This building is breathtaking, outside as well as inside! While in Richmond, I couldn't miss the…read moreopportunity to visit. The architecture is so ornate and gives you the feeling of stepping back in time. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything on site to learn about the building's history, and you are limited to only the first floor. However, it's worth the visit just to take in the beauty and detail of this space.

Old City Hall in Richmond is a stunning architectural gem. The intricate Gothic design and towering…read morearches are truly breathtaking!

There is a lot of history in Richmond, much of it Revolutionary War and of course much of it Civil…read moreWar. But this marker references neither. Located near Gambles Hill and the Tredegar Iron Works. It reads, "Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8, carrying 74 US Army recruits to Columbia SC, crashed southwest of Richmond on 8 November 1961. All of the recruits and three of five crew members perished. At the time, the crash was the worst in Virginia history for a single civilian aircraft. At fault were poor airline management, substandard maintenance and crew error. The tragedy resulted in an investigation of the charter aircraft industry that revealed many violations of safety standards. In 1962 Congress mandated that all supplemental carriers reapply for certification by the Civil Aeronautics Board and meet stricter insurance and financial requirements." There is no parking near the marker. [Review 11761 overall, 1543 of 2019.]

The Ellen Glasgow house is a little gem that I learned about in my Architectural History classes…read morewhile attending VCU. I had done several papers on historic buildings in what is known as Monroe Ward Historic District and also takes its place as a National Historic Landmark. First the house, then more about its famous owner. The house was built in 1841 and is a combination of both Greek Revival and Federal Architectural styles. It was a common type of home for this era in Richmond and a few others still survive on 5th Street between Main and Cary Streets. It is a 3 over 2 style home with a hip roof and 4 chimneys. Like other homes of this style it has a double "sleeping porch' off the back to catch the previously unobstructed river breezes, a small garden, and a carriage house that is now an apartment. As was also common, this house is brick covered with stucco and scored to look like cut stone. This house if unfortunately not open to the public but is still significant enough to be of interest to historians, literary types, and architecture fans. It was the home of Ellen Glasgow who, in 1938, was the sixth woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. More impressive, in 1942, she received the Pulitzer Prize for her final novel, In This Our Life. Pretty neat stuff for a house you probably have driven by a thousand times. Her family bought the house in 1887. Glasgow, who lived in the house until her death in 1945, was a well-known Southern novelist and one of few Richmond women to achieve prominence in literature.

Wonderful artistry in the statue and great location in the center of downtown. The timeline around…read morethe statue and the statue itself are both wonderful to see in person.

"Let us be strong and make big plans!" -Maggie Walker…read more Maggie Walker has truthfully made a name for herself! Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1864 and raised by her mother Elizabeth Draper, a former slave, Maggie began to make a change as a teenager. Ms. Maggie Walker was an African American entrepreneur with a vision to make tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans. She was a bright woman of many firsts, who dedicated her life to making positive social change within the community, especially for African American woman. Ms. Walker was the first woman bank president in the United States. She was also known as a writer, teacher, activist and speaker. If you are in the City of Richmond, I would strongly encourage you to check out Maggie Walkers' National Historic Site, located on E Leigh Street. I believe the National Park has done an exceptional job being able to tell the story of Maggie Walker and reliving her life. Maggie Walker is truly a woman that has accomplished a lot in her life, despite her disability as well as being an African American woman, and deserves to be remembered for her great achievements! Although this statue is located on the main street in Downtown Richmond, I still truly encourage to check out this memorial plaza.

I was visiting the city of Richmond during Black History Month and because of the historical and…read morecultural significance of Richmond during the slave trade - I wanted to make sure I saw and did as much as I could to explore this part of its history. The Emancipation and Freedom Monument is a beautiful bronze statue that was commissioned in 2021. The very nature of the topic that the statue represents, made it extremely powerful to see in person. I would highly recommend visiting the monument, as it is very moving, inspiring and has information on some of the KEY Virginians that fought against slavery and equality.

All I can say is wow! I wish I could give this sculpture 5 more stars. It is as amazing as it is…read morepowerful. It is the center piece of Brown's Island. The piece, which is the work of Thomas Jay Warren of Oregon, was dedicated in 2021. It depicts two 12-foot statues. The first statue is of a shirtless male slave that has freed himself from the shackles around his wrist. The statue is very detailed and almost looks real. You can even see the whip marks on his back and his abs. The other stature that makes up this monument is of a woman that is cuddling a baby in her left hand and holding up what I assume are her freedom papers. The paper has the date January 1, 1863, which happens to be the date that Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. On the back of the base you will find the word "FREEDOM". On the other sides of the base you will find the names, images, and brief biographical information of ten African American Virginians whose lives were dedicated to Emancipation and freedom. one side displays five individuals from the period before Emancipation through 1865 (Mary Bowser, William Harvey Carney, Gabriel, Dred Scott, and Nat Turner). The opposite side has five people that continued to work for freedom from 1865 to 1970 (Rosa Dixon Bowser, John Mercer Langston, John Mitchell Jr., Lucy F. Simms, Wyatt Tee Walker). This is one of the best sculptures that I have ever seen and is so impactful. The detail on the sculptures is amazing. The choice of having this monument in Virginia is fitting, given that the state was key in the slave trade. If you could only see one sculpture not only in Virginia, but in the United States, it should be this was. Warren "dropped the mic" on this one. It would be tough for any sculpture to live up to the standard set by this one.

This marker records an important cusp of Virginia's history. Located in front of the Virginia State…read moreCapitol on Broad Street. It reads, "Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, defined under Virginia's 1924 Racial Integrity Act as an interracial couple, married in June 1958 in Washington, D.C., and returned home to Caroline County. Arrested in July for violating Virginia's laws against interracial marriage, the Lovings were convicted and sentenced to one year in jail, suspended on the condition that they leave Virginia. In 1963 they obtained help from the American Civil Liberties Union, which unsuccessfully sought to reverse their convictions in the state courts of Virginia and then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in the case Loving v. Virginia (1967), overturned all state laws restricting marriage on the basis of race." One must wonder if Virginia specifically chose their "Virginia Is For Lovers" slogan in light of how much they fought this couple, all the way to the Supreme Court. [Review 12317 overall, 2101 of 2019.]

Located in a little park with several things to see. Convenient to many of the downtown hotels…read more Highly recommend adding this to the list of things to check out in Richmond.

I went here on a Saturday morning. It is free to visit. Took a paid 90-minute historic walking tour…read more(Highlights of Hollywood Cemetery Walking Tour) by The Valentine. Tour started at the entrance and we went to notable spots. We were only 7 in the tour. Our tour guide Doug who has been doing it for 14 seasons was very knowledgeable. He shared interesting facts, architectural/art styles, history of people and places/Richmond. We saw the iron dog, graves of the 2 US presidents (John Monroe's Tomb and John Tyler's Monument), Lewis Ginter Mausoleum, Palmer Chapel Mausoleum (and the overlooks on its sides), among others. It was a nice tour. I learned a lot. If you plan to go there on your own, there's a map from the website that you can download and use where there are markers for the notable spots. Google Maps does not have these spots in it. The restroom can be found on the left shortly after entering the cemetery. Lewis Ginter Mausoleum shows Victorian era architecture. When you peek through the door, you would see the nice Tiffany glass artwork behind. With its history, nice views overlooking the James River, the peaceful and quiet environment, this is a place worth checking out.

This cemetery is beautiful and big. Lots of unique headstones. It's sprawling with lots of hills so…read morewear your walking shoes.