Virginia’s capital city invites tourists to celebrate its changing landscape.
Heritage, history, cuisine and culture—all find a veritable spot on the trajectory that Richmond, Virginia, is scaling. Counted among America’s oldest cities, Richmond was once known as the Black Wall Street of the South and gained the moniker the “Birthplace of Black Entrepreneurship” thanks to over 100 businesses and individuals that made their mark here in the 1920s and onward.
This includes Maggie L. Walker, the first African American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president. Another famed local is Arthur Ashe, the first male tennis player and one the world came to know and love as a legend on and off the courts.
Though the city was once the capital of the Confederacy, the last of the confederate statues on Monument Avenue was removed in 2022. Richmond is dedicated now to building a strong future, inspiring a sea change and welcoming everyone to partake in its success.
Historic Venues
Richmond offers several attractions, including the Valentine Museum and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Pocahontas State Park and more. The Maymont here is a 100-acre Victorian-style estate and park that provides a relaxed time in nature with an arboretum and gardens, native wildlife habitats and a nature center and mansion to tour.
There’s the James River Park System with all its activities and points of interest too. Almost all venues hold historical significance and warrant a spot on your itinerary, so be sure you factor in reasonable time to do them all justice.
For a more personal and customized introduction, the Walking the Ward Tour with Gary Flowers is a must. The 20-stop walking tour of historic Jackson Ward, the nation’s first historically registered Black urban neighborhood, is an in-depth primer on the historical moments, people and places that shaped the area.
Flowers is an eighth-generation Virginian and fourth-generation Jackson Ward resident, so you can rest assured all your questions about the area will be answered. The Black History Museum of Virginia is the start of the tour and a must-visit venue to understand the cultural center that is Richmond. The many untold and forgotten stories of the people who laid the foundation for the area’s future are shared via interactive exhibits and an impressive permanent collection.
Another unique experience here is the Mending Walls Street Art Tour with RVATukTuk. These electric, open-air three-wheelers are a great way to enjoy sightseeing across different neighborhoods and landmarks. While several themed tours are available, the mural tour is particularly interesting, especially when their significance or symbolism is framed in context to past and current events.
Continue reading over at Cuisine Noir.
Words by Ruksana Hussain
Cuisine Noir Magazine is the country’s first Black food publication, launched in 2009 and dedicated to connecting the African diaspora through food, drink and travel. To read the rest of this article and more, visit www.cuisinenoirmag.com.
