What an absolutely incredible day we had exploring Richmond! We managed to pack four amazing attractions into one memorable adventure, and honestly, I’m still buzzing from all the history and culture we soaked up. Let me take you on the journey we took through Virginia’s capital city.
Morning Magic at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
We kicked things off at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), and wow, we were not prepared for how sprawling and impressive this place is! The museum boasts a mind-blowing collection of nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.
The History: The VMFA first opened its doors way back on January 16, 1936, and it’s been growing ever since. The original building was designed in a gorgeous Georgian Revival style and was built starting in 1934. Over the decades, the museum has expanded massively—adding wings in 1954, 1970, and most famously, a huge 90,000-square-foot West Wing in 1985 that houses some seriously stunning collections.
The Highlights: We spent hours wandering through galleries featuring everything from ancient Egyptian artifacts (including a mummy called “Tjeby”!) to contemporary art pieces. One absolute must-see is their collection of Fabergé eggs—they have one of the largest public collections outside of Russia, with over 150 jeweled pieces by the famous Russian jewelry designer. We also loved the Art Nouveau and Art Deco sections, the East Asian collections with incredible Chinese jade and Japanese paintings, and the Modern and Contemporary galleries that feature works collected by the Lewis family (who literally traded electronics for art with artists!). The museum even has English silver, South Asian sculpture, and ancient art from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Basically, if you love art in literally any form, it’s all here.
A Stroll Through Confederate History at the White House of the Confederacy
After working up an appetite and our cultural appreciation, we headed to the White House of the Confederacy, which is a fascinating and sobering piece of American history.
The History: This National Historic Landmark was built way back in 1818, making it a beautiful example of early 19th-century architecture long before the Civil War even happened. When the Confederate government chose Richmond as its capital in 1861, the home was selected to serve as the executive mansion of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family. The house served this purpose throughout the Civil War until Richmond fell to Union forces in April 1865. Here’s something wild—President Abraham Lincoln actually visited the house just days after it fell, spending about two hours there on April 3, 1865, meeting with Union General Godfrey Weitzel.
The Highlights: You tour the house with knowledgeable museum historians, and it typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour. The tour covers both the elegant public rooms (like the parlor and dining room where Confederate officials conducted business) and the private living quarters where the Davis family resided. The guides do an excellent job of presenting a balanced view of history—discussing not just the family’s life, but also the stories of the enslaved people who worked in the home. One particularly poignant detail: there’s a railing on the balcony where Jefferson Davis’s five-year-old son, Joseph, tragically fell to his death in 1864. You can actually still see this railing.
Tracing the Battle Lines at Richmond National Battlefield Park
This is where things get really intense and historically significant. The Richmond National Battlefield Park covers an enormous area around the city, documenting the crucial campaigns of the Civil War.
The History: Between 1861 and 1865, Richmond was basically the prize that both Union and Confederate forces fought desperately over. It wasn’t just the capital city that made it so valuable—Richmond had the Tredegar Iron Works (one of the South’s premier iron manufacturing facilities), five railroads connecting it to every part of the state, and control of the James River. The city became the focal point of multiple campaigns, including the Peninsula Campaign in 1862 (where Robert E. Lee’s famous Seven Days’ Battles saved the city from Union General George McClellan) and later the brutal nine-month siege coordinated by General Ulysses Grant.
The Confederate forces constructed an massive system of earthwork fortifications ringing the entire city—essentially creating a ring of defenses. For nearly four years, Richmond held firm, making it one of the most fiercely defended cities in the Confederacy. Finally, on April 2, 1865, Union forces broke through the defenses around Petersburg (just south of Richmond), and the Confederate government evacuated the city just one day later.
The Highlights: The battlefield park actually includes several significant sites. Cold Harbor marks one of June 1864’s most brutal and decisive battles—with walking trails and interpretive markers explaining the horrific fighting. Seven Pines (also called Fair Oaks) was a pivotal May 1862 battle where you can still see preserved earthworks. Tredegar Iron Works is now a museum showcasing the industrial heart of the war effort, displaying the manufacturing processes that kept the Confederate army supplied. Belle Isle, located on the James River, was used as a Confederate prison camp where conditions were notoriously harsh.
The Poignant Heart of Medicine: Chimborazo Medical Museum
Our final stop was the Chimborazo Medical Museum, which sits on the site of what was once the Confederacy’s largest and most famous hospital facility.
The History: In the early days of the Civil War, Richmond was overwhelmed with sick and wounded soldiers. Traditional hospital spaces—crowded warehouses, hotels, and private homes—were failing spectacularly. So in October 1862, Confederate Surgeon General Samuel P. Moore converted some military barracks on an undeveloped 40-acre plateau on the city’s east end into a purpose-built hospital. The name? It was inspired by Mount Chimborazo, an inactive volcano in Ecuador, which seemed fitting for a hill rising majestically above the James River.
The hospital became absolutely revolutionary. Dr. James B. McCaw, a Medical College of Virginia professor appointed as surgeon-in-chief, organized 90 hospital wards into five divisional hospitals, each with its own command structure. The facility could accommodate between 3,400 and 3,600 patients at any given time, and impressively, it pioneered the “pavilion-style hospital” layout in America—arranging buildings with wide avenues between them to maximize fresh air, which was believed to aid recovery.
The Jaw-Dropping Stats: Between 1861 and 1865, Chimborazo Hospital admitted over 76,000 Confederate patients. Here’s what’s remarkable: despite the horrific conditions of the war, the hospital’s mortality rate was between 8.3 and 10.3 percent—among the lowest of any period military hospital. Some accounts show that in 1862-1863 alone, 47,176 soldiers were admitted with only 3,031 deaths (a 6.62 percent mortality rate). That’s a testament to the innovative medical practices and dedicated staff.
The Highlights: The staff was incredibly diverse, including convalescing soldiers, free Black individuals, enslaved people, and volunteer women. Medical innovation was encouraged and practiced—surgeons at Chimborazo were doing cutting-edge work for the 1860s. The organization was meticulous, with supplies carefully managed, rations calculated precisely, and even patients grouped by state so supplies and mail could be distributed efficiently.
The buildings were simple but thoughtfully designed—crude wooden structures whitewashed inside and out, with three doors and ten windows per side for ventilation, white curtains in the windows, growing plants on shelves, wood stoves for warmth, and candles for nighttime work. It sounds basic now, but this was actually pretty sophisticated for 1862!
After the war ended in April 1865, Union soldiers took over the facility and used it to treat Union patients. Then some of the wards were converted into a Freedmen’s Bureau school where nearly 200 freed slaves enrolled for education—a number that grew to 345 by fall. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment of that site’s history.
Final Thoughts
Spending a day exploring Richmond’s museums and battlefields is honestly one of the most rewarding and emotionally moving experiences you can have while traveling. You walk through fine art that takes your breath away, tour homes where history literally unfolded, stand on ground where tens of thousands fought and died, and learn about medical innovations born from desperate necessity. It’s heavy, it’s beautiful, it’s educational, and it’s absolutely worth every minute.
If you ever find yourself in Richmond, I cannot recommend these four spots highly enough. Each one tells a crucial part of America’s story!