One day in Richmond with kids

Hi,all

We will be passing through Richmond during last week of July on our way to Hilton Head. We will be staying there for 1 day. Our kids are 19 and 13. I have 2 questions:

(1) Does anyone know of a decent cheap hotel/bed and breakfast to stay in for 1-2 nights?

(2) Can we take some kind of a tour? Any interesting attractions for 19 and 13 yrs olds?

Thanks a bunch

Vicky

One day in Richmond with kids

Richmond has interesting architecture, history, landmarks, nice places to walk, and great museums. Check out www.visit.richmond.com/visitors/index.aspx, the column on the left has tours, things to do, lodging, etc. Click on the areas that interest your family for more information. I enjoy the Poe Museum, hiking Belle Isle, and walking on the flood wall (not something you can do in most cities!), all these sites are in the downtown area. The Richmond visitors center has a good map showing the many museums and places of interest. Enjoy your trip.

One day in Richmond with kids

As one might expect from a big city Richmond has all kinds of hotels. Take a look at the Tripadvisor listings. That%26#39;s as good a place as any to start.

What%26#39;s your budget and what is %26#39;cheap%26#39;? $50/night or $150/night?

Cheap is $50 per night but of course I am realistic and would pay more for a decent place.

Thanks for everyone%26#39;s advice.

$50 will get you a hole in Richmond. Think Econolodge in dodgy area beside Interstate 95!

Anything less than about $100 midweek and you aren%26#39;t looking at somewhere pretty downmarket. There is a perfectly good Embassy Suites not far from the middle of town just off I-64.

http://www.embassysuitesrichmond.com/

The Sheraton West End is just across from there also.

If you don%26#39;t mind driving a little west from I-95, along I-64, you%26#39;ll find the Innsbrook/West End/Short Pump area. Plenty of Hilton Garden Inn/Marriott Courtyard/Hampton Inn/Hyatt Place type hotels out there.

Be extremely careful of really cheap hotels in Richmond. Most of them are in areas that I would be afraid to wander around at night, or have welfare people living in them.

Here are a couple of ideas (I skipped over pay-in-advance rates):

Some earlier posters mentioned attractions in the downtown area. There%26#39;s a Holiday Inn Express that just opened in downtown Richmond (2nd %26amp; Cary) after an extensive refurb. I selected an arbitrary weeknight the last week of July and got a rate of $142.00.

To give you some perspective, one place many people in the Richmond area like is the Embassy Suites. Right now they are quoting $189.00 for the same date. They are located a short distance from the city limits in a suburban strip shopping district. There are several chain restaurants within walking distance.

The only really budget option I can recommend is the Comfort Inn at 3200 W Broad St. They are almost done with a complete renovation that%26#39;s taken over a year, and should be wrapped up by the end of July. This option has a few restaurants within walking distance (let me know if you end up there and I%26#39;ll clue you in), but what it mostly has going for it is a rate of $81 per night in July.

If you have a specific idea, let us know and we%26#39;ll tell you what we think about it.

Thanks Again:)

I guess my last post was a bit misleading. I know that I can%26#39;t get anything decent for $50...I was just saying that%26#39;s cheap and cheap is good! However, I know it is not realistic. Basically I just wanted to get a good deal between $100 - 150 per night ( don%26#39;t know if this is feasible)?? Also, I don%26#39;t know where to look since I don%26#39;t know Richmond%26#39;s areas...

Thanks for all your advice.

Here%26#39;s another idea: Holiday Inn-Central on North Boulevard. You can get a room there with 2 queen beds at the end of July for $99 a night. It%26#39;s right off I-95 so it%26#39;s easy to get around town. I%26#39;ve put family members up there and it%26#39;s fine.

It%26#39;s within walking distance of the Richmond Braves stadium, and they are in town the last week in July if you and your kids would be interested in a baseball game that evening (www.rbraves.com). There%26#39;s a nice diner-style restaurant across the street (Kitchen 64) and the best barbecue in Richmond is about a half a mile walk south on the Boulevard (Buzz and Ned%26#39;s).

Can%26#39;t help much with hotels but Hollywood Cemetary in Oregon Hill is very interesting with a lot of history. It%26#39;s free and it overlooks the James River. The Science Museum is fun and you can catch the imax film. Also Maymont park is close by and you can tour the Dooley Mansion. Have fun!

If you enjoy baseball, the Richmond Braves minor league team will be in town during the last week of July. They%26#39;ve got a great stadium and the general admission tickets are only $7.00! They are a

AAA minor league team, so you can see some good baseball being played!