We only explored the bottom half today. Looking forward to returning with the children and…read moreexploring more. Some of the artifacts that are on display here are amazing. Particularly the POW items that were made.

I've passed this multiple times in the late afternoon/night when I go to the Brown Island area but…read morethey're already closed by those times. Went here on a Friday afternoon. It was difficult to find parking even though it was 3PM because of road closures for an event at Allianz Amphitheater later that day. It's a relatively small museum beside Tredegar Iron Works. It's made of two floors; the second floor has only one exhibit with very few items/artifacts. It's self-guided but they are tours. The exhibits on the first floor has a nice collection of artifacts. Two short movies (less than 10 minutes) are available. Gift shop is also on the first floor. Though I learned new things, I think it's pricey for a small museum. I would not go back again.

This is one of my very favorite shopping events in Richmond. The juried art show is a Richmond…read moretradition and 2010 will be its 46th year. It's hosted by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Each year more than 70 artists from around the United States come to the Science Museum of Virginia for one weekend in November. What I love about this show is that the selections tend more toward very artistic and one-of-a-kind. Although the group that chooses has tried to skew toward more affordable pieces in the past few years, this still isn't the place for a bargain. It's a place to invest in truly unique, handcrafted wall art, ceramics, jewelry, apparel, accessories and more. Every year I plan to splurge and buy myself at least one nice piece of jewelry. In the past I've purchased sterling silver jewelry based on exact replicas of flowers and buds, funky resin bracelets, hammered metal earrings, handmade purses and more. I cherish each piece and always get lots of compliments on them all. Because the show takes place right at the start of the holiday season, it's also a good place to buy gifts. Because the participation is limited and the event is more exclusive, tickets are a bit more expensive than your average shopping event: $12 each, but I think it's totally worth it for the quality of the art.

The starrrrr of the show was the national park ranger that ran the building. I seriously wish I…read morecould remember his name. We absolutely enjoyed this museum. It was small but very informative! Thousands of Confederate wounded were treated in a range of makeshift hospitals hastily established in hotels, factories and private homes, but it became clear a war of this magnitude required a modernized medical response. Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, Virginia Samuel P. Moore, the Confederate surgeon general, secured the facilities and personnel at Chimborazo (the site got its name from Mount Chimborazo, an inactive volcano in Ecuador). Occupying 150 buildings, it typically served around 4,000 soldiers at a time. It treated 75,000 soldiers. It would prove to be among the world's most efficient, modern, and sanitary hospitals of the period. Dr. James B. McCaw was in charge of running the facility. McCaw organized Chimborazo into 5 divisions, each with its own surgeon-in-chief. The complex also included bathhouses, ice houses, carpentry and blacksmith shops, a soap manufactory, a stable, a chapel, an apothecary shop, a bakery that produced 10,000 loaves daily, a brewery that produced 400 kegs of beer at a time, and 5 dead houses, 1 for each division. Chimborazo maintained a vegetable garden on a nearby farm, along with goats and cows. McCaw even secured a canal boat to travel the James River, bringing provisions from as far away as Lexington. McCaw relied heavily on slaves, free blacks and women to keep the hospital running. They helped feed soldiers, wrote letters for them, administered medicine, organized the kitchens, enforced discipline, and generally tried to be a constant friend to the sick soldiers. The facility was converted after the war into a freedmen's school. Opened in June 1865, it served hundreds of African-American students. Today Richmond National Battlefield Park uses one portion of the hill for its "Chimborazo Medical Museum," which is housed in a 20th century building atop the site of the historic hospital.

This historic visitor center has a short film that tells some interesting medical history about the…read morehospital that was once here and about the overall environment of trying to practice medicine before modern science had really entered the fray. The handful of artifacts on exhibit won't take a ton of time afterwards. It's interesting content but more of a diversion for the interested than a destination for the undecided.

It's tiny but it's great! The Ashland Museum is a great introduction to the history of this…read moreadorable little town. And...they have an App! So if you want to walk around on your own, put the app on your phone and drink a chai latte from The Caboose while checking out history at your own pace. You can contact them to work out a tour, which is what my group did. It's an historic town...don't miss the history!!

