip to CARYTOWN is a must for anyone interested in the best of what Richmond has to offer, filled with interesting thrift stores, clothes shops, a diverse array of cafes and restaurants, the original PLAN 9 Records location. . . and the Historic BYRD THEATRE, an ornate landmark that has been converted into a bargain movie house. Near the Fan on Cary Street, this mini-city of Carytown is worth an afternoon of looking around, shopping, hanging out. . .
All kinds of fun to be had in the former Capitol of the Confederacy. You can stake out your own rock on Belle Island in the middle of the James River, make out with an off-duty food server under the Channel 6 tower off of Broad Street; pet the dog at EXILE (a cool rock-styled boutique on W. Grace Street); ask clueless summer students for directions to the CHA CHA PALACE; sneak into the HISTORIC DISTRICT HOTEL for a dip in their rooftop pool; spend the evening in an overpriced, if evocative, Shockoe Bottom eatery-- it's all true!!
Another R-mond favorite is the POE MUSEUM, at 1914 E. Main, which has been installed in the oldest house in the city, The Old Stone House, built in 1737. 804-648-5523 for more info. A particularly gripping 'haunt' is the beautiful and austere HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY, the burial place of many of Virginia's presidents, set in a gorgeous (said-to-be-haunted) landscape, and boasting some of the most finely-carved headstones, statues, tombs (and pyramids) this side of an old Hammer film. Far be it from 'Grip' to encourage tourist-types to visit this evocative cemetery (at Cherry St. and Albemarle) after dark when it's closed, but it IS the perfect time to appreciate a spooky and strangely-calming Richmond landmark (...so we've heard. But, really, since it's not all that safe we have to really say DON'T go at night).
Serious beeswax-- if you are spending any time in Richmond, you've got to make a stop by the VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. This rich arts and culture center features everything from Egyptian art to contemporary experimental films to special children's exhibits to vintage photography. Definitely worth a visit (2800 Grove Ave., 804-367-0852), no matter your artistic bent. A suggested donation of $4-$6 is expected. . . and worth it.
For information on Richmond clubs, music stores and instrument shops, click onto the Richmond clubs & music file.
Galleries and Museums
ANDERSON GALLERY (at Virginia Commonwealth University; 804-378-1522)
ARTSPACE (804-782-8672)
BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM (804-780-9107)
. . . BUT IS IT ART? (3031 W. Cary; 804-278-9112)
COINCIDENCE GALLERY (2401 W. Main; 804-353-5102)
FULCRUM GALLERY (3433 W. Cary)
MARSH ART GALLERY (804-289-8276)
PHENOMENON GALLERY (3312 W. Cary; 804-359-2383)
SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA (On Broad; 804-367-6552)
SHOCKOE BOTTOM ARTS CENTER (804-643-7959)
UPTOWN GALLERY (804-353-8343)
VALENTINE MUSEUM (1015 E. Clay St.; 804-649-0711)
VIRGINIA AVIATION MUSEUM (236-3622)
VIRGINIA DISCOVERY MUSEUM (804-977-1025)
VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
(In addition to these places, exhibits are also in places like the ZEUS GALLERY CAFE, WORLD CUP COFFEE HOUSE, 821 BAKERY CAFE and SHOCKOE EXPRESSO)
Theatre
BARKSDALE THEATRE (On U.S. 301 in Hanover; 804-282-2620)
FIREHOUSE THEATRE (1609 W. Broad; 804-784-0000) Local and avant-garde plays and pieces.
EMPIRE THEATRE (804-344-8040)
LITTLE THEATRE (114 W. Broad St.; 804-344-8040)
MAIN STREET GRILL (804-262-5680)
MYSTERY CAFE (at Governor's Inn, Best Western; 804-649-2583)
SKIPJACKS (109 S. 12th St;804-644-0848)
SWIFT CREEK MILL PLAYHOUSE (804-748-5203)
THEATRE AT BOLLING-HAXALL (804-643-2847)
THEATRE VIRGINIA (804-353-6161)
Selected retail stores and other places of interest
BYRD THEATRE (Carytown) Restored grand palace moviehouse now shows a usually-decent selection of 99 cent movies, and hosts Midnight Movies on the weekends. Worth the money just to see the theatre. A must-stop on your Carytown tour.
ETHEL (705 W. Cary; 804-782-0085) Open only on the weekend, this mini-mall treasure features used books, pop culture arcana and loads of fun antique paper goods.
EXILE (on W. Grace Street in the Fan) Cool rock -styled boutique with clothes, memorabillia and neat-o whatnot.
LOST SOCK (1319 W. Main St.; 804-358-0646) Is it a laundromat? A cyberbar? A desktop publishing resource? Coming soon to this place Woodsock (that's their joke, not ours!)
