“The South” is alive and well in Richmond, Virginia!  A month ago I was presented with the opportunity to go to Richmond with my sister and attend a NASCAR race. It was an easy sell because I love Nascar, had never attended a race on that track, and if you’ve read Lagom Adventure’s first round of “Bucket List Adventures,” you would know that one of my items was to see Dale Jr. race one more time before he retires at the end of this season.  However, I had not planned for all of the other “adventures” my sister and I would experience while in the capital of Virginia.

I say we “conquered” Richmond because we got to experience the various cultural facets of the area:  sports, food, history, and nature.  And I was blessed with the perfect travel buddy. My sister was down for anything, and I had to actually keep up with her!  So I’m going to break this adventure down into four parts:

Part 1:  Sports

And I’m not talking about just any sport…I’m talking about NASCAR!!  I know, I know, most people think of NASCAR as a boring, “redneck” NON-SPORT!  But it’s one of those sports you can’t really appreciate until you’ve actually been there. It is probably one of the most intense, exhilarating sporting events I’ve ever been to. Tell me a sport that you can literally feel the energy deep in your body when the athletes “zoom” by. Nothing can like NASCAR when those cars come flying by at speeds over 200 mph.  It gives your whole body goosebumps.  And I’m not even going to mention the extra fanfare that go on around race weekend. It’s just an experience all around.

I will say I was spoiled for this race. I got to do things I’ve never done before while at the track, like sit in the luxury box suites. But even better than that, we had pit passes!!  Several hours before the race we got to go and walk on the track and down pit lane. We got to get up close and personal with the cars and the pit crews as they were prepping them for race day. My biggest thrill was I got to actually stand on the start/finish line and sign the pavement!!  Of course I dedicated it to my boys at home, who I love immensely and are never off my mind.

This particular race was very dear to me because it checks off one one of my bucket list items from Volume 1:  See Dale Earnhardt Jr. race one more time before he retires. I’ve been a huge Junior fan since the beginning and it was definitely one of the saddest days for me, regarding sports, when he announced his retirement.  I honestly didn’t think I was going to get to see him one more time, but fate, and my sister, made it happen.  It was a great race and even though he didn’t win, he raced well and even led some laps!

 

Part 2:  Food

Anytime I go anywhere new, one of the first things I do is research what kind of food options I have.  I’m usually looking for something that has been on the food network or makes a list that I usually have found on Pinterest.  This trip was no different.

Besides Pinterest, www.tvfoodmaps.com is where I start my research. I was pleased to find that they now have an app!  It was extremely handy.  You can now put in your starting and stopping point and how many miles you are willing to get off the route, and it will give you all the restaurants that have been featured on television along the way!

For this trip, we decided to make a food tour too. Every meal we would take turns picking out where we were going to eat.  So here it goes!

 

 

• The Brown Hotel:  Our first stop was actually in Louisville, KY:  The Brown Hotel.  We knew we were going to stop in Louisville to eat lunch, and as I was going through our options, as soon as I said The Brown, my sister said “That’s it!  We have  to get hot browns!”  After reading Caroline’s post about her visit to Louisville, and eating hot browns, I needed no extra convincing.  (Caroline’s Louisville Experience)

The Brown Hotel is beautiful and very luxurious.  I even called ahead to make sure there wouldn’t be a dress code in the Cafe that is open for lunch, which has the hot browns.  FYI, there isn’t.  So we went into J. Graham’s Cafe and ordered our Hot Browns!  We were asked if we wanted to share, but we both looked at each other and shook our heads.  We were hungry!

Just in case you’re wondering a Hot Brown is “Roasted Turkey Breast on Toast Points, Sauce Mornay, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Tomatoes and Bacon. Baked to Perfection! A Louisville legend, invented at The Brown in 1926! The Hot Brown…a Louisville tradition with worldwide appeal has been featured in: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, The Los Angeles Times, NBC’s Today Show, ABC News with Diane Sawyer, and Travel Channel’s Man v. Food as well as being a regular entry in many of the finest cookbooks.”  We were not disappointed!

