The Civil War in Richmond, Virginia - 24-Hour Travel Guide

Tredgar Iron Works

The Pohlig Brothers Building

The Museum of the Confederacy

Breakfast - The Hill café is on broad street within walking distance of the Broad St and Chimborazo Blvd intersection, which is where the historical site of the Chimborazo Hospital and Chimborazo Park are located. The hospital was built to care for wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. At the time it was one of the world’s largest military hospitals. Located at 2800 E Broad St. they open at 5 am and close at 11 pm on the week nights and midnight weekends. They serve everything offered on the menu, which is quite large, from open to close

Morning - Begin at the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works open 9-5. There is a free visitors center in addition to The American Civil War Center which has an admission fee of $8 which also pays for premier parking. This site is important because one of the reasons the confederate capital was moved to Richmond was the valuable resources produced by the iron works. The iron works are also right next to the James River providing ample sources of energy. Over 1,000 cannons were produced by Tredegar for the Confederate Army. Access to both centers is at 90 Tredegar Street

Lunch - The Pohlig Brothers Building and the adjoining Antebellum factory building have historical significance. It was originally built to be a tobacco factory, then changed to the Built Pohlig Brothers Paper Box Company and during the Civil War, it served as the Second Alabama Hospital. The street they are located on, E. Franklin, parallels is E. Main and 2 blocks south east of the factory and building is Millie’s Diner. They are located at 2603 E. Main and their lunch hours are 11 am to 2:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm Saturday and 9 to 3 Sunday. The building was used by tobacco and factory workers when the factories were still operating.

Also located at 707 E. Franklin is the house that Robert E. Lee's family resided during part of the war and where Lee stayed for 2 months after Appomattox.

Afternoon - The Museum of the Confederacy is located in Richmond at 1201 E. Clay St. The museum is open from 10 until 5 Monday through Saturday and from 12-5 on Sunday. Next to the museum is the White House of the Confederacy and buying a combo ticket to both the White House and museum you save $5. The tour of the White House lasts about 40 minutes and includes the rooms inside the house. The museum takes at least an hour to see and read the exhibits.

Dinner - Columbia1142 W Grace St) is the name of a building that was part of Richmond College (U of R now) and in 1861 the whole school enlisted in the Confederacy. The building then served as head quarters, barracks and hospital during the war. Located down the street is The Village Café (1001 W Grace St), which is a popular place to eat and hang out. They offer a typical café dinner menu with wraps, large salads and more. There is also a full bar.

After Dark - The area known as Jackson Ward is where a lot of pre-civil war houses are located. Crossroads is a popular night spot located within Jackson Ward on 217 W Clay St. They always have some kind of live music talent, during the week a DJ and the weekends there’s live jazz and open mike nights.

Sleep - The Jefferson Hotel is recognized as a Historic Hotel of America but is definitely a luxury hotel and extremely pricy. For a more reasonable budget there is a Holiday Inn Express located on Cary St, which is in the middle of downtown. They have plenty of parking in the garage but costs extra, however is handy to be able to just walk down Cary St. and take in the atmosphere.

Tags: History