Today’s a cool day – it’s marks our 5th anniversary of living in Richmond.
On this date in 2006, Sherry and I woke up on an air mattress in my Upper West Side apartment (she had already moved all of her stuff out of her Soho studio and turned in the keys) to greet my dad, who had driven up in the mini-van that would move us and all of our worldly belongings (hence the air mattress – we had sold our mattresses) to the River City. Seven hours and one stop at Ikea later we arrived at our new apartment in Richmond – unemployed, unwed, and uncontrollably excited about the life ahead of us.
But enough about our back story (you can read more about that here), let’s talk about Richmond. We often get asked for recommendations for what to see, where to shop, and what to eat when in Richmond. So we’re taking this 5th anniversary occasion to share five “Top 5” lists about some of our favorite things in RVA. Are you sensing a “five” theme here? Here’s what we’ve covered:
- 5 Favorite Places to Chow Down
- 5 Favorite Tourist-y Things To Do
- 5 Favorite Ways to Enjoy a Gorgeous Day
- 5 Favorite Places to Score Home Deals
- 5 Favorite Swanky & Inspiring Home Stores
***5 FAVORITE PLACES TO CHOW DOWN***
Sherry and I aren’t “foodies” by any means, but we definitely love finding an excuse to eat out for those special occasions. Here are a handful of quintessential Richmond restaurants where we love to dine:
- Kuba Kuba: A cozy, casual, and colorful spot in The Fan for Cuban food. Sound “in the know” by pronouncing it “Coo-ba Coo-ba” and not “Kyoo-bah Kyoo-bah.” Here’s the Kuba Kuba website.
- Bottom’s Up: We took the Bowers to this pizza spot in Shockoe Bottom during their visit last year. Be sure to check out the 6 foot high water marks from when it flooded during Hurricane Gaston in 2004. Here’s the Bottom’s Up website.
- The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing: We celebrated the news of Sherry’s pregnancy at this new-ish riverfront restaurant. The food’s great, but the views of the James River and the expansive city skyline are our favorite part (see the picture below). In fact we took Sherry’s mom and stepdad here last night. Here’s the Boathouse website.
- Crab Louie’s Tavern: Technically in Midlothian, this seafood restaurant sits in a historic house older than the USA. Among other reasons, we love all of the fresh bread options that you get before the meal arrives. Carbs. Yum. Here’s Crab Louie’s website.
- Sticky Rice: We loves us some sushi (read about our sushi tradition here), so this somewhat American hipster twist on it is always fun. Plus, where else can you order “Sticky Balls” and not get a weird look? Here’s the Sticky Rice website.
***5 FAVORITE TOURIST-Y THINGS TO DO***
We don’t have a Statue of Liberty or an Eiffel Tower, but these Richmond “landmarks” should be on your list when you’re in town:
- Browse the VMFA: Recently renovated, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts building and the art within it is pure eye candy. And with the exception of special exhibits (currently it’s Mr. Picasso), it’s all totally free to see. Here’s the VMFA website.
- See a movie at The Byrd Theatre: This gorgeous movie palace built in 1928 still shows second-run movies for just $2. It’s fun to grab some popcorn, squeeze your legs into the old school seats, and enjoy the cinema in style. Here’s the Byrd Theatre website.
- Stroll around Hollywood Cemetery: It sounds weird, but this cemetery makes for a gorgeous afternoon walk. Beautiful views and famous headstones (including two US presidents) totally negate the creepy factor – especially in the fall (pictured below). Here’s the Hollywood Cemetery website.
- Shop Carytown: Loads of local shops and restaurants line Cary Street to create Richmond’s iconic and colorful shopping district. You’ll even hit up a few other items on these lists in the process of visiting. Here’s the Carytown website.
- Walk (or run!) to and around “The Fan”: these downtown streets are lined with stunning historic row homes that boast lots of inspiration. It’s great for walking or running on a nice day, especially if you have time to stop in a neighborhood restaurant or park. Here’s The Fan district association website.
