Walking Downtown Richmond

On Saturday February 28, took a (largely) walking tour of Downtown Richmond, VA. While a cold rainy day, better to see the area. I started on Broad Street to see the State Capital Buildings. The Capital itself is seen in the bottom photo of the building designed by Thomas Jefferson. It was amazingly beautiful both inside and out. This is the first building I have seen that Jefferson designed, and can see what all the talk has been about. I also enjoyed the statue of Washington on the grounds, the governors mansion, and the other statues in the area.
I wandered a bit around Broad Street and some of the side streets. I walked past the Richmond Coliseum, and also went by the Museum of the Confederacy (though did not tour it). I am interested in the Civil War, and certainly have come to a place where there is a lot of history about it. In fact at the end of the war, Richmond was the center of attention, and the Confederacy fell only a few days after Richmond fell.
I got back in the car after a few hours of exploring around Broad Street; drove a few blocks to Canal Walk. As I had noted in the news the bridge across the river has a section down, but certainly is a beautiful area. Enjoyed my first close up look at the James River which was rocky by Canal Walk, and also had a good section of rapids. You can see Canal Walk in the top photo above.
I did take a tour of the American Civil War Center. Admission was $8 of the facility which is on the grounds of the Tredegar Iron Works. That was a major armory of the Confederacy during the Civil War and many of the cannon on display were made there. There is also a National Park Service center there (which is free) and offered a lot of good information as well as a film on battles in the Richmond area during the war. I enjoyed the tour of the buildings there, and of the James River. I was raised in a river town (Louisville, Kentucky) and enjoy being in one again. Charlotte has rivers near it, but not through it, and none the size of the James or the Ohio for that matter.
Due to the rain and the cold in the late afternoon took a short driving tour of the area. Got a little lost, and ended up off Commerce Road and onto the Jeff Davis Highway. Came across the Model Tobacco building...amazing sort of Art Deco construction. Not sure if it was an actual tobacco company (never heard of Model Tobacco) but an interesting building. Looked to be used for storage, and was listed as a "business park", but was still impressed with it.
I have a number of photos on my Flickr Page taken during the five hour walk/drive. Saw some beautiful sights, and many interesting places. Richmond seems to have a great deal to offer and looks to be a very interesting place. I am looking forward to getting deeper into it over the three years that I expect to be here.