Hi, I will be stopping in Richmond and Atlanta on my way to the Blue Ridge Parkway next May '04.
I'll be spending an entire day on each one of the two cities. It will be my first time there.
Any ideas on what to do and see, where to eat, especially regional food?.
I'm also interested on any Civil War Battlefield Parks, especially around Richmond.
Thanks.

In Atlanta, recommend taking the CNN Studio Tour.

Not sure about Civil War sites in Richmond, but you can take a plantation tour. It does require your own car and following the signs. Different plantation homes along the James River offer tours and historical insights about the history of the area and a who's who of residents and visitors to the homes. Also in Richmond is St. John's Church where Patrick Henry gave his "Liberty or Death" speech. They do offer tours (which are very interesting) though only at certain hours and days. Go to
http://www.historicstjohnschurch.org/pages/reenact.htm

There is a civil war site outside of Richmond in Petersburg that is supposed to be pretty good. The White House for the Confederate president is located in Richmond and could be interesting.

Here is the National Park Service website about Richmond sites:
http://www.nps.gov/rich/home.htm
The Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitor Center at 470 Tredegar Street was completed just last year. Lots of areas in the surrounding battlefields and along the driving tour are still closed because of Hurricane Isabel damage, but should be fine by spring! You can also drive the Civil War Trails all over Virginia, the website is http://www.civilwartrails.org/

There is a Civil War Park in Petersburg called Pamplin Park...do a search on it...

Also in Petersburg, the Crater Battlefield is famous--in addition, Blanford Cemetary...

In Richmond, there is Hollywood Cemetary where VERY famous Southerners are buried....

Also drive down Monument Ave and see all the Civil War monuments of the generals....( of course, now that the Hurricane really blasted Richmond, lots of the trees On monument ave are totally gone).

Regional food in Richmond---just ok but still regional is Bill's BBq ( for a quick lunch bite)...

For really GREAT food, try Millie's in Shockoe Bottom...

In addition, try to get a hotel room at the Berkely Hotel in Shockoe Slip-it is restored area of Richmond , similar to Gerogetown in DC and has TERRIFIC restaurants and neat little shops to walk around in...For restaurants in Shockoe Slip, try Pomegrante's...

Andy - it makes me ill to hear that many of those trees on Monument are gone! I lived there for seven years and it's one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S... but mostly due to all the foliage.

Ditto to Hollywood Cemetary - I've taken many a visitor there and they loved it. You don't really need to know where you're going, just drive around and look for famous names (several former generals and U.S. presidents are buried there)

Oh my gosh, didn't realize the hurricane took out trees on Monument Ave. I lived on that beautiful boulevard in the '70s when I was a grad student at VCU!

Oakland cemetary in Atlanta has alot of history and many soldiers buried there together. You can get a map of the grounds (it is huge)Also-the BEST Civil War exhibit and by far the most interesting I have ever seen was at the Atlanta History Center. It was the most in depth with many rooms of weapons, letters, clothing, tombstones, instruments, famous families, stories, everything. I lived there and had never been until my Mom came into town. It was done very, very well, I highly recommend it.
Try their site www.atlhist.org to see virtual tours. I hope you have a great time exploring !

hlphillips2 and Betsy--

Richmond and particularly the Southside of Richmond ( S. of the James) took the major hit from Isabel...STILL re-cooperating from it....Looked like a war zone..Tons of places in the FAN were literally condemmed as were lots of NICE home in the Southside ( Chesterfield County)-- listed as a disaster area...FEMA is here currently trying to help people...

We got hit harder than VA Beach and Norfolk...AMAZING---something I NEVER want to go thru again!

Thanks for the update Andy - I'd heard a bit about Chesterfield but not about the Fan.

GenXer - it also occurred to me that you might want to visit the Cyclorama in Atlanta. It's a 360 degree painting about the civil war battles around Atlanta - only a few of them exist in the world. You're seated while the painting revolves around you. I believe there's also a museum attached.

