First up, Conde Nast Travelers “Best Places to Travel in February”, with a note to bookmark these places for your 2022 plans when travel is again hopefully possible. Joining a list of such places as Barbados, South Africa and Sri Lanka, Richmond is called out for working hard to address its role in the American slave trade and references February's Black History Month. RVA, as Virginians affectionately refer to their capital city, several years ago launched BLKRVA, a free guide to exploring the city's black culture, past, present and future. The article also calls out projects like Mending Walls, a mural-based program spearheaded by local artist Hamilton Glass that brings together artists from different cultures and backgrounds to create murals that address how to move forward through understanding and collaboration. Street art is one of the defining features of RVA and an ideal way to call attention to the city's evolving personality.
Next up, top travel publication Travel + Leisure Magazine included Richmond on its coveted list of “The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021.” T+L also cited the Mending Walls project, along with other cultural investments, as a reason to keep Richmond top of mind. Additionally, they noted that its location within easy reach of Charlottesville, Virginia Beach and wine country, make it an ideal home base for exploration of the entire state.
The accolades for Richmond didn't start in 2021. The New York Times spotlighted Richmond the year previous, including the capital in their “52 Places to Go in 2020”. Other 2020 shout outs came from MSN for “America's Most Historic Towns & Cities” and AFAR with “Nine of the Most Surprising Cities in the U.S.” You'll also find Richmond highlighted on top travel lists by Departures, Oprah Magazine and JetSetter.
Frommer's, along with a host of others, called out Richmond and Virginia for “Best Places to Go in 2019” and Lonely Planet named Richmond a “Best in the U.S. 2018”, with Forbes citing the Virginia capital as one of the “10 Coolest U.S. Cities to Visit in 2018.”
When you start pointing to Richmond references that hallmark specific attributes, you'll find them featured in stories such as the below, but in no way limited to:
- USA Today - “Best New Museums of 2020” for the Institute of Contemporary Art at VCU
- Fodor's - "12 Best American Music Cities That Aren't Nashville"
- Departures - "The Most Inspiring Art Scenes in America"
- Esquire - “Best New Restaurants in America, 2020” for Restaurant Adarra
- Lonely Planet - “The Best BBQ Joints in the United States” for ZZQ
- USA Today - “10 of the Most Interesting Food Scenes Across the Country”
- TripSavvy - “Best for Booze Hounds” on list of Where to Go in 2020: The Best Places to Travel This Year”
- Better Homes and Gardens - “8 Most Instagram-Worthy Botanical Gardens in the US” for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
- Essence - “Celebrate Black History All Year Long at These Destinations”
- Forbes - “Best City Center Historic Hotel” for The Jefferson
- Outside – “Best River Town in America”
Browsing the above list gives you a quick snapshot of just some of the attractions for which Richmond is becoming known. For more details and images that highlight why Richmond should make your bucket list, visitrichmondva.com or bookmark their Pinterest page where you can read what additional prominent travel publications had to say on why Richmond should be on your radar.
Virginia is for Lovers / Visit Virginia channels: Twitter: @VisitVirginia / Facebook: /VisitVirginia
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