I thought this place would be more popular as a Founding Father, but we were the only visitors when…read morewe attended, so it was nice to have a private tour. You can buy tickets online, but it isn't likely necessary. A lot of the furnishings are original, even though Henry didn't live at the house very long. The tour guide went over the history of the Henry family, including the death of his first wife and remarriage. The guide reenacted Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech which was very engaging. The house tour only covers the first floor, but there are signs around for QR scans/additional audio for the outbuildings. They were a bit repetitive and sometimes speculative about things or people who may have lived there, so that was hit or miss. The gift shop was small but pleasant and there was plenty of parking. It is a bit off road, but it's worth the visit.

Absolutely lovely historic venue. The staff here is friendly, engaging, and extremely…read moreknowledgeable. We were here for the holiday activities and we had a blast. My wife and son loved the wreath making. The fact that it has snowed the day before was just a cherry on top of a perfect afternoon. Cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who is even remotely a history enthusiast.

I've been to Riverrock the past two years, and they've been enjoyable experiences. It's a festival…read moreon the river that has really anything you could possibly be interested in, from musical acts (SNACKTIME! this year), to food vendors, shops, and plenty of adventurous activities. I primarily enjoy the dog jumping, bouldering (watching, not doing ha), and the music. Dominion otherwise sucks so it's nice they put this event on each year for the community.

Welcome to one of the East Coast's largest outdoor festival. This event lives up to most of the…read morehype and I've been several times in the past 5 or so years. It's a great event to be outdoors and spectate. Three days of crazy outdoor fun, hanging out and people watching. Best of all, it's located along Richmond's very own James River. There's a wide range of people that come to this event which include kids, teens, parents, college students/grads, and professionals all come together to enjoy what RVA has to offer. Events include: trail running, kayaking, biking, bouldering, slacklining, stand up paddleboarding, and dog jumping. I am not sure if it was new this year or not but you could sign up to do trails of some of the events and I tried out paddleboarding for the first time which was quite fun. it was my first time in the canal! Only fear was falling in that amazing brown water.. Parking can always be a hassle for events down in this area but I always suggest parking on side streets several blocks away to avoid parking costs. The food lines were insanely long even at hours way after lunch or hours before dinner. This year Matisyahu performed on Saturday Night and his performance and vibe was amazing. Great traditional RVA event each year.

This outdoor wine festival takes place for one weekend every April. About 12 wineries come to the…read moreInnsbrook Pavilion and set up tasting booths. There's also live jazz, arts and crafts and food for sale. A word of warning: this event gets packed! Be prepared to wait a bit to taste, and if it's a hot day, to be dripping with sweat by the end. That said, it's still a fun afternoon of wine tasting. This past year most of the wineries around Richmond were present, including Cooper, Grayhaven, Horton, James River Cellars and Lake Anna Winery. A few from further afield were also present, including Amrhein, Hill Top Berry Farm/Winery, Rebec Vineyards and Rockbridge Vineyards. Veritas Vineyards, one of my favorite Charlottesville area wineries was on site. All their wines are high in quality and soo drinkable. It's always hard to decide what to buy. If you've never done it before, you also have to go by Peaks of Otter Winery. You get to taste a slew of fruit wines, and finish with a hot pepper wine called Kiss the Devil. Everyone shoots it at the same time and then you get a sticker to wear for the rest of the day boasting "I kissed the Devil." Kind of fun. You can buy glasses of wine or open bottles to sip on-site, and sometimes this provides a nice break from the tasting. Tickets are available at a variety of local wine stores and cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

This is a hidden gem…read more Located like exactly 20 minutes west of short pump is the cutest reptile museum. I cannot recommend it enough. The staff were SO knowledgeable and kind. They do regularly come to Henrico library visits but you need to go in person to get an up close and personal visit with the reptiles. Very excited to see how they expand in the future.

What a hidden small town gem! We have a reptile loving kiddo. One rainy day we decided to visit in…read more Jake and his team were SO knowledgable and friendly. They clearly have a passion for what they do and love sharing that with all who visit. We had the best time! Lots of creatures to see, feeding time observations, and hand on experiences! If you have a reptile lover, this is the place for you. We will most definitely be back.