First Bull Run Richmond Area

[tlyne]

I am looking to make a trip to Richmond this summer. Where is the best place to stay to have access to the most Civil War sites?


Edit-I thought I was still in another thread, but I'll leave this here also.

 

[bdtex]

I am looking to make a trip to Richmond this summer. Where is the best place to stay to have access to the most Civil War sites?


Edit-I thought I was still in another thread, but I'll leave this here also.

Depends on whether you are more interested in museums or battlefields and how long you will be there. I went to Richmond/Petersburg for 6 days in January. Lotta nice hotels in Colonial Heights which is close to all the Petersburg sites. I stayed there one night. Stayed in downtown Richmond 3 nights,which is real close to lotsa museums,Monument Avenue and pretty close to Hollywood Cemetery. The last night I stayed at a nice hotel,among several,right near the Richmond Airport on the east side of town. Cold Harbor,Gaines Mill,Malvern Hill,Drewry's Bluff,et.al. are a few minutes drive from the airport hotels with not much traffic.

 

[jackt62]

Richmond is manageable enough to get easy access to sites in the City and surrounding areas. In two previous visits I stayed in the downtown area and in Shockoe Bottom, which allowed easy walking or driving to the Museum of the Confederacy, Tredagar, Hollywood Cemetary, and convenient access to I-95 to go south to the Petersburg area, about 1/2 hour away.

 

[John Winn]

I'm going to be there in September and so have recently done a lot of research on places to stay. Initially I was like you and thought I'd try and get close to the places I want to visit. After a lot of internet research I finally decided to stay up the road to the west maybe fifteen minutes out by I-65. I don't mind a short drive and I get a nicer place for a lot less money, don't have to pay a bunch to park my car, will be in a safe neighborhood with some good restaurant choices, and will be right next to the botanical garden we want to see. Other than the extra ten minutes I'll spend driving into town all the places I want to see are really just as accessible from the interstate as they are from downtown (including Cold Harbor which is to the east of town a ways). I did the same thing a few years ago when I visited Savannah, GA and it worked out nicely.

Just something to think about.

 

[bdtex]

I'm going to be there in September and so have recently done a lot of research on places to stay. Initially I was like you and thought I'd try and get close to the places I want to visit. After a lot of internet research I finally decided to stay up the road to the west maybe fifteen minutes out by I-65. I don't mind a short drive and I get a nicer place for a lot less money, don't have to pay a bunch to park my car, will be in a safe neighborhood with some good restaurant choices, and will be right next to the botanical garden we want to see. Other than the extra ten minutes I'll spend driving into town all the places I want to see are really just as accessible from the interstate as they are from downtown (including Cold Harbor which is to the east of town a ways). I did the same thing a few years ago when I visited Savannah, GA and it worked out nicely.

Just something to think about.

Where you stay also depends to a large extent on whether you have a spouse travelling with you who doesn't give a hoot about Civil War sites. Real nice mall in Colonial Heights with several good hotels right next to it. That was night 1 and day 2. She wanted to sleep in our last morning there,so I got a room near the airport for our last night's stay and got up early the last morning and hit Cold Harbor and Gaines' Mill while she slept in.

 

[John Winn]

Where you stay also depends to a large extent on whether you have a spouse travelling with you who doesn't give a hoot about Civil War sites. Real nice mall in Colonial Heights with several good hotels right next to it. That was night 1 and day 2. She wanted to sleep in our last morning there,so I got a room near the airport for our last night's stay and got up early the last morning and hit Cold Harbor and Gaines' Mill while she slept in.

You do have a point. Fortunately, while my wife's interest in the CW is pretty minimal she's interested enough to go with me and we've packed in other non-CW things so see and do along the way. She's a photographer so as long as there's something to photograph she's kept occupied.

 

[dlavin]

I think I replied in your other thread. Lots to consider about lodging. I was with John Winn, I stayed outside of downtown and to the west on the advice of some friends who live there. And I didnt stay with them because I didnt want to intrude with my leaving early and coming in late. So I figured a hotel was best. I am always big into the hotels that serve a free breakfast in the morning.

If you are already planning on doing driving, which I cant see how you wouldn't, staying another 10 minutes isn't anything.

I saw the Richmond battlefields, Tredegar, Hollywood Cemetary, MoC, White House, Monument Ave and Drewery's Bluff all in about a day and a half. Then I went up to Spotsylvania, but that was on my way home, so made sense.

 

[tlyne]

I'm going to be there in September and so have recently done a lot of research on places to stay. Initially I was like you and thought I'd try and get close to the places I want to visit. After a lot of internet research I finally decided to stay up the road to the west maybe fifteen minutes out by I-65. I don't mind a short drive and I get a nicer place for a lot less money, don't have to pay a bunch to park my car, will be in a safe neighborhood with some good restaurant choices, and will be right next to the botanical garden we want to see. Other than the extra ten minutes I'll spend driving into town all the places I want to see are really just as accessible from the interstate as they are from downtown (including Cold Harbor which is to the east of town a ways). I did the same thing a few years ago when I visited Savannah, GA and it worked out nicely.

Just something to think about.

That is probably some good advice.

 

[John Winn]

That is probably some good advice.

If that's what you end up doing I hope it works out as you want. Start with Trip Advisor and Yelp and you can see a map. There's quite a few hotels/motels out to the west of town so you'll just have to see which one is most convenient and is priced within your budget. You pay premium to be downtown and some areas of Richmond aren't all that safe after dark (and some in broad daylight but that's not right downtown) which means that even if you avoid having to pay for valet parking your car might not be safe (or you if you're returning later in the evening).

We'll be in town for five days so a place with a kitchen was a good choice for us. That way we can keep and eat leftovers, make up lunches every day, have some snacks in the room, and keep the wine and beer cold. Where I booked I got a nice room with a kitchen in what seems like a very good establishment all for about half of what it would have cost me to stay in an equally nice place downtown. I don't want to stay in a dump either but for close to a hundred dollars a day it's well worth it to me to drive a few minutes down the interstate.

 

[CheathamHill]

The Hilton at 501 E Broad St in Richmond was absolutely fantastic for me a few months ago.
Walking distance to the capitol, MOC, WotC and the rest of downtown.
3 minute car ride to Tredegar and Hollywood Cemetery
10-20 minute car ride to Cold Harbor, Gaines Mill, Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Drewry Bluff Etc.
Just a wonderful centralized location in what has quickly become one of my favorite cities to visit.