I can comment on Richmond, since I have been up there on numerous occasions. The best Civil War sites in somewhat of an order around Richmond are: the Museum of the Confederacy (one of the best Civil War sights anywhere); Petersburg Battlefield; White House of the Confederacy (adjacent to the museum); the Richmond battlefield tour; and take your pick among Tredegar Iron Works, Hollywood Cemetery, Monument Ave., and the VA state capitol. You can drive around the Richmond Battlefield tour in about half a day (maybe a little less if you don't walk too much). The tour's highlights are the battlefields of Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, and Cold Harbor. There are national cemeteries along the tour at Glendale (near Malvern Hill) and Cold Harbor. These battlefields contain a few cannon and not many monuments, but it is a pleasant drive through the country on the outskirts of Richmond. Pamplin Park is wonderful at Petersburg if you want another museum plus demonstrations plus a battlefield.

With one day, I would start first thing in the morning at Petersburg National Battlefield (opens at 9 vs. 10 for the top Richmond sites). The visit should take you no more than 2-3 hours. Grab a quick lunch on the way back to Richmond. Park at the hospital next to the Museum of the Confederacy. Spend 2-3 hours in the museum, and if time allows take the hour-long tour of the White House (it is very nice). After things shut down at 5:00, enjoy more of Richmond. You could walk around the historic section and maybe see Monument Ave. Alternatively, it is possible to visit the museum and White House in the morning (first thing at opening) and do Petersburg in the afternoon. I have done it that way and spent a lot of time outside the car. You may get something out of my Civil War section at www.oneeyed.homestead.com. I plan to add a travelogue for the Richmond battle sites in the near future - certainly before you go.

With regard to Richmond, Capitol Square has a great deal to offer. Virginia's state capital was designed by Thomas Jefferson and dates to just after the American Revolution. Old City Hall, right in back of the Capitol, is a wonderfully restored late nineteenth-century neo-Gothic masterpiece. And old St. Paul's Church (I think it's St. Paul's) on the west side of Capitol Square is the place where Jefferson Davis was worshipping when he received Lee's message that he was having to evacuate Petersburg.

Petersburg is the most interesting Civil War battlesite around Richmond -- best museum, most interesting physical remains. The battlefield sites associated with the 1862 and 1864 Richmond campaigns are mostly smaller and not as physically interesting, although you can tour all of them readily in a day (Mechanicsville, Cold Harbor, Malven Hill, etc.). The James River plantations make a great day trip, but if you do that, that will be all you'll have time to do.

I also endorse the visit to Hollywood cemetery. Presidents Monroe and Tyler are buried there, and many Civil War generals. including Pickett. Great view of the James from up there, too. And Millie's (not in Shockoe Slip, but at the foot of Chimborazo Hill, where the Confederate Hospitals were) is a marvelously funky place with great food.

In Atlanta, for history, I would go to the Cyclorama. Your other choice for Civil War stuff would be to drive northwest of the city about twenty miles to the Kennesaw Battlefield Park, where there are trails up the mountain that would allow you to get some exercise as well. And I suspect there's probably some kind of museum nearby associated with the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase.

The Martin Luther King, Jr sites in Atlanta are excellent. We also enjoyed the Jimmy Carter Museum.

We ate dinner at Dish, and it was wonderful.

Hello,
We visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, which is well worth seeing. Very informative and educational. Also had a tour of Margaret Mitchell's house. I don't know if you are interested in nature but we really enjoyed the Atlanta Botanical Garden, too. We ate at a fabulous restaurant that serves regional food. I believe the name is Mary Mac's. I work with someone who is originally from Atlanta and, according to him, Mary Mac's is well-known for its regional cooking and has been around for many, many years.

Mary Mac's would be the perfect "Southern" food experience. I used to live a block away and went often. Everything from the building, food, it is all a true "Southern" home cooked meal at it's best. No frills.