If You're Traveling Into Richmond...
Some helpful information from the Wikipedia:
Richmond has a significant art community, and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation. In addition to many art venues associated with the university, there are also several attractions nearby, including the Valentine Richmond History Center, Virginia Historical Society, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Richmond Symphony, and the Richmond Ballet. The Byrd Theatre in Carytown is a classical movie theater from the 1920s era that still features second-run movies on a regular basis.
The Science Museum of Virginia is located on Broad Street near the Fan district. It is housed in the neoclassical Union Station. Adjacent to the Science Museum is the Richmond Children's Museum, a fun-filled museum with many hands-on activities.
As the former Capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond is home to many museums and battlefields of the American Civil War. The Museum of the Confederacy, located near the Virginia State Capitol and the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, is in Court End along with the Davis Mansion, also known as the White House of the Confederacy; both today feature a wide variety of objects and material from the era. Near the riverfront is the Tredegar Iron Works and Civil War Battlefields National Park Visitors Center. The National Park Service's Richmond Civil War Visitor Center, in the Tredegar Iron Works, has three floors of exhibits and artifacts, films, a bookstore, picnic areas and more.
Other historical points of interest include St. John's Church, the site of Patrick Henry's famous, "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum which features many of his writings and other artifacts of his life, particularly when he lived in the city as a child, a student, and a successful writer. The John Marshall House, the home of the former Chief Justice of the United States, is also located downtown and features many of his writings and objects from his life. Hollywood Cemetery is also the burial grounds of two U.S. Presidents as well as many other civil war officers and soldiers. The home of former Confederate General Robert E. Lee still stands on Franklin Street in downtown Richmond.
Richmond also has a number of performing arts attractions. Richmond Ballet - Founded in 1957. Richmond Symphony is one of the nation's leading regional orchestras. Virginia Opera is the Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia and presents eight mainstage performances every year at the Landmark Theater. Barksdale Theatre created the nation's first dinner theatre. It continues today as The Hanover Tavern, in Hanover Virginia, Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, and also as Theatre IV at the Empire Theatre in Richmond. The Richmond Coliseum is where the Richmond Renegades play and it is also the venue for various large concerts.
The city operates one of the oldest municipal park systems in the country. Monroe Park sits adjacent to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus and is one of more than 40 parks comprising a total of more than 1,500 acres. Several parks are located along the James River, and the James River Parks System offers bike trails, hiking and nature trails, and many scenic overlooks along the river's route through the city.
There are also parks on two major islands in the river: Belle Isle and Brown's Island. Belle Isle contains many bike trails as well as a small cliff that is used for rock climbing instruction. One can walk the island and still see many of the remains of the Civil War prison camp. Brown's Island is a smaller island and a popular venue of a large number of free outdoor concerts and festivals in the spring and summer.
Two other major parks in the city are Byrd Park and Maymont, located near the fan district of Richmond. Byrd Park features a one mile running track, with exercise stops, a public dog park, and a number of small lakes for small boats, as well as two monuments and an amphitheatre. Maymont, located adjacent to Byrd Park, is a 100 acre Victorian estate with a museum, formal gardens, native wildlife exhibits, nature center, carriage collection, and children's farm. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is also located in the city.
Several theme parks are also located near the city, including Kings Dominion to the north, and Busch Gardens to the east, near Williamsburg.
. . . Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Richmond has an extensive network of Interstate Highways. The major east-west route is Interstate 64 (I-64), and the major north-south route is Interstate 95 (I-95). Three-digit Interstates are Interstate 195 (I-195, Beltline Expressway) and Interstate 295 (I-295). Another planned route, Interstate 895 (I-895) is currently signed as State Route 895 and operated as a toll road under an innovative public-private partnership. It is also known as the Pocahontas Parkway. The Richmond area does not officially have a beltway. However, it has two roads which effectively form portions of a beltway, although they do not completely encircle Richmond. These are Interstate 295 in the northwest, northern, and eastern portions, and State Route 288 in the southwest and western areas.
