Attractions in Richmond

Richmond's downtown centers on a few blocks rising up from the James River to either side of Broad Street. Modern office towers front onto a riverside park, while up the hill in the Court End District, dozens of well-preserved antebellum homes provide a suitable backdrop for some important museums and historic sites. A Richmond Citypass, valid for one month and giving access to any five of nineteen attractions around town, is available for $15 from any visitor center or ticket desk at each attraction - well worth considering if you're in town for a few days. Some of the city's top choices for visitors include:

Bell Tower
This brick tower was built in 1824 to replace a wooden one on this site. It rang in legislative sessions and warned of fires, raids and other dangers. It is now a state visitors' center.

Belle Isle
One-of-a-kind pedestrian suspension bridge starts under the Lee Bridge on Tredegar Street. The one-mile trail around the edge of the 54-acre island includes a walk along the falls of the James and Civil War earthworks. For more information, call 804-780-5311.

Bolling Haxall House
Located at 211 East Franklin Street, this grand home features many changes in Richmond architectural styles in the late 1850's. The house was built for a flour-milling heir in 1853. It is open for tours by appointment. For more information, call 804-643-2847

Canal Boat Tours
Enjoy a canal boat tour with Richmond Canal Cruises. Dates and times are seasonal and weather permitting, so please call (804) 649-2800 to verify current hours of operation.

Capitol Square and Virginia State Capitol
Located at Ninth and Grace Streets, The Virginia State Capitol is the first public building of neo-classical style in the United States designed by Thomas Jefferson and is where Virginia's General Assembly meets. Free-guided tours are available. Capitol Square features several monuments: Jean Antoine Houdon's life sized statue of George Washington - the only statue in existence for which Washington posed - in the Capitol Rotunda, as well as busts of other Virginia-born presidents. The statue in Capitol Square depicts Washington on horseback.

Old City Hall
Located at 1001 E. Broad Street, this Victorian Gothic building, completed as Richmond's city hall in 1894, is as dramatic inside with its 3-foot granite walls as it is outside. Now a private office building, the interior "courtyard" is a three-story painted cast-iron marvel. Troubled from the beginning, with a 400 percent cost overrun during its construction, the building was saved from demolition by the Historic Richmond Foundation. Visitors welcome on the first floor only. The building is open during normal business hours.

The Egyptian Building
Located at 1223 East Marshall Street, the Egyptian Building, designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas S. Stewart, was completed in 1845 and has been in continuous use since it was built. The building was the first permanent home of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sidney College (later the Medical College of Virginia). Originally the building housed medical lecture rooms, a dissecting room, an infirmary and hospital beds for medical and surgical cases. The building is constructed from brick, stucco and cast iron.  The Egyptian Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It is considered to be the finest example of Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States.