The 1.25-mile waterfront Canal Walk between the James River and the Kanawha (ka-naw-wha) and Haxall Canals is a lovely way of seeing a dozen highlights of Richmond history in one go. There's also a pedestrian bridge across to Belle Isle, a scruffy but intriguing island in the James.
Canal Walk
Richmond
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.25 MILES
Richmond is a cultured city, and this splendid art museum is the cornerstone of the local arts scene. Highlights of its eclectic, world-class collection…
0.92 MILES
Contains the world's largest collection of manuscripts and memorabilia of poet and horror-writer Edgar Allan Poe, who lived and worked in Richmond…
0.54 MILES
Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the capitol building was completed in 1788 and houses the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere – the Virginia…
20.82 MILES
Dating from 1726, this plantation on the James River was the birthplace and home of Benjamin Harrison V, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence,…
Petersburg National Battlefield Park
20.63 MILES
Several miles east of town, Petersburg National Battlefield is where Union soldiers planted explosives underneath a Confederate breastwork, leading to the…
National Museum of the Civil War Soldier
24.41 MILES
West of downtown and inside the privately run Pamplin Historical Park, the excellent National Museum of the Civil War Soldier illustrates the hardships…
Richmond National Battlefield Park
0.18 MILES
The dozen Civil War sites and four visitor centers that comprise this park can be visited on an 80-mile driving tour around Richmond. The best place to…
0.79 MILES
Perched above the James River rapids, this tranquil cemetery contains the gravesites of two US presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler), the only…
Nearby Richmond attractions
0.14 MILES
Part of the multisite American Civil War Museum, this fascinating exhibit – housed inside an 1861 iron works that at its height employed 800 free and…
2. Richmond National Battlefield Park
0.18 MILES
The dozen Civil War sites and four visitor centers that comprise this park can be visited on an 80-mile driving tour around Richmond. The best place to…
0.33 MILES
The Virginia War Memorial, dedicated to all branches of service who served in all theaters of American combat since World War II, is an impressive…
0.54 MILES
Designed by Thomas Jefferson, the capitol building was completed in 1788 and houses the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere – the Virginia…
0.69 MILES
A long pedestrian bridge leads from Tredegar St (just past the national park site) out to this car-free island. Once a quarry, power plant and POW camp…
0.79 MILES
Perched above the James River rapids, this tranquil cemetery contains the gravesites of two US presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler), the only…
7. White House of the Confederacy
0.81 MILES
This 1818 building was the executive mansion of the Confederacy between 1861 and 1865, and the wartime home of its president, Jefferson Davis. Guided 45…
0.92 MILES
Contains the world's largest collection of manuscripts and memorabilia of poet and horror-writer Edgar Allan Poe, who lived and worked in Richmond…