icymi… richmond was recently voted #1 best town in america to visit by cnn, and they are CORRECT.

i have lived in this river city for almost twenty years now (holy moly, how is that possible?!) and it truly feels like home. it’s a city with a hard history (and a whole lot of reckoning around it now), a vibrant music and arts scene, incredible food, awesome nature spots, fun attractions, and SO MUCH TO DO.

i often get asked what the best things are to do/see/eat/etc in rva, so i’ve sketched out a rough itinerary for a day to give you some ideas of my favorites as well as how to get a good sampling of the city!

here’s how to spend a day in richmond, va:

(mainly in the fan/museum district/scott’s addition area)

get coffee

grit coffee - scott’s addition if you want to sit and chill for a bit, blanchard’s if you want a more classic, trendy rva coffee experience and you’re not trying to stay and dine (it’s smaller and usually packed!), lamplighter if you want the grungier rva coffee vibe.

wander a farmer’s market

if you want a large, one stop shop, there’s nothing better than the rva big market (saturdays year-round, 9am-noon). i personally frequent the farmers market @ st. stephen’s (saturdays year-round, 8am-noon from may to september, 9am-noon april to october) which is smaller but covers every essential.

browse a bookstore

in the cary town area, visit bbgb if you’re in the market for flawlessly curated kids books (they have YA and adult too, just more limited!), then pop down a few doors to shelf life books (don’t miss the upstairs full of used books for cheaper!). if you’re in the shockoe area, hit fountain bookstore, my most favorite!

ps — here are my 5 favorite bookstores in rva!

do some shopping

carytown is my favorite — it’s also known as “the mile of style” and it’s blocks of mostly locally owned businesses and restaurants that are so fun to browse. a few of my favorites: ashby for used clothing, jewelry, and local handmade goods; mongrel is like a hipster hallmark full of amazing cards, gifts, and a million home/body/just awesome things you’ll be so tempted by, world of mirth is the most fun kids store, mamie’s apothecary is great for body goods, and lou lou is perfect for cute accessories.

eat lunch

you don’t need to leave carytown to get a great bite to eat — i’d recommend the daily kitchen & bar if you want a fresh and local crowdpleaser with great variety and a large outdoor patio, tulsi for indian, lolita’s for trendy mexican (with outdoor seating), zorch for pizza (vegan options but no gluten free), or greek on cary for… greek (duh). pop by bev’s for some homemade ice cream as a treat after, or swing by for the love of chocolate to shop an abundance of sweets!

if the weather’s not great, explore a museum

the virginia museum for fine arts (aka vmfa) is my favorite — FREE — art museum. you could easily spend all day there, or pick your favorite art era (or the paid special exhibit). the outdoor garden/grounds are great too! on the same block is the virginia museum of history & culture if that’s more your speed. the children’s museum of richmond (where my mom works!) and science museum of virginia are next door to each other and just a few blocks from the vmfa/carytown, too.

or get outside if it’s nice out

maymont is a HUGE 100-ace outdoor park with a historic estate (which you can pay to tour), awesome themed garden areas (italian, Japanese, etc), a nature center, a bunch of animals, and cool tours, too. if you want a more intentional trail/hike/mountain bike situation, i recommend the buttermilk trail (about 2.5 miles, difficult, covering both sides of the james river), or heading to belle isle or pony pasture to explore more of the river and get out on the boulders. for a more curated outdoor experience, lewis ginter botanical garden is awesome and has really fun things for kiddos!

eat dinner

you’ve probably worked up an appetite by now! a few of my favorite dinner spots: joe’s inn for a tried-and-true rva classic in the heart of the fan (also great to grab a drink), pizza and beer of richmond is my favorite pizza spot (again, also great for grabbing a drink or watching a game, plus they have a large outdoor patio perfect for dogs or kids), sabai is incredible for thai food (also has a fun patio and awesome drinks!), peter chang in scott’s addition is incredible chinese with a really cool vibe (think upscale, not your average takeout), and don’t look back has my favorite tacos (plus billiards!).

get a sweet treat

the cutest ice cream spot is in the middle of the fan — scoop is pretty and pink and has macaron ice cream sandwiches! or cookie/ice cream flights! The dream! (plus there are always dairy free and gluten free flavors!). if you have the room, i’d be remiss not to mention shyndigz, known for their massive slices of cake. they also have a to-go market nextdoor, if you want to pick something up for later. my favorite vegan treats can be found at minglewood — they have a bunch of gf options too!

have some late night fun

if you’re ready to keep things going, here are a few things that are fun to do in the post-dinner hours! river city roll is awesome for boutique bowling, catching live music, having some drinks, etc. bingo beer co has a beer garden, restaurant, arcades, and more if that’s more your speed. if you want options, the park rva is the move, with duckpin bowling, 18-hole mini golf, arcades, a beer garden, karaoke, music, and more. brambly park is a huge restaurant/winery/park that often has live music — it’s a great spot to grab a drink or snack and be outside, pets and kids and crowds welcome!

ps – if you want to plan your trip around catching live music, be sure to check out the broadberry, richmond music hall, the national, canal club, and the camel.

and plan to come back again!

there is so much more to see and do in rva than can be done in a day, a weekend, or even a year, so it’s well worth planning a stay (or several) to really get the most of it. if there are specific recs you’d like to see more of, let me know — it’s so fun to play tourguide in this city i love so much.

enjoy exploring!

how to spend a day in richmond, va