Belle Isle /Tredegar Iron Works (July 15, 2012)

 Hot day in the RVA....more of the really hot weather (100+ heat indexes) has rolled in, but not for a long time. Belle Isle is a popular place for Richmond locals to cool off, I spent some time just wandering around there, which was fun. I got to see finally, the hydroelectric plant, thanks to some new signs there. It was pretty impressive. On this very hot Sunday, there were a lot of people getting in the river, from the rocks, which seemed like a good idea. I just decided to walk around and sweat off a few pounds! Great history there (dating back to Indian history), and a fun place to visit.

Tredegar Iron Works is nearby, it was a major armory for the Confederate States of America, and made a lot of the cannon as well as the armor plating for the CSS Virginia. It survived for a long time after the Civil War, but today is one of the big Civil War sites in the Richmond area. It has a rather nice museum (also one you can pay to go though, but the National Park Service site is free...I have been though both in the past), but enjoyed my return visit today. Pretty toasty in there today, but very interesting and the Park Service guides have a lot of good information. It is a very good part of Richmond history, and well worth a visit.
Later in the day, cooling thunderstorms broke out, and were very welcome. Thought to bring some water, and that was a very good move on this day.