***5 FAVORITE WAYS TO ENJOY A GORGEOUS DAY***
We think Richmond truly shines when it’s nice out, so here are some of our favorite places to soak up a beautiful day:
- Pony Pasture: This horse-y name actually belongs to an area of the James River Park System with great nature trails for walking, gentle currents for swimming, and exposed rocks for sunning in the hot months. We always describe Richmond as a beach town, but instead of having an actual beach, locals hang out at the river. (Check out Burger enjoying a hot rock and a long stick in the picture below). Here are directions to Pony Pasture.
- Maymont: This park is one of our favorite spots to take visitors. Why? Tons of paved paths, beautiful gardens, a petting farm, historic buildings, a nature center, and even a zoo (sorta – there are bears, foxes, buffaloes, and bald eagles to name a few). And most of it’s free – even the zoo and the petting farm. Here’s the Maymont website.
- Belle Isle: Kinda like Pony Pasture, but more island-y and closer to downtown, you can come here to enjoy nature and the city skyline in one vista. Plus it has great trails for walking, running, or mountain biking. This is where Sherry and I went from liking to loving Richmond when we first moved here five years back. Here’s Belle Isle on Wikipedia.
- Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: Call it nature in a more controlled setting, but the admission price is definitely worth the scenery (and the landscaping ideas you can bring back home). We took Sherry’s mom and stepdad here when they first visited – it was a great way to spend the day outside strolling through scenic settings. Here’s the Lewis Ginter website.
- Stony Point Fashion Park or Short Pump Town Center: These are spots for a more traditional “mall” experience, but in an airy outdoor setting. So you can hit up Anthropologie or Crate & Barrel, but still get some sun and stroll along cobblestone paths. Stony Point’s even dog-friendly (Burger has visited every shop from Sur La Table to Banana Republic). Here’s Stony Point’s website & Short Pump’s website.
***5 FAVORITE PLACE TO SCORE HOME DEALS***
We couldn’t survive in this town if we couldn’t find awesome deals for our house, so here are some local haunts that we love (besides the national chain stores like Tar-jay):
- Diversity Thrift: We’ve found lots of great stuff here over the five years (including the base for our pedestal table in the sunroom and our glass coffee table in the old living room). You can read more about why we love it in this post.
- Love of Jesus Thrift: This is another go-to thrifting spot, especially if we’re on the hunt for furniture. My sister scored the amazing console below a couple of years ago there. Read more about that in this old post.
- Lakeside Avenue Thrift Stores: A more recent discovery of ours, the thrift and consignment stores along Lakeside Avenue (like Consignment Connection and Pass It On) are where we recently scored our beloved wooden goose.
- The Decorating Outlet: This store is where items from local sponsor Shades of Light go to be discounted, and where we’ve been going to buy items like the rug and the capiz light fixture in Clara’s room on the cheap. Here’s the Decorating Outlet website.
- U-fab: This discount fabric store is always on our list when we’re hunting for textiles or patterns to bring home. Their selection is more stylish than the big chains tend to be, but they’re cheaper than the fancy designer places. Here’s the U-fab website.
***5 FAVORITE SWANKY & INSPIRING HOME STORES***
On the opposite end of thrifting and discounts are some of Richmond’s most gorgeous and inspirational home stores. Be sure to bring a tissue to wipe the drool from your chin when you visit (even if you don’t have the money in your wallet to buy something):
- Williams & Sherrill: Half housewares, half fabric store, this place has more inspiration than we can handle on most occasions (see our photo below). Someday we’ll be fancy enough to actually buy something. Sigh. More on them here. And here’s the Williams & Sherrill website.
- Ruth & Ollie: This shop in Carytown is smaller yet a bit more contemporary than Williams & Sherrill. We especially love the furniture and art that abounds. Check out a few ideas that we got from them in this post. Here’s the Ruth & Ollie website.
- LaDifférence: Located in Shockoe Bottom, LaDiff is a huge store filled with modern furniture, accessories, lighting – basically, the works. You may remember them from this oft-referenced wallflowers giveaway post. Here’s the LaDiff website.
- Shades of Light: Yes, they’re a sponsor of our site, but we couldn’t not include them on this list of go-to home stores in Richmond that we love, especially when it comes to gorgeous lighting (we’ve been obsessed with them since way before their sponsorship started). Here’s the Shades of Light website.