SIDE POCKET (2012 Staple Mill Rd.; 804-353-7921) Pool!
VIDEO FAN (403-B Strawberry; 804-353-7891) The City's best selection of indie, obscure and foreign videos.
THRIFT AND ANTIQUE MALL STORES ON THE CITY'S SOUTHSIDE (Find "em!) We're not giving away all our secrets. Let's just say that, for vinyl lovers and collectors, it might be worth an afternoon to take the Midlothian Turnpike and get a glimpse of the REAL Richmond.
Food
You've got your hands full as far as eating out in Richmond. There is a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and diners in Richmond worth frequenting.
For cheap ( & good) fare, try JOE'S INN at 205 N. Shields Ave. (355-2282). We're beginning to sound like a broken record about this diner's hearty and filling 'Spaghetti Joe' dish. Nevertheless, the 'Joe' has been a Richmond tradition since the Reconstruction (not really) and Joe's is a relaxing place with lots of Miami Dolphins memorabilia on its walls. They've recently opened a second location that we haven't checked out yet. Can't forget BOGARTS at 203 N. Lombardy (353-9280), a fine locals-heavy diner with a back room that occasionally features live jazz and blues. Also, THE TEXAS-WISCONSIN BORDER CAFE at 1501 W. Main (355-2907), a hotspot of Southwestern cuisine that has a hardy atmosphere and a scenester's milieu. Other offerings in the Fan SOUTHERN CULTURE (2229 W. Main, 355-6969), and the recently relocated VILLAGE CAFE at Harrison and Grace. . .the Village is NOT fine dining, it is a place to see and be seen. Order a Village veggie pita and ask a regular about the time Bruce Springsteen bartended there and he'll no doubt tell you. Other offerings in the fan area include PUDDN'HEADS at 1211 W. Main (804-355-BREW)-- bagels, sandwiches and java-- but the truly famished might just want to go hang downtown and cruise the food places at the ritzy SIXTH STREET MARKETPLACE at 550 E. Grace, or try some international cuisine at CAFE OLE (2 N. 6th St. at Main; 225-8226) or Thai stuff at BEAUREGARD'S THAI ROOM (103 E. Cary St.;804-644-BEAU).
Near the West End, meat-eaters will find EXTRA BILLY'S BBQ. Featuring arguably the best BBQ in town, this homey place (5205 W. Broad St., 282-3949) doesn't mind large tables but is closed on Sundays. Also on the West End, Chinese food scurfers might want to try the inexpensive CHINATOWN'S WING WONG (at 6215 W. Broad, 673-9940) or the fine CHINA INN (8030 W. Broad, 270-4262).
In Carytown, the hungry will find a sensory overload. If you like indian food, Grip's own Patty Melt swears by FAROUK'S (3033 W. Cary St., 355-0378), but other fare is available too from a Cary St. McDonalds location to a pricey French-Vietnamese restaurant, INDOCHINE (2923 W. Cary, 353-5799). Some Richmondites simply swear by the sandwiches and sailors at NEW YORK DELI (2920 W. Cary St., 355-6056) and COPPOLAS (2900 W. Cary, 355-0378), and if you like bagels try the LAZY BAGEL at 3156 W. Cary (355-7035). Our advice for you is to just cruise down Cary Street and see what looks and smells good! On the other side of Cary St., the FROG BAR CAFE is getting some good word-of-mouth (1423 E.Cary St., 804-649-3750) for its pizzas and spreads Price is inexpensive to middling.
In the revitalized Oregon Hill district, near Virginia Commonwealth University, Mexican buffs can try the new BANDIDO'S BURRITO LOUNGE (733 W. Cary St.; 343-1177) and pastry buffs can sample the fare at the 821 BAKERY CAFE (821 W. Cary ST.; 649-1042). The funky and eclectic HERMITAGE GRILL is an inexpensive, if crowded, place to eat well (6010 Hermitage Rd., 804-264-7400), especially desserts. Down in Shockoe Bottom, you've got the wide and varied Cubano dishes at HAVANA 59 (16 N. 17th St.; 649-CUBA) and the patio food at AREA 51 (19 N. 18th St.; 643-5100). Veggies and Vegans might like the MAIN STREET GRILL, also at Shockoe Bottom (1700 E. Main, 644-3969) or GRACE PLACE at 826 W. Grace Street in the Fan.
For late night eats, there's the legendary THIRD STREET DINER, open until 5 a.m., at 103 E. Cary St. (788-4750) and the new 4th STREET CAFE (also downtown and open 24 hours) at 9 N. 4th Street. The AUNT SARAH'S on Broad Street near Boulevard is also open all night (last time we checked) and a few OPEN HOUSES can also be found on Broad Street after normal hours.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. . .
Tell "em you heard about it from Grip Monthly and the Virginia Music Flash web site.