• Hillbilly Hotdogs:  Next, it was off to somewhere that was completely opposite of The Brown, Hillbilly Hotdogs in Lesage, WV. This joint was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  We went from luxurious to an eating establishment that I would have thought was just a junk yard if I had been driving by unaware of what I was looking for.  I honestly had no idea what I was in for.  It was an experience like no other.  What looked like a junk yard at first glance, was more like junk in organized chaos.  There was a point to all of it and how it was displayed.  

One of the first items of interest we came across was the wedding chapel.  And the owner just happened to be outside of it talking with a couple who were getting ready to be wed in it!  He told us to go ahead and go in because they weren’t ready yet.  I just had to chuckle, but on the inner walls of the chapel were pictures of all the couples who had been wed or renewed their vows there.  I wonder what Enrique would think about doing that?  LOL.  There was a giant hot dog, a kids area with old junked out toys, but probably the most interesting part was the restaurant itself.  It was a building built around two old school buses.  It was constructed in such a way that the majority of the seating was actually in the buses!

Oh yea and the food wasn’t bad either!  It was delicious!!  Of course we ordered hot dogs.  I got the “Mothman Dog” which was a deep-fried weeny with hotdog sauce, thousand island, onion rings, and maters.  Sis got the Pineapplelachian Dog which had BBQ sauce, country ham, shredded cheese and crushed pineapple.  Not only was the food good, but it was cheap too!  We paid a little over $10 for two hot dogs and one order of perfect french fries!

Sidenote:  If you give the waitress a tip after ordering at the counter, she will unexpectedly ring a bell and then start singing a song!  Turns out it’s the “Weenie Song”!  I won’t lie, for the love of Lagom, I gave her another tip and actually taped her singing the song a second time!  

Sonny’s the Weenie Man

He owns a weenie stand

He sells the best weenies

around

Ding Ding Ding

Sharie’s his Weenie Wife

She adds the spice that’s right

Hillbilly Hot Dogs day or night

Ding Ding Ding

YEEHAW!!!

• 821 Cafe:  The first Richmond establishment we went to was 821 Cafe.  I found a list on Pinterest of things you had to eat while in Richmond, and this place made the cut for its breakfast.  It was in a popular neighborhood by the campus of VCU.  The writer recommended the Nutella Stuffed French Toast topped with Bananas.  So naturally, that’s what I ordered and it did not disappoint!!  My sister got the crab omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and swiss.  And since we were on “vacation,” we went ahead and went with mimosas to drink.  It was a great start to a great day!

• The Jefferson Hotel:  While eating breakfast, I went back through the Pinterest list.  As soon as I read that you can get Afternoon Tea at the Jefferson, my sister was on it!!  What can I say, we may be considered country bumpkins because of our love for NASCAR, but we can class things up when we need to.  After a quick phone call, we had lunch booked at the Jefferson for “Afternoon Tea.”

Afternoon Tea consists of assorted finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones served with Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves, a selection of pastries and tea breads and your choice of tea.  We chose the Jefferson Tea and the Strawberry Green Tea.  

The Jefferson Hotel was gorgeous, the tea was perfect, and to top it all off, a harpist played right by our table!

• Kuba Kuba:  After a busy day exploring the city of Richmond, we finished up our evening by having dinner at Kuba Kuba.  It was also on that same Pinterest list I referenced earlier as well as the Food Network list…so we put on a SHOW!  We went all out…appetizers, entrees, and dessert!!  We had coconut risotto for an appetizer:  risotto cake with coconut and pineapple, served with a fresh salsa.  For my entree I went with the Paella Valencia.  Paella was the entree recommended on the Pinterest list.  Paella is something I’ve seen cooked a lot on television and have always wanted to try it.  It includes a dish of spanish rice with mussels, clams, and shrimp.  The Paella Valencia is special because it includes chorizo (spanish sausage), which is my favorite!  The dish did not disappoint!  I added a little of their house made carrot and habanero sauce to mine….perfection!!  

Sis ordered a special entree for the evening, but the real treat was the dessert!!  According to Duff, from Food Network, the tres leches cake at Kuba Kuba is one of the “best things he’s ever eaten.”  So we made sure to save room for dessert.  And boy was it good!  If you’ve never had tres leches, I would recommend it.  It’s a light vanilla cake made by pouring three different kinds of milk on it after it has baked.  It makes it super moist and delicious!  It’s one of Enrique’s favorites as well.