- Caravati’s: Unlike the others on this list, you won’t find anything new or pristine at Caravati’s. It’s an architectural salvage warehouse that is loaded with once-loved items for any remodel, restoration, or craft project with a historic and authentic twist. See some more in this old post.
So there you have it, five “Top 5” lists to celebrate our 5th anniversary of moving to Richmond. Obviously in five years we can’t claim to be Richmond experts, so we invite everyone else who lives here in RIC (or have visited) to chime in with their favorites in these categories (or others). And while we’re at it, those of you in other cities are welcome to comment with a “Top 5” list for your hometown too. Who knows if we might end up visiting someday!
Boathouse photo by Beth Furgurson found via Richmond Magazine.com, rest of images snapped by us.
Psst- We announced this weeks giveaway winners. Click here to see if one of them is you.
@ Christine, if you do a google search of bed and breakfasts in Richmond you will find large listing of places all through the city. I know there is a few within blocks of my house in The Fan and a few in the Museum District as well :)
Congrats guys! I would love to visit Richmond in the future and will take your recs into account when I do! Today’s my anniversary as well! It’s my (and my wonderful mister’s) 5th wedding anniversary…so when I was stressing about the floral bouquets being delivered consisting of everything on my “whatever you do, DON’T put these in the bouquets” list an hour before we were to head to the church, you were having your new beginning as well!
Here’s to many more for all of us!
All the best,
~ Selina @ Foreign Domestics ~
ooh, i have been waiting for you guys to put something like this together. I spend a lot of time in norfolk since my boyfriend lives there and we are always talking about heading up to richmond but never quite know where to start. this will be great!
Richmond seems like my kind of place. Thanks for sharing all of those cool things to do!
hey totally unrelated… but check out Lisa Leonard’s post from yesterday… she has your green chairs! :-) http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/2011/02/24/making-a-lazy-susan-work-hard/
Have a great weekend!
Love it!!!
xo,
s
I love the list, but you’ve also got to visit Comfort!
Oh yeah we love it there too!
xo,
s
Another vote for Comfort. It is my TOP fave in town!!!
So glad to see so many east end haunts in your post!
Thanks so much! My husband and I go to Richmond every April, usually as vendors for the craft show Spring Bada Bing. Have you guys ever been to that show? I’ll be sure to check some of these places out this year! We always go to Maymont when we’re down there. Such a great place!
We’ve also have gotten some great pizza at Pizza Fusion on West Broad.
We’ve never been but we’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
Congrats on 5 years in Richmond! I usually hate correct people, but I’m a huge weather nerd and Gaston was a Tropical Storm when it hit Richmond.
Kuba Kuba and Bottoms Up are my two favorite restaurant spots too!
You’re right! We always forget that little detail since it was such a big event!
xo,
s
And you should have corrected me for my poor grammar, haha!
No doubt HUGE. That’s why I always remember it was a TS, because all I remember thing was, “man, if that were a hurricane…”
Have a great weekend!
I know right? That would have been pretty bad!
xo,
s
Happy 5th!
My hubs and I are planning a vaca south through the mountains of virginia and north carolina. What is the weather like (how hot & humid) from June-Sept? Is it really hard to bear? I’ve heard some stories but the web says its no more humid than up north here!
It’s hot like NY in the summer, but to me it’s actually less humid than summers up north.
xo,
s
oh my…so humid
I’m not from Richmond nor have I ever lived in Richmond, but I did get married there! I fell in love with the garden at the Poe Museum and chose it for my wedding spot in 2007. I couldn’t have imagined a lovlier ceremony. We took everyone out to eat at the Tobacco Company for the “reception.” Richmond will forever hold a special place in my heart…
Congrats to you guys!
This is perfect – I have a job prospect in Richmond, and have been soaking up all the info I can get!! Thanks!
We have been to the Richmond area a few times. We have friends that live about 45min south of town. The first time we went we ate at Bottom’s Up and went to Maymont Park. We had a great time there and if all of our family did not live in Ohio I think we would be living some where around Richmond. Virginia is beautiful!
I want to visit Richmond just to eat. Is that bad?
