Richmond, Virginia Weekend Trip: Exploring American History, Culture, and Food

Recently, I went to Richmond, Virginia, for the first time since I was a child, expecting a quiet yet enjoyable weekend away from my home city of Washington, DC to satiate a bit of my wanderlust and learn more about a city I had neglected for too long. What I didn’t expect was to come home feeling like I’d been abroad in a sense, without the airport chaos, the jet lag, or heavy baggage to carry around. Walking and exploring around Richmond taught me a lesson I’m stubbornly still learning as a traveler: you don’t need to cross oceans or borders to find fulfillment or enjoyment. Sometimes, you just need to cross a river or bridge, buy a train ticket, and pay attention to your new surroundings closely.

My short weekend sojourn started at the Virginia State Capitol. From the sidewalk to enter the capitol building, the Jeffersonian-inspired and classical ode to ancient Rome reads like a concentrated American history lesson, marble pediments, statues that celebrate and statues that provoke, plaques that lean into the proud parts of the story and the ugly parts too. If you stand there long enough, you’ll feel the founding era, the Civil War’s echo, and the decades of re-interpretation that followed all those momentous eras in America layered in one historic place. One single building can hold centuries of national argument and rebirth, which is exactly why it’s worth entering on a whim, touring around with a guide (or on your own), and making up your own conclusions at the end of the day.

Since the 1600s, Richmond’s streets were originally built for feet, not for automobiles. Walking the city as intended, slow, curious, with pockets empty of earbuds, it revealed to me slowly the soul of this city: brick alleyways with murals, a small memorial tucked behind a tree, an old lamppost with a plaque you would most certainly miss if you drove by it. The James River riverfront and walking path invites you to stroll or bike around without care, and it is that revitalized locale where the city balances both its entertainment and memory. I was lucky enough to catch a momentous Rock icon and activist, Neil Young, live in concert at the new Allianz amphitheater, a communal blast of noise and nostalgia for me. Shortly before the show began, I stumbled upon a powerful monument to African American emancipation that made Neil’s famous song ‘Southern Man’ reverberate through my head later that night. Moments of joy and reflection live side-by side here in Richmond, which is honest and useful to any traveler.

Food is where the culture in Richmond gets deliciously literal. Perly’s, a landmark Jewish delicatessen and restaurant, felt like a warm argument for continuity amid uncertainty: matzah ball soup and juicy pastrami that tasted like family stories kept on the menu. Casa del Barco, a popular Mexican spot, served textures and spices that reminded me, without fanfare, that America’s identity isn’t monolithic, it’s an expansive buffet that should be allowed to flourish for all to enjoy. Walking from the salsa offerings bar to the sandwich deli counter, the city’s diversity was in full and hospitable color.

Before taking the northward bound train home, I would have been remiss to not go to the wonderful Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for a few hours. Seeing the Frida Kahlo, ‘Beyond the Myth’ popular temporary exhibit (April 5th – September 28th, 2025) there; vivid, intimate, and heavy with her powerful presence, immediately transported me back to my past visit to her home and now museum, Casa Azul in Mexico City, where I once lived and where Frida’s life still breathes from room to room. Museums are weirdly fluent translators for visitors: they let a painting in Richmond speak to a garden in Coyoacán and to your own memories of places. They make lasting cultural connections you didn’t know you needed but swell with enjoyment from having rediscovered.

Before you scroll onwards from this article, remember that you can learn, be delighted, confront uncomfortable truths, and expand your map without using your passport, whichever country you call home. Sometimes, the best trip you can take is within your own backyard or in your own region. Richmond reminded me that depth in traveling is not a function of distance, it’s a function of curiosity. Pick a city close to home sometime, lace up your shoes, pick a museum that tickles your fancy, order the odd sandwich, go to a show, and walk until the city starts telling you, its secrets. If you still come back bored from that trip, I’ll take you to my favorite deli and we’ll argue about how you misread the signs along the way.