• Early Bird Biscuit Co.:  The Early Bird Biscuit Co. was where we stopped Raceday morning.  So I figure if a eatery chooses to have the word “Biscuit” in their name, then they better have some good biscuits!  Early Bird did not disappoint.  They were perfect biscuits!  Very large and buttery…soft on the inside with the perfect amount of “crunch” on the outside crust….golden brown…Mmmmmm  I ordered their famous biscuits and gravy.  It was a very flavorful  sausage gravy with just the right amount of spices.  If you know me well, you know that I love good biscuits and gravy!  Sis got their daily special of a flavored biscuit sandwich.  They also had various pastries and coffees.  

I really enjoyed the  the decor and the people who worked there.  It really set this place apart from other places.  There were a lot of mismatched vintage furnishings and accessories that gave the cafe a lot of character.  And the employees were all very nice with a lot of personality.  You could watch the master biscuit maker, make the biscuits right in front of you!  The whole experience was just awesome.  This eatery was found on the Pinterest article.

• Willie’s Locally Known:  Finally, it was time to head home.  Probably most people at this point of their trip would just be anxious to get home and maybe hit a drive thru and keep on trucking, but not us.  So after doing to a little searching on tvfoodmaps.com, we decided on Willie’s Locally Known in Lexington, KY.  It was Sunday Brunch time, which included a good mix of both brunch and lunch menu items, as well as the opportunity to listen to a band perform live!

This restaurant had also been featured on “Diners, Driveins, and Dives.”  For an appetizer, we got  smoked deviled eggs (yum) and wings in Willie’s blackberry habanero sauce (double yum!).  My sister went with a brunch item, a classic chicken and biscuit.  I went for a big fat burger.  The Willie Stiff Burger!  It’s a beef patty topped with slaw, bacon, pulled pork, smoked gouda, pickles, onions, and Carolina mustard sauce.  It was delicious!!  And you can’t forget the drinks!  My sister had a “Squirrel” and I had a Mint Julep Margarita…I will let you figure out what was in that Squirrel.

Part 3:  History

Many of you, especially those who teach with me, may find it interesting to know that my actual major in college is Social Studies/History Education.  Most people probably don’t know that because I’ve never actually taught it, I taught other things.  But my first love in school has always been history.  It’s really not a wonder when you grew up with parents who threw us in a van and took us all over the country, stopping at most historical sites along the way.  And of course, ever since my dad got satellite television, there’s always a steady stream of the History Channel and CNN on the tube.  That being said, I obviously love history, and I get some of the biggest adrenaline rushes when I get to visit historical sites.  Luckily for me, Richmond is one of the most historical cities in the country.

Other than going to a race and eating good food, we didn’t really make any real plans to see anything else.  So the evening we got into Richmond I started my research on things one had to do on Richmond…using Pinterest of course.  

 

 

• Monument Avenue:  After our delicious breakfast at 812 Cafe, we realized we were right in the middle of the “district” that had most of the locations we wanted to see.  First, we made our way to Monument Avenue.  

Monument Avenue Historic District is one of only two National Historic Landmark districts within the City of Richmond.  Monument Avenue is the nation’s only grand residential boulevard with monuments of its scale surviving almost unaltered to the present day.  These monuments were created to honor Virginia’s Confederate heroes during the American Civil War.  The first monument of Robert E. Lee was constructed in 1890.  The other monuments were created over the next 30 years of J.E.B. Stuart, Jefferson Davis, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Matthew Fontaine Maury.  Later a monument of Arthur Ashe, a tennis star and humanitarian from Richmond, was erected.

The monument of Robert E. Lee was closest to our location, so that’s where we headed first.  I really didn’t know what to expect in regards to the size of the monument itself or whether it was even still there!  These monuments in the southeastern United States have come under a lot of criticism lately.  Riots in nearby Charlottesville at a Robert E. Lee memorial led to a death just the week before we headed to Richmond.  Some of these memorials/monuments have been removed by governments and some even destroyed during demonstrations.  So I was a little taken aback when I actually saw the monument sitting peacefully on Monument Avenue all by itself among the mansions that line the street.  You could walk right up to it and touch it.  First, I never imagined that it would be so big and magnificent.  But to see it in all its glory, not even guarded or fenced off, shocked me a little bit.  All the Confederate Monuments along the Avenue were incredible works of art.  And I’m glad I had a chance to see them.