Haha, we are kinda famous for food. Nom nom nom.
xo,
s
Fun! I should do this for Minneapolis for when we have guests in town! Have a nice weekend! ~Ethne PS, if anyone wants to laugh, my blog post today has a dress re-style I tried but completely botched….
http://www.wom-moms.com
One word – Millie’s!!! My favorite place for brunch. Definitely should be on the list.
Yeah Millie’s is delish but sometimes the wait time is hard with the bean in tow (but it’s #6 for sure- haha).
xo,
s
Aww! Brings back memories of my 4 years spent at U of R! Do you go to Carytown Burgers and Fries? Mosaic? How about a walk around the crazy pretty U of R campus? It’s way past time for me to plan a visit back :)
Yes, Carytown Burger & Fries is a definitely favorite too. Mmm, the avocado burger kills me every time. And U of R and Mosaic are lots of fun too! It was hard to pick just five favorites in each category.
xo,
s
oooh- I miss me some artichoke and ham pizza at Bottoms Up! Thanks for all the trips down memory lane, and some new places to visit if I ever get back down there from the frozen north
Thanks for this list! I am in desperate need of a local’s knowledge. Have you guys tried Cinebistro at Stony Point yet? It was a pretty cool movie & dinner experience!
Loved hearing about your whirlwind romance! Same thing here… Adam proposed to me two weeks after our first date! Then he deployed to Iraq, came home on R&R 7 months later and we hit the courthouse. Then once he was back for good (after a total of 15 months!) we had a “big white dress” wedding. When you KNOW, you just KNOW, right?
Congrats on your 5 year anniversary as Richmond-ites (Richmondians?)!!
We haven’t tried it yet, but we stroll by it all the time. We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
I grew up in VA but have only been to Richmond once and fell in love with Carytown. We ate at Nacho Mamas and spent lots of money at the little boutiques. Next time I go back I will for sure look back at this post.
PS. Make sure you get a sitter first… it’s 21+
Haha, gotcha!
xo,
s
So much to love about Richmond..have y’all checked out Scuffletown Park yet? A small but very well kept secret for us fan folks…
Mary Angela’s in Carytown, Perly’s on 2nd and Grace, and Comfort on Broad are a few of my favorite spots to dine around here.
And U-fab is SOOOO fab…
I don’t think we have. We’ll have to go to Scuffletown Park soon!
xo,
s
MMM…Mary Angela’s…
Let me just tell you it’s pretty dangerous living within their delivery zone.
Congratulations! Don’t you love Virginia! I do!
For Christmas my daughter bought my husband and I JT tickets for his concert in Richmond – I spent a couple hours searching Richmond Tourism sites looking for places to eat and shop and got frustrated and gave up. So THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for writing this post!!!!!!
It’s now going to be a wonderful trip!
Yay Richmond! Though I have to push Avalon in the Fan for their Brussels Sprouts (turns haters into lovers…it’s crazy!) and Comfort on Broad Street – best cheese grits I’ve had. There is also a LOT of history here…Church Hill is a cool place to wonder around – lots of farmers markets too.
Oh yes their cheesy grits are to die for!
xo,
s
Great post on RVA! I love living in Richmond.
I second Sara VT’s 2-6 food recomendations, but add Victor’s other sushi establishment, Sumo San, in the bottom. Then there’s another that has become a fav or me and my friends, Momotaro Sushi in Carytown a few doors from Moms Siam toward the Boulevard. Delicious. The Ima Hot Mama, Naruto and Candy Cane rolls are awesome!
Love this post – and I’m not even planning to visit Richmond anytime soon! I just like reading about people’s favorite things about their cities.
Hope you’re having a great visit with the fam! And give yourselves a break and take some time away from comment responding – we’ll all understand! (or, at least the sane members of your audience will) ;)
By the way, thanks so much for posting sources for your guest room things. I bought myself those pottery barn pillowcases for my own guest room. They’re going to go PERFECTLY and I can’t wait for them to get here!
