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My husband and I are planning a trip to Virginia in April 2006. We have a business meeting in Richmond, but we will have lots of free time and would like to sightsee while are are there. We would like to find a really nice place to stay close to Richmond. Any ideas?

I don't know how close to Richmond you want to be. The Williamsburg Inn and Kingsmill Resort will be about an hour from Richmond. Charlottesville is an hour in the other direction.

The Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond is the nicest hotel. The Omni downtown is more modern and is walking distance to restaurants and clubs downtown.
What are you looking to do? There is Louis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Maymount Park, the homes on Monument Ave, the art museum, Carytown for a stroll and some lunch and maybe a little eclectic shopping, University of Richmond(beautiful campus), etc..There are so many homes in the area with great history. You will need a car to drive to all of these places. The city has a cute area called Shockoe slip (the omni is there) and the waterfront of the James River. It also has some crummy areas east end of the city. Carytown is like a mini Greenwich Village idea. The top end is near the very nice old homes of Richmond and the south end of Cary St. is more diverse, but has the Virginia Commonwealth University buildings. There are some great restaurants down there. If you like Cuban food, Kuba Kuba is great, but diner like atmosphere.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I think the Jefferson Hotel is the nicest hotel in town followed by the Omni. Both in excellent downtown locations by the Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom.

The best deal for the money and very nice is the Commonwealth Park Suites. Huge suits, living rooms, four poster beds, marble bathrooms, excellent location right in front of the Omni and Jefferson Hotels.

If you are outdoorsy, the James River runs through the city of Richmond. It has class 4 rapids to ride if that is something that floats your boat. I just read about it today and I have lived here 8 years!