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Why do we like Richmond VA?
At just under two hours from Virginia Beach, one hour from Charlottesville, and 1-1/2 hours from Washington, DC, Richmond VA is a great day trip spot.
Packed with museums, and Revolutionary War and Civil War sites, Virginia's capital city is also a perfect base for visiting central Virginia. Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Water Country USA, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown--all are within about an hour of Richmond.
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| Fun galore at the Virginia Science Museum. |
Richmond VA is known for its fantastic museums. Kids will love the Science Museum of Virginia, and the Richmond Childrens Museum--conveniently located next door to each other.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures, one of the largest collections of Faberge eggs, and glassware...and it's free! Visit it in the morning, eat in one of its two gourmet cafes, then spend the afternoon next door at the Virginia Historical Society, a delightful, family-friendly museum celebrating all things Virginia (it's free too!).
Beautiful Maymont is not free, but pretty close. In fact, we think Maymont is the best kept secret in Richmond!
Other area museums include the Virginia Center for Architecture, the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, and the White House of the Confederacy. Just outside the city at the Richmond International Airport is the Virginia Aviation Museum, where you can see one of the few SR-71 Blackbird spy planes on display in the nation.
For really hard-core coaster fans, Paramounts Kings Dominion can't be beat (and you can find their discount tickets here).
Want a waterpark where the weather's always perfect? Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg is a waterpark, spa, fitness, and family attraction, all under one roof. Click here to learn about their six pools, eight waterslides, four-story interactive waterfort, and "Howlin' Tornado."
If your tastes run to breathtaking gardens and touring elegant, palatial estates, try the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Maymont, a 100-acre Victorian country estate featuring a nature center and childrens' farm, and Agecroft Hall, an Elizabethan mansion brought brick by brick from England and reassembled in here.
Fantastic Shopping
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| Virginia Science Museum in Richmond. |
Short Pump on the west side of Richmond is a shopper's dream. The Short Pump Town Center is a huge, upscale outdoor mall with dozens of shops, including Dillard's, Nordstrom's, Cheesecake Factory, Coldwater Creek, Dick's, Chico's, Ann Taylor, and Victoria's Secret. And Short Pump's growing like a body builder on steroids, with Stein Mart, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Ulta, Five Below, and more stores being built every year.
Going east toward Williamsburg, you'll find the Prime Outlets Williamsburg, Williamsburg Pottery, and more outlets and specialty stores.
Return from Richmond VA to Virginia Beach Family Vacation Getaway
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