Do you guys ever bring Burger to Barker Field, the dog park near Maymont? We take Watson there 3-4 times a week and he loves it. Of course, Watson is 100 lbs., so he’s not allowed in the small dog park, so he and Burger could never wrestle or play tug-of-war together. ;P
We do! But he hates it. He’s just not a dog person. Haha. He loves babies and cats ironically enough.
xo,
s
I think we have the same dog. Mine hates dog parks and spends all her time hanging with the humans. Big fan of cats and babies though. They are even the same size, but Emily is a yorkie/poodle mix.
I love this post! Happy 5 year Richmond anniversary!
My husband has lived in Richmond for 10 years now, and me for 8 years. We moved in together 6 years ago in the carytown area and are now settled in the near west-end together. We love it here in the river city.
One place I love to eat at is Cous Cous, in the Fan. And The Brickhouse Diner on midlo tnpk. I also love snagging up deals at Diversity Thrift & Diversity 2. And any time a favorite of mine is at the Landmark, you can bet that I’m there. Gorgeous-y day stuff also includes Belle Isle and the Canal Walk. LOVE that.
I agree with another comment about These Four Walls in Shockoe Bottom-that place is amazing (though I don’t think I could ever buy anything there..it’s great for inspiration).
Again, Happy Richmond-iversary! :)
I was about to agree about Brick House and get all happy that I’m not the only person who knows about it – then I saw your name! Hi Ashley :)
one more awesome place to eat= Black Sheep. They are love.
I have never been to Richmond but it looks lovely!
I lived in Richmond for 3 years, and all of these suggestions are great! I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant experience that comes anywhere close to La Casita (not far from the Lakeside area), and I live in New Mexico! Pay a visit – It’s so worth it!
I love this post! I live here but I’m always looking for new places to have fun and eat! This city has a small town feel with all the little neighborhood pods like BonAir, Church Hill, and the Fan, but big city qualities too…love it.
Have you guys ever been to The Forest on Forest Hill (http://doitintheforest.com/)? It’s kinda dive-ish but good food. Also, there’s a new cafe opening soon (it’s been coming soon for about a year) at Forest Hill and Semmes called Parkside Cafe – by the chefs of Bottega and Patina. Read about it on the Hills and Heights blog…
We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
As a U of R grad, I love when your site references the great city of Richmond and I can tell you that even though my friends and I graduated (and most of us moved away) back in 1997 – we still talk about the great places to eat, shop, drink, play, etc. But, the place we talk about more than any other… Superstars Pizza on Patterson. Yummm…. might need to plan a trip soon!
Okay I am so glad you did this post because we recenly added Richmond to a short list of places we might want to call home forever. (However our only experiece with the city was driving through via 95, I realize that might seem pretty random to many.)
With my husband’s profession we can go a lot of places and while that might sounds nice it can also be really hard. We know we want to head back east since that is where we both grew up and most of our family still resides there. Now to figure out which city is really the best fit for us…but Richmond is looking pretty appealing.
Thanks for this list of things to do. I live in Williamsburg and will definitely keep your list in mind when we go to Richmond…we might just go there to see something off your list.
Great restaurant picks! Have you tried Balliceaux? The food is incredible and I love the atmosphere.. if Anthropologie was a restaurant, it would look like Balliceaux.
Haven’t tried it yet!
xo,
s
Well said yall!! This post makes me really homesick! I was born and raised in Richmond (lived there almost 25 years) and moved away 5 years ago to Baltimore. My dad is buried in Hollywood Cemetery along with generations of other family members. My entire family still lives in and around Richmond so we visit quite often. It is a wonderful place to live and you cannot beat the location…2 hours to the beach, 2 hours to DC and 2 hours to the mountains!
PS…bottom’s up is my favorite and I was still in Richmond when that flood happened. Parts of “the bottom” were almost 10 feet under water. Crazy to imagine when you visit now but I saw it right after and it was unbelievable and devastating.
Sherry/John – have you ever eaten and Buz and Ned’s Barbecue by Byrd’s theater? We live in Charlottesville and occasionally have a short get-a-way in Richmond. We went there after seeing it on Food Network, and were THOROUGHLY impressed with the barbecue sandwich and ribs!
Yes- so good!
Oh I’ve been so nostalgic lately for RVA. Strawberry St. Cafe… Montana Gold Bread CO… not sure about the traffic though…
Richmond sounds like nice place. Definitely a doable trip from Raleigh NC. May venture up there one day. Loved the post.
