One of the ways Shae and I are able to afford our 5 year, 50 state road trip is by finding free things to do along the way.
We’ve visited Richmond, Virginia a couple of times in the past, but only for a day or two and so hadn’t had much of a chance to explore the city. We were therefore pleased to discover that Virginia’s state capital has all kinds of free things to do.
From museums to art to sculpture hunting to canals and rivers to National Parks & more, here are 15 free things to do in Richmond, Virginia.
1) Belle Isle
Whenever we’ve visited Richmond in the past, we’ve always spent some time over on Belle Isle and this visit was no exception. There’s a bridge that takes you across the James River to Belle Isle and it’s a wonderful place to relax. There are walking paths, boards with historical information and, best of all, rocks to clamber over and river pools to relax in.
Check out this post for more information about why we love Belle Isle.
2) Swim In The James River
The James River runs through the middle of Richmond and so you’re never far from the water. We’ve usually visited Richmond during the summer and so the water level hasn’t been particularly high.
The river is clean which, combined with the relatively low water level, means there are several areas where you can paddle and swim safely. Even Truffles got in on the action during this visit.
3) Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
I messed up when booking our hotel for Richmond (you can read more about that here), so we had one less day in Richmond than originally anticipated.
One of the places I’d wanted to check out was Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), so I stopped by there after we checked out of our hotel but before heading up to Roanoke, the next city on our trip.
I’m not usually too interested in art, but several people had recommended VMFA to us. To be honest, I wasn’t too impressed by the exhibits when I first arrived as I didn’t find them too interesting (I’m sure others would have though).
That changed as I made my way through the museum though as the exhibits got progressively more interesting. VMFA has a statue of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula.
Due to his unpopularity, most public images of Caligula were destroyed. The marble statue below from 38 CE is therefore one of only two known full-length statues to have survived.
Other interesting exhibits included historical Egyptian artifacts…
…and Fabergé creations, including a number of Fabergé Easter eggs.
Once you’ve explored VMFA on the inside, take a walk around the outside to see some more artwork.
4) State House
As mentioned earlier, Richmond is the capital of Virginia which means it’s home to the Virginia State Capitol building.
The building wasn’t as impressive as some others we’ve visited on our road trip (for example, I much preferred the Capitol buildings in Montgomery, Alabama and Montpelier, Vermont), but it’s still worth a visit.
The Virginia State Capitol offers guided and self-guided tours, both of which are free.
Although you can’t see it when standing out front of the building, there’s a sneaky dome inside.
5) Virginia Holocaust Museum
Shae and I have visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. before, but we hadn’t realized there was a Holocaust Museum in Richmond until this visit.
Virginia Holocaust Museum is free to visit and there’s free parking in lot opposite the building. It’s definitely worth visiting and the exhibits inside are powerful and well put together. There’s a lot of information, but it’s presented in a way that enables you to take it all in, rather than just being endless walls of text.
6) Fan District
Shae’s stepdad suggested we check out the Fan district in Richmond due to the architecture there. It was a good recommendation as there are a lot of interesting and beautiful homes there.
Monument Avenue in particular is worth walking down to see a variety of different house designs.
The Fan district also has numerous monuments. Most of them are of Confederate generals in the Civil War, such as Robert E. Lee (pictured below). There’s also one dedicated to the tennis player Arthur Ashe as he was born in Richmond, but we sadly missed seeing his monument.
7) Farmers Market
If you’ll be in Richmond at the weekend, be sure to check out South of the James Market, a farmers market that takes place in Forest Hill Park.
I’m not sure if it’s so big year-round, but we were surprised by how many stalls were there when we visited. We kept walking and walking and saw more and more stalls. There’s a great variety of vendors, so everyone will be able to find items of interest.
8) Forest Hill Park
Before or after visiting the South of the James Market, take a wander around the rest of Forest Hill Park.
There seemed to be several walking paths, including a half-mile walk around a small lake.
9) Maymont
While I went off to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on our final day in Richmond, Shae went off to Maymont.
I’ve included Maymont on this list seeing as it is something you can do for free in Richmond, although they do ask for donations when visiting. For example, if you want to explore Maymont Mansion there’s a suggested donation of $5.
There are extensive gardens and grounds that you can walk around…
…as well as a farm.
10) Murals
Richmond seems to be very artistic, with murals adorning buildings all around the city. You’ll no doubt see many of them as you walk or drive around the city, but you can also find a list of them – and their addresses – on this helpful website.
11) Riverfront Canal Walk
While the James River is the dominant waterway through Richmond, the city is also home to several canals. You can take the Riverfront Canal Walk from 5th St to 17th St or join it at any of the entry points between those streets.
12) Steel Dogs
Shae and I love going sculpture hunting in cities that have these kinds of public art projects. We’ve looked for storybook characters, mermaids, lighthouses, horses, light bulbs, Totos and more.
Richmond has its own sculpture hunt you can do courtesy of the Steel Dog Project.
We ran out of time to look for them all, but we did spot a few along the way, including these two at Carytown Burgers & Fries.
13) Wander Around Carytown
Speaking of Carytown, this is another district like the Fan district that’s worth wandering around. While the Fan district seems to be the moneyed area, Carytown has a completely different vibe and has a bunch of boutique stores, restaurants and bars.
Be sure to stop by Chop Suey Books to say hi to WonTon the bookstore cat.
14) Richmond National Battlefield Park
If you’re trying to visit as many National Parks around the country as possible, Richmond is home to National Battlefield Park. Interestingly, this isn’t just one location, but five:
- Tredegar Iron Works
- Chimborazo Medical Museum
- Cold Harbor
- Fort Harrison
- Shelton House at Rural Plains
Upon the suggestion of a friend, we visited Tredegar Iron Works which is right next to the American Civil War Museum.
Shae and I had been expecting much of its focus to be on the Iron Works’ involvement in the Civil War, but the video and exhibits more broadly covered Richmond’s involvement in the Civil War seeing as it served as the capital of the Confederate States of America.
One of the most interesting exhibits displayed several models of Tredegar Iron Works, showing how it expanded over time. The building you can see in the first picture above was large, but it pales in comparison to the entire Iron Works complex years ago. I’ve circled that same building below to show quite how massive Tredegar Iron Works once was.
15) Walk Across The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge
Last but not least we have the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. This spans the James River and has an exhibit called ‘The Evacuation and Burning of Richmond’ as you walk along.
This bridge is fairly new as it was only completed in 2016 and connects Brown’s Island with the Manchester area of Richmond.
Your Suggestions
That’s a list of 15 free things to do in Richmond that we enjoyed during our time there, but I feel like we only scratched the surface of the free things that Richmond has to offer. We’d therefore love to hear your suggestions of free things to do in Virginia’s state capital, so please share those in the comments below.
[…] – The Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond is probably my top choice. It’s tough because there were so many great options to choose from […]