Plus, Hokie night at the Diamond
 
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88º | 6% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:25 a.m. | Sunset 8:01 p.m.
 

🚗 Take a Riverside Drive

3 routes for a scenic drive near Richmond
RIC route 5 capital trail
Route 5 runs parallel to the Virginia Capital Trail all the way to Williamsburg. | Photo by RICtoday
As great as Richmond is on foot or by bike, sometimes you’ve got to take a drive. Whether it’s to clear your mind, listen to some tunes, or take in the beauty of the River City, there’s nothing quite like a scenic cruise on four wheels.

The next time you’ve got a hankering to hit the road, we’ve got three suggestions for you.

Riverside Drive

If you’re in the mood for, well, a riverside drive, we have an aptly named road for you. Just south of the James, Riverside Drive starts around the Huguenot Flatwater area and winds its way for over a dozen miles of beautiful views before ending in Manchester.

Along the way you’ll find picturesque overlooks and architectural standouts. The shortest road on this list, you can knock out a leisurely cruise of Riverside Drive in less than half an hour.

City Editor David here: This is just my opinion, but I’m not sure Richmond gets any prettier than Riverside Drive in late October, when the fall foliage is at its peak.

Route 5

Starting around Rocketts Landing and then heading east via New Market Road, Route 5 will take you all the way to Williamsburg if you let it. The state highway runs parallel to the Virginia Capital Trail for almost the entire way.

Along the way you’ll encounter beautiful scenery, river crossings, and towns so rustic that they’ve earned the name to prove it.

RIC state route 6

State Route 6 starts in the Museum District, but can take you all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Photo by Famartin

Route 6

If you want to go the other way, Route 6 — aka River Road West — runs through some of Goochland’s most picturesque neighborhoods.

From where it starts — heading west on Patterson from Arthur Ashe Boulevard — to where it eventually merges with the James Madison Highway near Fork Union, Route 6 covers nearly 50 miles of Central VA scenery.

If you’re really in it for the long haul, it diverges again after a few miles and runs another 50 to Afton, where you can hop onto Skyline Drive.

Did we miss one of your favorites? Point us in the right direction.
Your favorite drive
Asked

Riverside Drive wasn’t always a road. What did it used to be?

A. A railroad bed
B. An electric trolley route
C. A mountain bike trail
D. Revolutionary War battlements
Do you know?
 
Events
Thursday, Aug. 15
  • Artist Meetup: The Exquisite Corpse | Thursday, Aug. 15 | 6 p.m. | Benchtop Brewing | Cost of purchase | Connect with other artists at this Art Works meetup and participate in a creative activity with supplies provided.
  • “Liar Liar” | Thursday, Aug. 15 | 7 p.m. | The Byrd Theatre | $9 | See the Jim Carrey comedy on the big screen.
Friday, Aug. 16
  • Old Crow Medicine Show | Friday, Aug. 16 | 6 p.m. | Maymont | $40-$60 | The folk group will play with Town Mountain as part of the Music at Maymont series.
  • Primus | Friday, Aug. 16 | 7 p.m. | Richmond Raceway | $55-$67 | The band will rock Virginia Credit Union LIVE! with Coheed and Cambria.
Saturday, Aug. 17
  • Fused Glass: Try it! | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 12 p.m. + 3 p.m. | The Glass Ceiling | $70 | Learn the basics of glass fusing to create your own custom art.
  • Outdoor Movie Night | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 7-9:30 p.m. | Bon Secours Sarah Garland Jones Center | Free | Bring a blanket or chair to watch Halle Bailey in the live action “The Little Mermaid,” plus enjoy face painting, popcorn, ice cream, and tunes from DJ Nini.
Sunday, Aug. 18
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
Visit Fredericksburg
 
News Notes
Coming Soon
  • Kicks Klinic, a sneaker cleaning business, will open on East Broad Street by the end of August. The Jackson Ward space, which has been vacant since 2022, will join a thriving sneaker industry around Richmond. (Richmond BizSense)
Health
  • The city says it has sealed the sewer pipe that has been intermittently leaking into the James for months. DPU reportedly cut the pipe off from the rest of the sewer system and sealed it off on Monday. (VPM)
Edu
  • The Chesterfield County Public School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint John Murray as the district’s interim superintendent. Murray is stepping in for former superintendent Mervin Daugherty, who retired on June 30. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Sports
  • Thursday, Aug. 22 is Virginia Tech Night at the Diamond. Don their maroon and burnt orange for the game — fans in VT gear will be able to purchase a $5 general admission ticket at the box office. There are still plenty more promo nights before Squirrels wrap up their season in September.
Richmonder
  • The Broadway revival of “The Wiz” is wrapping up at the end of this week, but did you know that Dorothy is from Chesterfield? Nichelle Lewis is a 2017 graduate of Manchester High School — read all about her roots in Richmond. (Style Weekly)
Biz
  • Dominion Energy has secured a 176,505-acre lease area from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for potential offshore wind development. The company paid $17.7 million for the area off the coast of Virginia Beach.
Number
  • $2.1 billion. That’s how much Virginia Lottery players won or claimed (before taxes) from January through June 2024 — now that’s a big number. From Scratchers and Print ‘n Play to online games, there are countless ways to win. You must be 18+ to play Lottery games. See odds, game, and prize info.*
Pets
  • Don’t let big bills at the vet give you paws. Lemonade’s affordable, customizable, oh-so-easy-to-use Pet Insurance means you can head to the vet worry-free next time Fido’s feeling ruff.*
 
Biz

Richmond on the RISE

100 Richmond businesses receive Comcast RISE grants
Six juices sit on a table in front of a brick wall.
100 Richmond businesses like Beet Box (above) have won funds and services from Comcast. | Photo via The Beet Box
100 Richmond businesses were included in this year’s recipients of Comcast RISE grants. In addition to a $5,000 grant, awardees receive consulting, creative production services, and a “tech makeover” from Comcast.

This year, 500 small businesses nationwide were awarded grants. Richmond businesses made up 20% of those winners.

Among the recipients were The Beet Box, Soul N’ Vinegar, Lock It Plates, Cuts & Styles Hair Studio, Dayum this is my Jam, and Cason Funnel Cakes. See the full list of grant recipients.

This year’s round of grant winners were announced on Tuesday. Since Comcast RISE began in 2020, it has awarded grants to 14,000+ small businesses around the country.

Want to find a full guide to products made in the River City? We’ve got you covered.
The Buy

The Buy 8.15.24 (Affiliate)
This best-selling stainless steel 7-in-1 Instant Pot. It’s a classic for a reason — and you can use this versatile, customizable kitchen appliance to pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam and warm up your meals with easy dishwasher-safe clean up.
More worth The Buy
 
The Wrap
 
David Lefkowitz.png

Today’s edition by:
David
From the editor
Even though I stand by my pick of Riverside Drive in the fall as Richmond at its prettiest, I’ve also driven parts of Route 6 in October and the whole of Route 5 in November. Let me assure you: You can’t go wrong with any of them.
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