If you ever make it to Lodi, CA:
5 Wineries to Visit:
Michael-David – popular for 7 Deadly Zins, I love their 6th Sense Syrah (the Petit Petite is also great)
LangeTwins – great Merlot
Ripken Winery
Jessie’s Grove – they frequently have concerts that are definitely worth going to
Berghold Vineyards & Winery – gorgeous facility, good wines
5 Places to Eat:
Lodi Beer Co. – great food, even better beer
King Sin – delicious Chinese food
Pietro’s – really delicious Italian
A&W – the original one!
In-N-Out – you have to eat here at least once every time you’re in CA!
If you’re here anytime from June-September, definitely go to the famers’ market in downtown Lodi on Thursday evenings. If you’re here the second weekend in July, be sure to check out the Lodi Cycle Fest race in downtown.
Awesome post, thanks guys! My hubby and I are actually spending my 30th birthday weekend in Richmond next week and I’m so glad for all these recommendations!
Yay for Richmond! We love it here too! :)
P.S. This has absolutely nothing to do with your post, but I just have to tell you because it just cracks me up and I think of it each time I come here…my hub can never get the name of your blog correct. He calls it some variation of “Eat, Love, House” or “Pray, Young, Love” …too funny!
Hahaha. Love it. Comment of the day goes to your hubby.
xo,
s
My husband does the same exact thing! Too funny!
I’m going to have to check out Richmond. Perhaps I’ll add it to my check-out plan list. Yes, my husband and I have a check out plan…. perhaps that’s a potential blog post. FYI – giveaway over at my blog today nesteaglerock dot com
This place is pretty cool too: http://www.caravatis.com
This is pretty cool. Someone call TripAdvisor so they feature this post!
Loved this post! My husband and I have been here for almost 5 years too and just love this city- I never want to leave! So happy you included the thrift stores- I haven’t been to several of them and I definitely need to. Also, next time you are on the northside- possibly checking out Lakeside Thrift, you must go to one of our favorite eateries- Dots Back Inn (over in Bellevue)- love that place- best burgers in town, hands down! You might want to check out the Bryan Park Farmers Market if you get the chance one day- its pretty fab.
Oh yeah we love that farmers market! Thanks for the Dots Back Inn recommendation.
xo,
s
I haven’t been to Dot’s since the no-smoking ban took effect. Last time I was in there, it was so nic-saturated and smokey, I had to turn around and walk out. Shame, it’s a lovely neighborhood restaurant otherwise.
Thank you! Sounds like a great way to spend a weekend… or a week! We were so close to going down last Saturday but decided to hit the Baltimore National Aquarium with the kids instead. Some day soon though…
Awesome. I love it when people love where they live. I don’t know much about your city but it sounds swell!
Ah, LOVE your top 5 lists…you guys make me homesick! I grew up in Richmond, my family and many friends are still there. Those are all places I love to visit and don’t want to miss when I’m home. I’m excited to check out the Boathouse…my first job in high school was at their other location back when it was Sunday’s :-) My baby boy is just a few months younger than Clara, I’m excited to take him and my husband home for a visit! We live in Santa Barbara, CA, and though I love it here, I will always call Richmond home. Congratulations on 5 years there!!
Weren’t you guys afraid to go out on such a limb and just move? What if your savings ran out and you still had rent and bills to cover? I admire you so much! My only hesitation about leaving the job I hate and moving to another city is the worry of financial security. Did you have a plan B?
John and I are both big savers. When we met we each had a bunch of money in high yield savings accounts so we could probably have lived for a year or more without a job (especially since Richmond was so affordable compared to NYC, where we both paid 1K – 1,200 a month on rent). The only reason we had all that money squirreled away was because we worked a million hours a week in advertising in NYC, so we never got to do anything fun (aka: spend money) because we were always working. Haha.
Hence the excitement to move to Richmond and slow down a bit – even if it meant taking a risk since we didn’t pin down jobs before the move (we found it really hard to interview and have places take you seriously when you live in another state). Looking back it sounds scary, but at the time we were just so excited to start a life together in a new city! Thank goodness it worked out.
xo,
s