The following toll roads exist in the Richmond area, and their tolls can all be paid for using Smart Tag/EZ Pass, Powhite Parkway and Powhite Parkway Extension in Richmond and Chesterfield County, Boulevard Bridge and Downtown Expressway in Richmond, and Pocahontas Parkway in Chesterfield and Henrico County. The Richmond Metropolitan Authority operates the Downtown Expressway and the Powhite Parkway. The Powhite Parkway Extension, reaches southwest into Chesterfield County between Chippenham Parkway (State Route 150) and State Route 288, the World War II Veterans Memorial Highway.
The James River bisects the metropolitan area. It enters from the west, but turns due south at downtown Richmond for about 8 miles, before it turns east again.From the west, the bridges across the James River in the Greater Richmond area are:
- World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge (VA-288)
- Edward E. Willey Bridge (VA-150)
- Huguenot Memorial Bridge (VA-147)
- Powhite Parkway Bridge (Powhite Parkway and VA-76) (toll bridge)
- Boulevard Bridge (VA-161) (toll bridge, restricted weights)
- Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge (US-1 and US-301)
- Manchester Bridge (US-60)
- Mayo Bridge (US-360)
- Interstate 95 James River Bridge (I-95)
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge (Pocahontas Parkway and VA-895) (toll bridge)
- Varina-Enon Bridge (I-295)
Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC), a public service company equally-owned by the City of Richmond and Henrico County, is the local publicly-funded provider of transit bus and paratransit services. The GRTC also provides an express bus to Petersburg, Virginia where it links up with Petersburg Area Transit (PAT), which is part of the Petersburg city government. PAT has some affiliations with GRTC and serves the Tri-cities area of the Greater Richmond Region.Public transportation in Richmond is very limited, with GRTC bus routes available only within the city limits and a few portions of urban Henrico County. Henrico service runs only on Monday through Friday. Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and the Far West End have no transit service. A car is a necessity in greater Richmond due to infrequent scheduling of the GRTC routes and the lack of bus service in the suburbs.
Richmond has numerous taxicab operators, mostly operated as small businesses. A contractor, Groome Transportation, provides limousine service for individuals and groups between the airport and points in the Richmond area and beyond, including other major airports. several companies offer wheelchair-accessible paratransit service to individuals and small groups.
Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines and Carolina Trailways. Apex also provides a "Chinatown bus" to New York City.
Richmond is served by passenger rail service provided by Amtrak, with two railroad stations. Each station receives regular service from north of Richmond from Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York. The suburban Staples Mill Road Station is located on a major north-south freight line and receives all service to and from all points south including, Raleigh, Durham, Savannah, Newport News, Williamsburg and Florida. The historic and recently renovated Main Street Station near downtown Richmond only receives trains bound for Newport News and Williamsburg at this time, due to its track layout. As a result, the Staples Mill Road station receives more service overall.
Richmond is served by a major commercial airport and several smaller general aviation facilities. Richmond is served by the Richmond International Airport, located in nearby Sandston, seven miles southeast of Richmond and within an hour drive of historic Williamsburg, Virginia, RIC airport is served by seven airlines with non-stop flights to 21 destinations and connecting flights to destinations worldwide.
Richmond International Airport is not served by public transit, other than a little-used GRTC bus route from downtown that runs only five times per day, during the morning and afternoon rush hour Monday through Friday. As is the case everywhere in Richmond, driving to the airport (either by taxicab or private car) is by far the fastest mode of transportation. RIC is approximately a $15 taxi fare from downtown Richmond. Parking is available in long-term lots for $6 per day, the close-in daily garage for $10 per day, and the hourly garage for $2 per hour (first 30 minutes free).
The Port of Richmond (locally known as Deepwater Terminal) offers deep water connections on the navigable portion for the James River east to Hampton Roads, known as the "world's greatest natural harbor", which is located only 18 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Shipping to other points on the Chesapeake Bay is also possible.
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