RICHMOND ATTRACTIONS

Do you need more incentive beyond great programming and networking opportunities to attend the 2004 SEAALL Annual Meeting in Richmond? If so, consider that the Richmond area features an incredible array of attractions.

Within walking distance of the Omni Hotel, headquarters for the meeting, are many interesting sites, including the Virginia State Capitol (designed by Thomas Jefferson and in continuous use since 1788), the James River and Kanawha Canal Walk which allows a close up look at the James River and parallels the navigation canal laid out by George Washington, the John Marshall House (home of the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 45 years and the oldest brick house surviving in Richmond), the Edgar Allen Poe Museum (did you know that Poe grew up in Richmond?), the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank featuring exhibits on the history of money in the United States, the White House of the Confederacy and Museum where Jefferson Davis lived during the Civil War, the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works, the Valentine Museum (featuring the history of the city), and the 17th Street Farmers Market (one of America’s oldest public markets).

A short drive from downtown brings you to many more sites including the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (featuring one of the largest glass conservatories in the country), Hollywood Cemetery (offering both stunning views of the city and the James River and a chance to visit the burial sites of Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler), the Maggie Walker Historical Site (home of first American woman to charter a bank), St. John’s Episcopal Church (the site of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” speech), the Science Museum of Virginia (featuring an IMAX theater), the Virginia Historical Society which focuses on the history of Virginia from the colonial period up to the present, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center which explores the life of Richmond native Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and Maymont (a restored Victorian era home, gardens and nature center).

If you have additional time, the plantations along the James River offer a view of one way of life during the previous century. Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello, James Madison’s home Montpelier, James Monroe’s home Ash Lawn, Kings Dominion (opening weekend during the SEAALL meeting), and Busch Gardens are all easy drives from Richmond.

When you plan your trip to Richmond next March, consider arriving a day early or departing a day later and bring the family. There’s plenty to do and see.

Timothy L. Coggins & Hazel L. Johnson
Co-Chairs, SEAALL Local Arrangements Committee

Omni Richmond Hotel

Room Rates
Single and double occupancy: $125.00 per night
Triple occupancy: $135.00 per night
Quad occupancy: $145.00 per night

Hotel registration information will be forthcoming.

Websites:
Richmond Convention Bureau: www.richmondva.org/Index.lasso
Virginia Tourism: www.virginia.org
Virginia State Capitol: legis.state.va.us/CapitolTours/CapitolTours-Jamestown.htm
James River and Kanawha Canal Walk: www.richmondriverfront.com
John Marshall House: http://www.apva.org/apva/marshall_house.php
Edgar Allen Poe Museum: www.poemuseum.org
Money Museum: www.rich.frb.org/generalinfo/visitors/richmond.html
White House of the Confederacy and Museum: www.moc.org
Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works: www.nps.gov/rich/pphtml/facilities.html
Valentine Museum: http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/
17th Street Farmers Market: www.17thstreetfarmersmarket.com
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: www.lewisginter.org
Hollywood Cemetery: www.hollywoodcemetery.org
Maggie Walker Historical Site: www.nps.gov/malw/home.htm
St. John's Episcopal Church: www.historicstjohnschurch.org
Science Museum of Virginia: www.smv.org
Virginia Historical Society: www.vahistorical.org
Black History Museum and Cultural Center: www.blackhistorymuseum.org
Maymont: www.maymont.org