Richmond, VA

We flew to Richmond for another training seminar on options trading. On Thursday after the last day's seminar I noticed in one of the tourist booklets that the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was open that evening. The were offering a special Evening in the Garden for several Thursdays. So we decided to go since we knew we wouldn't have enough time on Friday before our flight out.

We arrived shortly before sunset and hurried through the gardens while there was natural light and saved the Conservatory for last. It was a peaceful place and the Jazz band added the perfect background music to our stroll.





There were lots of flowers to enjoy...

I kept strolling along the lakes and ponds because I just love the reflection of the colors at sunset.


Inside the Conservatory was a small cottage that made me think of the thatched-roof cottages in Ireland or something out of a fairy tale. They had a running train set, and another wing was filled with orchids of all varieties.

It was a great way to spend an evening. We were so lucky to come across that guide book that informed us of this infrequent evening special. The conservatory, itself, was beautiful at night the way it was lit up and it could be seen from most places throughout the garden.

Friday we had a few hours to tour downtown Richmond. We tried to visit the State Capitol building but it was closed for major renovations. But across the street was this old gothic building. It was the old City Hall.
Here's a peek inside the lobby. It's currently an office building, and although you were allowed to go into the lobby, they didn't want visitors touring the rest of the building.

Between the streets of downtown and the James River lies a manmade canal system. The river is not easily traversed because of the large rocks...not to mention the remains of several bridges that were blown up during the Civil War. But once the railway was put in, the canal was no longer needed. Richmond is one of the few areas that preserved these old canals.
As we were standing on a section of the old bridge remnants over the James River, a train passed overhead...literally.
Then we visited the Tredegar Iron Works - which is part of the Richmond National Battlefield Park (NPS). There are several sections of this Nat'l Park scattered around Richmond and outlying areas. We only had time for the old Iron Works. This is where they made artillery and ammunition and met other wartime needs.
The Civil War has always amazed me due to the numbers of civilians who died and all of the stories that you read of neighbors fighting eachother, or even brothers fighting one another. This poem was just one of many that touched me.

There was much more to see. A lot of Civil War history here in Richmond. We were happy to have these few hours to tour what we could, but it would've been nice to have spent a little more time.