Being a history buff, I appreciate all aspects of history.  Do I agree with what some of these monuments stand for?  Absolutely not!  Am I saddened when reflecting on certain times of history?  Most definitely!  But I believe that we can learn from history, the good and bad times.  So due to that respect I have for history, it makes me sad when historical landmarks are destroyed.  Once they are gone, they are gone.

There’s two different ways to get down the street to look at all the monuments, by car or by foot.  I would recommend by foot if you have the time and energy to do so.  There are several blocks between each monument, but if you don’t walk the street you will miss the historic Victorian mansions that line the streets.  They are an attraction all in themselves.  I love old, historic homes (hence I live in one),  but the houses on Monument Avenue aren’t your typical old home.  These are legit mansions.  And absolutely gorgeous.  And for around $1.5 million, you could own one for yourself!!  (I saw a couple for sale so looked them up on Zillow.)

This is a must see attraction when in Richmond!

 

• Hollywood Cemetery:  After Monument Avenue, I knew the next stop had to be the Hollywood Cemetery, which sits in a residential district within the city limits of Richmond, looking over the James River.  I’m not really into death and creepy cemeteries, but when you have the chance to visit the second most visited cemetery in the United States (besides nearby Arlington National Cemetery), which is the final resting place of two United States Presidents, the only President of the Confederate States of America, six Virginia governors, two Supreme Court Justices, twenty-two Confederate generals, and THOUSANDS of Confederate soldiers…you just have to see it!  

This ended up being one of those experiences that just sent chills through my body more than once.  The resting place of the former presidents and generals were truly unique and beautiful, but expected of men who held such high esteem in our country’s history, but to see the headstones lined up of men who lost their lives fighting for what they believed 150 years ago took my breath away.  Many of the headstones not only had the soldier’s name and age, but also what branch of the military they served and what battle they lost their lives.  Many were just young teenagers who were the drummer boys!

Picking up the map at the front gate is a must (or you can use the mobile app) to point you in the direction of some of the most famous gravesites in the cemetery as well as the Monument to the  Confederate War Dead and the Iron Dog, a cast iron statue of a Newfoundland who stands guard over the grave of a little girl who died in 1862.  People still leave little toys as gifts for the little girl to play with.

Unlike the headstones of today, many of the headstones included a description of that person’s life.  Who they were married to, their children, some of their well-known accomplishments, why they are famous, their impact to history, or where, when, or how they died.  We spent several hours walking/driving around the cemetery and I could have easily spent several more (it’s 137 acres), but we had an afternoon tea to get to.  I’d say if there’s one thing you have time to see upon your visit to Richmond, this is the one.  Very, very cool (My imitation of Donald Trump)

• The Virginia State Capitol Building:  I could argue that there possibly isn’t a more historic state capitol building than the one in Richmond, Virginia.  Designed by Thomas Jefferson and a French architect, the current building was completed in 1800.  Not only is it the current capitol building of Richmond, Virginia, but served as the Capitol of the Confederate States of America from 1861-1865.

In 1807, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, presided over Aaron Burr’s trial for treason in this building.  General Robert E. Lee accepted command of the Virginia armed forces before the secession convention in the capital in 1861.  And, as already mentioned, it served as the Capitol of the Confederate States during the Civil War.  

 

Within the walls of the historic building, is a statue of George Washington that was completed around 1791 and is believed to be the most accurate depiction of the first President created.  Virginia is known as the “Mother of Presidents”, so along with the statue of Washington, busts of the other seven, Virginia-born Presidents can be found:  Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.  There’s many more items of interest, including the the original state rooms, many more statues, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.  This is a great, historical attraction…and it’s FREE!

• The Carillon in Byrd Park:  The final historic stop was The Carillon, a World War I Memorial.  It was closed for the evening, so we didn’t get to go in, but it was just an impressive sight to behold.  You can see the top of the memorial from various places around the city.  It contains 56 bells, which are played on special occasions like Memorial Day and Independence Day.  I may have to add getting to hear the bells play to my bucket list because I’m sure that would be a beautiful sound to hear.

