Visiting Richmond, VA—a rockin' city
By Terry Moore
After spending a much too short visit there last spring, I can vouch that Richmond, Virginia rocks as well as enlightens.
Here’s my take on why Richmond is worthy of a longer visit than mine<
Golf history: Since 1924, Richmond has hosted important tournaments with such notable winners as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Harvie Ward, Chi Chi Rodriquez and Arnold Palmer. In fact, Palmer won his last professional victory in 1988 at the PGA Tour Champions’ Crestar Classic at Hermitage CC. And in 2006, Matt Kuchar won a Web Tour event at The Dominion Club which propelled him to earning his card on the PGA Tour and become a premier player.
The State Capitol: With the convenience of staying in the historic and centrally located The Commonwealth hotel, we opted to begin with a guided tour of the Virginia State Capitol, a National Historic Landmark since 1960. Built between 1785-1798, it was designed by Thomas Jefferson and introduced the Classical Revival temple style to the modern world. It has inspired numerous public buildings across the country. It’s a must stop when you’re in Richmond.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: The Wall Street Journal recently touted the VMFA as now a “two day museum” for the depth and breadth of its collection. That’s a good summation because after being there for only a few hours, we barely scratched the surface. Highlights include art by Singer, Hassam, Sargent, Hopper, Bellows, Benton, Picasso, and Matisse among others. And there’s an incredible collection of 400 Russian decorative arts objects including some priceless Faberge eggs.
Hollywood Cemetery: You don’t have to be in a Halloween mindset to appreciate Hollywood. Sited beautifully on the banks of the James River, the cemetery spans 135 acres of valleys, hills, and majestic trees. And it’s brimming with history, highlighted by the graves of two U.S. Presidents (Monroe and Tyler) and an extensive Civil War burial section. Confederate President Jefferson Davis is also buried here as are six Virginia governors, two Supreme Court justices, prominent authors, suffragists, and other notables.
St. John’s Episcopal Church: History buffs will savor St. John’s, the place where Patrick Henry in 1775 gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in front of George Washington, Jefferson and Henry Lee among others. Today, tours and reenactments take place regularly.
Monument Avenue: Controversial to some due to its homage to Confederate generals harking back to the 1890s, this stately and tree-lined grassy mall section of Richmond is part of the city’s history and also includes a fitting memorial to native son and tennis great Arthur Ashe. It’s also home to a stretch of architecturally significant homes and buildings and is near the VMFA.
American Civil War Museum: Its mission is to be “the preeminent center for the exploration of the American Civil War and its legacies from multiple perspectives: Union and Confederate, enslaved and free African Americans, soldiers and civilians.” With a major expansion and addition set to open next spring, the Museum includes the flagship exhibit housed in the 1861 Tredegar Gun Foundry.
The Jefferson Hotel: Along with The Commonwealth, this opulent hotel may serve as a vignette on Golf Channel. Its stunning architecture dating from 1895 wonderfully depicts Richmond’s place and prominence in the region and nation. When The Jefferson was added in 1969 to the National Register of Historical Places, it was deemed to be among the best examples of Beaux Arts style in existence.
Short takes: Take in a guided 2-hour history tour of downtown Richmond, aboard a classic trolley car; visit the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (35k students) and see how some of its student housing and administrative offices are neatly integrated into the historic district; and check out Carytown, an eclectic shopping and dining neighborhood in the heart of downtown.
For more information, check out www.visitrichmondva.com.