Our Day Trip to Richmond
It was about time we took a little road trip since moving back to Virginia. We have many friends and family down here, so we've been mostly catching up since we've moved back. Now it was time for a little family time. So, we woke up early, packed the kids into the car and headed south to Richmond, jamming to music and sucking down all the coffee.
We had spent the week prior to mapping out what we wanted to do and even took suggestions from friends on Instagram.
Our trip went something like this. . . .
We started off at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. We arrived a little before 9 am on a Saturday morning, which was honestly the perfect time to go. They open at 8 am and there were few people there. There was a cool, crisp chill in the air and perfect blue skies with big white clouds. The sun was shining but it wasn't hot. It was perfect. We paid for our tickets, (well worth the price) and made our way into the gardens. Everything was absolutely stunning! There was so much to see and do and so little time because kids get hungry and tired quick! Let's be honest, us adults get hungry and tired quick!
One of my personal favorite parts of visiting a botanical garden is reading the different names of plants. Our favorite part overall was the children's garden that featured an awesome tree house that reminded me of the adventures of Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House series. The hands-on activities, the story tree, the water fountains, just everything was so much fun. There was so much to do, that Jordan had no idea where to start and where to go next. We spent the most of our time here.
I don't think we even saw everything in the gardens but we enjoyed everything we did see. I really liked the fact that there were so many different seating areas available. It made it very convenient to stop and take a water break and to stop and breastfeed.
We continued walking through the gardens for a good 2 hours and ended our trip with the giant greenhouse that greets you as you enter the main entrance of the gardens. Oh! Did I mention all of the cool origami sculptures throughout the park!? Really take your time and read the signs. There is so much good information.
Next, we headed to The Lab by Alchemy Coffee. We have a book called Where to Drink Coffee and this was a local coffee shop that we couldn't just pass by. Honestly, this coffee shop was the whole reason we decided to even go to Richmond. Our goal is to cross off as many coffee shops as possible in the book. It was a cute, small and hip coffee shop located in the heart of VCU, a college located in Richmond. Tons of college students were there getting their study on. The iced lattes were good and my husband says the cappuccino was even better. Was it the best coffee I've ever had? No, but it's pretty good!
Another reason for heading to Richmond, was that I saw this amazing vintage shop on Instagram called Blue Bones Vintage and I've been wanting to go ever since. They have records, on top of records, on top of records, so many cute clothes, especially for kids, which I was shocked! But I really loved the jewelry. I bought a shirt and some earrings, which the earrings were attached to a playing card. How cool is that!?
Now it was time for some lunch! I googled best restaurants in Richmond and Fresca on Addison popped up. I specifically chose them because they were vegan and vegetarian based. We try to eat plant-based as much as possible and we love a good vegan restaurant when available. THIS PLACE DID NOT DISAPPOINT! The black bean burger was everything. I am picky when it comes to veggie burgers, but this one was so, so good and I honestly could go for another. The people there were so friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere of it all. We're definitely going back here!
At that point, we were all tired. So, we packed everyone back up in the car and headed home for an afternoon family nap. The kids were so good and we all couldn't stop talking about how good of a time we were all having. We were home by 3 pm and as happy as could be.
I'll be honest, Richmond overall wasn't that impressive, but the places we chose to go to were.
If you've been, where do you like to go? Let me know in case we decide to take another trip!
Love & Light,
Jalesa