History

Virginia may have more history than any other state, and much of it occurred right here in the Richmond Region. The second successful English settlement was built at Henricus, while Patrick Henry delivered his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech at St. John's Episcopal Church, the site of the Second Virginia Convention. Tour Tuckahoe Plantation, Thomas Jefferson's boyhood home, or stroll along Monument Avenue, the only avenue that's designated a National Historic Landmark in the United States.

Turn back the clock with visits to the area's many restored homes and buildings, including the recently-renovated Hanover Tavern, which offers historical re-enactments, a restaurant and a theater. Magnolia Grange, an 1822 Federal-style plantation house in the Chesterfield Museum Complex, is noted for its exquisite architecture. The 1860s come alive at Meadow Farm Museum with costumed interpreters sharing daily activities from this small village. Visitors to Jackson Ward can learn about the contributions of African Americans to Richmond history through walking tours and museums located in the area once known as the "Harlem of the South." And no visit to the former Capital of the Confederacy would be complete without touring some of the area's most famous Civil War battlefields.

For more information about historical sites and events in the Region, search below or check out our calendar of events.