| Author | Message | ||
     Henrik |
Melissa and I are going to Richmond, VA, over Memorial Day weekend. Fly down, rent a car. Any recommendations for places to stay in the Richmond area? Decent hotel, maybe in a neighborhoody area with a few restaurants within walking distance. We'll be doing day trips out from Richmond to the beach and Charlottesville and maybe exploring Richmond for a day. Suggestions for anything in particular to do or see while there? Thanks Henrik | ||
| Toona |
Henrik, I stayed at a Hampton Inn in Mechanicsville (northeast suburb of Richmond) last August. Nice room, maybe 6 or so restaurants within 2 - 3 block radius, Outback Steakhouse, TGIF, Applebees etc. There was also a decent sized shopping mall maybe 1/2 mile away. There was a great indoor go cart track maybe 2 miles away towards the NASCAR track. Not your normal kiddie 5hp Briggs carts. These were 9hp carts, neck restraints and helmets were required. Very addictive. If I remember right, ride passes were in the $20 range for 8 or 9 minutes. All day pass, $100. I was on with 2 guys that brought there own helmets and were on the all day pass. http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=4SCAXCHTF4WH0CSGBI12VCQKIYFCVUUC?ctyhocn=RICMVHX | ||
| Nutsosane |
Henrik, I've only driven through Richmond once and I'm glad I was in the wife's car. Richmond has to have the worst road conditions of anywhere in the country. Literally unrideable pavement. I recommend checking out this site and following the "Top ten reasons to take a ride up the hill" link. www.franksforthememories.com NUTS | ||
| Tank_bueller |
I would second Mechanicsville, if you really must stay near Richmond. Not a whole lot there, but easy access to interstates and such for your "day trips". If you're headed east, and have never been to Colonial Williamsburg, I highly recommend it. They have "tours" and stuff, but you can park fairly easily and check it out on your own. Everyone should visit at least once in their life; cool piece of history. Might be a little busy, though. Mem. day weekend is pretty much the start of tourist season. If you need more info about things east of Richmond, let me know. Happy to help. Tank | ||
| Henrik |
Thanks for the information guys. I would have preferred to stay in Charlottesville (closer to the mountains  ), but Melissa wants to hit the beach as well, so Richmond seemed like a good choice in the middle. Nuts; can't get the www.franksforthememories.com link to work. End up on some godaddy.com page instead?? Tank; I've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, don't think Melissa has either. I'll put in on the to-do list. I *have* lived in Williamsburg, Queens though. But my guess is they're quite different  Thanks again. Henrik | ||
| Brotherbuell |
Henrik, I would highly recommend a trip to Colonial Williamsburg as well. It's truly a national treasure. My wife and I were there last fall and can't wait to return. Don't miss the Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry role players. They are very good. It's fun to watch the history geeks try to trick them to no avail. | ||
| Blublak |
If you like theme parks, there's also Bush Gardens you can visit. Beware, the Octoberfest section rolls all year round.. With a direct pipline to the brewery right behind the park. heheheheh.. Hmmm.. What else? In Richmond, there is some nice stuff right down by the water ( a river runs through it) and you can sight see down there. Some of the streets are still (or possibly could soon be) cobblestone. There is a lot of Civil War stuff in town, any tourist/welcome center will be more then happy to help you find all you can stand. Oh, and don't forget to go West when you get the chance, the best roads are.. well.. That'a way! Drop a line if you're going be anywhere near DC/Northern Virginia for any time. While I can't act as tour guide, I'd be happy to meet up with ya (maybe get BumbleBuell to go with me) and actually put a face/voice etc. to a name? Just a thought. | ||
| Henrik |
Not big on theme parks, but the direct beer line sounds interesting .... hmmm, maybe I can get Melissa to take the wheel I do know about those roads further west - I've been down that way 5 or 6 times in the last years and just love the area. But Melissa insists on seeing beach as well, so it'll only be a day trip. Thanks again guys for your suggestions. Henrik | ||
| Chauly |
Henrik, Try www.franks4thememories.com And call me at 804-852-6904 when your plans jell a bit. I do have a selection of bikes...  | ||
| Chauly |
Take a look at this: http://www.jeffersonhotel.com/index.htm Very nice place, and some great restaurants within walking distance, not to mention inside the Hotel itself. Sunday Brunch is "Black Tie Optional", I believe. I can also quote Japanese, Italian, Thai, "murican", and other cuisines in Richmond on demand, from "slummin' to hummin'"! | ||
| Henrik |
Wow Charlie ... now that's a *nice* hotel. Out of my league but nice. Can you recommend something at around half the price? There will unfortunately not be time for bikes on this trip. It's really more of a reconnoitering trip and we need to utilize the time we have there. Next time ... Henrik | ||
| Chauly |
I'll round up a few more... My company used to have a corporate rate deal there for $69/night, since we are just down the street! Ah, the good old days... | ||
| Bluelightning |
Since you will be in Richmond over Memorial Day weekend, you should try to come up on Sunday to the DC area. Rolling Thunder is quite a site to see with all of the bikes in the Pentagon parking lot getting ready to head out to do the ride to the wall. | ||
| Pcmodeler |
There are a couple of hotels near the airport. The Mechanicsville suggestion is a good one. The airport is right near I-295. If you take I-295 heading North towards DC, there are a few hotels right off the exit there in Mechanicsville. That will keep you right near the Interstate so you can head to the beach. There are some cool things to see down there. Don't know what kind of stuff you are into, but there are a couple of really nice Gardens (Lewis Ginter and Maymount parks). You can walk downtown along the canal walk. Some really good restraunts down there. We also have minor league baseball (Braves). May be a game going on. There is the Science Museum, Imax theater, etc. Summer concert series will have started by then, so there will be several parts of town with bands. Depending on the dates, I think Skynyrd will be playing when you are here. If you want, send me a PM and I can give you my phone number if you want to call me and I can suggest some stuff. | ||
| Henrik |
Karl: I've done Run to The Wall twice some years back and had a great time. It was awe inspiring to see some 200,000 bikes in the Pentagon parking lot and a very moving experience to ride through DC to The Wall - veterans and family of soldiers killed lining the streets. Many holding signs with name and rank of loved ones lost. As always numbers are incomprehensible until someone "draws you a picture" and slaps you in the face with it. The impossibly many names on The Wall and the grieving friends and family was a shocker for me. We also went and saw the change of the guard at the grave of the unknown soldier. That and the cemetery brought tears to my eyes. In this time of war, unrest, terror and civil war across the globe I think many more ought to be made to make that trip. Mark; thanks for the information and the offer. As the plans shape up I may shoot you a mail. Henrik |