Part 4:  Nature

A trip like this just wouldn’t be a complete “adventure” for me without exploring some kind natural setting, usually via a hike.  So prior to the trip, one thing I did research ahead of time was hiking trails one must do while in Virginia.  Even though there are some great trails I have to do (check a few out on this edition of Bucket List Adventures), the ones I found just weren’t convenient to our final destination.  That being said, I had mentally prepared myself to just miss out on any hiking in the area until I ran into a nice couple at one of the restaurants who stopped and asked me about the color of my Jeep (Rock Lobster Red if you must know).  They were full of ideas of things we needed to do while we were in town, including visiting Belle Isle.  When they mentioned a hiking trail on an island in the middle of the James River next to the city, I knew I had to get there.  So Saturday afternoon, after tea, we took off to find this place.

• Belle Isle:  Belle Isle is an island that is found in the middle of the James River system.  The main access point, which wasn’t the easiest to find, is by a footbridge that spans the James River from Tredegar Street to the island.  The footbridge is actually underneath the highway that crosses the river.  It’s a concrete footpath but it gives the appearance of a suspension bridge.  And it’s actually pretty high above the river below.  Thus, my sister, who is more scared of heights than myself, was more than a little hesitant about crossing it.  It took a lot of prodding, but she finally took a deep breath and set out across the bridge….so fast that I finally just let her go at her own speed while I stopped to take a few pictures.

Once on the island it was easy to find the path, which makes a loop around the island.  While we were at Hollywood Cemetery, I could see people hanging out and sunning themselves on the rocks on the other side of the river, so I pleased to discover that they got there from this trail.  So as we got started down the path, it didn’t take us long to find ourselves at those rocks.  They were these huge, smooth rocks that were perfect just to sit or lay on and watch the river rush by.  There were a few people who had swam in the river, though it was way too swift for me to want to get in.  Others were just hanging out, visiting friends, playing cards, and one or two enjoying a little “Mary Jane.”  It was also a lot of fun to watch the kayakers maneuver around all the rocks as they floated down the river.

After exploring the rocks, we continued on down the trail.  There were several old structures that had once been part of a large system that had used the water to produce electricity.  We saw people biking and rock climbing at a quarry as we finished up our hike.  One other neat historical fact about the island is that during the Civil War, the island was used as a POW camp for several years.

It wasn’t a very long hike, but considering all the walking we had already done around the city while exploring, it was nice to get a little nature walk in.

Fun Facts and Conclusion

A few other fun facts from the road from Missouri to Richmond:

• While going through the Appalachian Mountains, signs were posted stating “Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft.”  Not sure how that works, but hopefully I don’t get some kind of ticket in the mail because a guy in a plane saw me speeding!
• There were many interesting names, but two that stuck out were Cowpasture Creek and Goochland County.
• While driving home I plugged my phone into the Jeep and just cruised to the music.  I started on the letter “L” and without skipping, I only got only through “L” and “M” while driving through Virginia and West Virginia.  If that’s the case, I’d say I have enough music to drive all the way across the country without hearing the same song twice.
• We crossed the Kanawha River a total of 8 times!!!  All on the same highway (64) and six of those times within the city limits and suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia!

Getting to go to Richmond with my sister was a very special weekend for me.  We don’t get to do a lot of activities together, especially things of this magnitude due to our busy lives, but she turned out to be the perfect “Adventure Partner” for this weekend.  We basically took a long weekend and drove halfway across the country, almost to the Atlantic Ocean, explored several of the most historic sites in our country, ate some of the best food ever, and took in an amazing sporting event before spending another day driving back home.  Even though we seen a lot of things and diddy bopped from one site to another, I never felt too rushed.  We left home with our only plan being to go to a NASCAR race and we ended up doing so much more.  I would highly recommend setting a destination and just going there without a real plan and just exploring as you go.  Talk to some of the locals, pick your next destination while exploring another one, and always eat local.  And I say “conquered” because other than a few places we ate, we basically did all of this in TWO DAYS!!  I felt like we owned Richmond that weekend!!