A Day in Richmond, VA [Time Traveling & Things to Do]

So, I’m on day two of Whole 30. We’re short staffed at work, running with about 20% of the staffing we should have. One of my cats has some bizarre looking cut on her neck I’m worried over. I’m kind of all over the place, here. So my posting has been erratic to say the least – sorry!

Anyway, today I wanted to share our itinerary and day through Richmond, VA. I was completely blown away by the charm of the city, the historic buildings, the skyline on the river, the historic mansions and homes, and the hospitality of the people in the area!

THINGS TO DO IN A DAY:

–Maymont Mansion & Estate Tour
–Agecroft Hall Tour
–Lavender Fields Herb Farm (We didn’t get a chance to stop by, but it was on the to-do list – I hope we get to go next time we’re in town! I love, love, love, love lavender.)
–Monument Avenue

We started our day at Maymont Mansion, built in 1886 by James Dooley. The tour started in the “below stairs” part of the house, with a view of the servants quarters. If you spend any time watching Downton Abbey, you’ll be right at home imagining the lives of the servants there. There are museum like exhibits with things set up similar to the way they were when the Dooleys lived in the home. We then headed up to the main level where a tour guide took us around the different rooms of the mansion.

(You’ll have to forgive the grey and cloudy day. Despite the weather, everything was still so beautiful!)

The Dooleys’ style was, let’s say, eclectic (see here for what I mean). They had pieces from all over the place, different eras, all mixed in together. It wasn’t necessarily my style, but there was so much to take in and the tour really was informative and entertaining. After the tour, there were also beautiful gardens to explore, and an EXTENSIVE Japanese garden area that seriously felt like we stepped into Asia as we walked through the bamboo.

Afterward, we grabbed lunch and headed to Agecroft Hall. For both Nick and I, this was really the highlight of the day. Not only is it just a “cool old giant mansion” to explore, it is literally over 500 years old. It was built in England in the 1500s, and moved to Richmond VA in the early 1900’s. Only about a third of the house was reassembled here, but it is still absolutely enormous. The detail of the home is incredible, kept the way it was in the 1500s, complete with a tour guide explaining just how people lived 500 years ago. Even if you’re not a history nerd, the estate, the grounds, the home itself is incredible to explore!

We ended the day by walking down historic Monument Avenue. Every few blocks or so there are enormous statues to the greatest thinkers, activists, poets and figures from throughout history. But for Nick & I, we were really drawn into taking in the enormous mansions and grand homes, walking hand in hand down the tree-lined boulevard. It was just as cheesy and beautiful as it sounds. We also spent a ridiculous amount of time on Zillow on our phones, deciding if these were homes we could ever afford :-) [fyi, no.]

Later, we relaxed downtown at Tarrant’s Cafe where we had the best She Crab soup, ever. I’d highly recommend it if you have time for a nice sit down dinner! It was such a fun day, and I’d highly recommend Richmond as a place to explore and immerse yourself in history, culture, southern charm and good food!