How to be a Tourist With Your Dog Series: Richmond, Virginia

 We have always loved handsome pittie brothers Ernie and Dexter, so we were so excited to have them as our hosts on an 'armchair tour' around Richmond, Virginia. And while I'm ashamed to admit my only knowledge pre-dates my high school history classes, I loved this view seeing all Richmond has to offer: from hiking to city strolling to baseball to historical cemeteries and even a vegetarian festival, which all include dogs. Here's their advice on how to be a tourist with your dog in Richmond, Virginia:

I live in Richmond, VA with my two pit bulls, Ernie and Dexter. I recently moved to Richmond from Wilmington, NC, to take a great job as a blogger for RichmondPetLovers.com. Since moving to Richmond in February of this year, we have made it our mission to discover just how dog-friendly the city actually is!
Texas Beach

Ernie is a pit bull, and still relatively young, so he’s got a lot of energy to burn. My first priority when we moved to Richmond was finding places where we could run and expend some of his bully energy! The James River bisects Richmond, and there is an extensive system of trails that are very popular with joggers, bikers, walkers, and dogs. One of our favorite trails runs along the north bank of the James, in a spot called Texas Beach. Depending on the level of the river, there are rocks to navigate, sticks and trees to chew, pools in which to swim, ducks and geese to chase, and miles and miles of woody trails to explore.
Dex has a bum knee, so he only comes with us on the rare occasion. Ernie’s cousin Sally comes with us about once a week, and the two have a blast chasing squirrels and playing “mountain goat” on the river rocks.

Carytown

Richmond hosts several colleges (notably VCU and the University of Richmond), and there are several college neighborhoods in downtown Richmond that are dog- and pedestrian-friendly. Our favorite is Carytown, a small neighborhood just north of downtown Richmond with lots of shops, restaurants, and the historic Byrd Theater. Ernie loves stopping at Weezie’s Kitchen for lunch (the restaurant is named for the owner’s pug, Weezie, who passed away just months before the restaurant opened), then heading down to Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream to split a vanilla cone.

Carytown also boast one of the nation’s first low-cost for-profit veterinary surgery & dental care facilies, Helping Hands. Opened just over a year ago by Dr. Lori Pasternak, the clinic strives to offer affordable surgeries and dental care to all pets in the Richmond area, regardless of their owner’s ability to pay (you can read more about the clinic here).

Baseball

Richmond’s minor league baseball team, the Flying Squirrels, hosts dog-friendly baseball games. These “Bark in the Park” games are some of the most heavily attended games of the season. At the last game, there were demonstration by the city K9 units, games and prizes for dog owners, and free custard for all of the dogs in attendance!

Hollywood Cemetery

Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and there are a lot of historic reminders of the city’s role in our nation’s history. One way to get a sense of the city’s history is to take a tour of Hollywood Cemetery. Twenty five Confederate generals are buried on the grounds (including Generals Pickett and Jeb Stuart), more than any other cemetery in the country. Even if you aren’t a Civil War buff, the winding and shady paths overlooking the James River make for a nice walk, and leashed dogs are allowed to visit with their owners.

Some highlights of the cemetery include the tombs of two presidents (5^th president James Monroe, and 10^th president John Tyler), a memorial pyramid, and the grave of Pulitzer prize-winning American novelist Ellen Glasgow. One site that all dog-owners should visit is the iron statue of a Newfoundland dog, who is said to stand watch over the grave of his young master who died as a child.

Festivals

With the return of warm weather comes a plethora of festivals in Richmond! Most recently, we attended the Vegetarian Festival in Bryan Park. We had a great time sampling all of the delicious vegetarian offerings (including some dairy-free gelato), listening to live music, and touring the “Farm Bus.” Other events we’ve enjoyed include: the Dominion Riverrock Festival, which had lots of competitions including a rock climbing event for humans and a dock-diving competition for dogs (we didn’t enter either one); Woofstock, a fund-raising festival for the Richmond Animal League which featured live music and tons of pet-friendly vendors and rescue organizations; and the Richmond SPCA’s Dog Jog, an annual 5k run and vendor fair.
We loved this insider's tour of Richmond, and if you're interested in learning more about Richmond's pet community you can read more here. It's so great getting ideas of things we can do with our dogs and seeing everyone's insider view of their own city. In case you missed them, you can also read about things to do with dogs in Seattle,  Kansas City, Nashville, Alaska, and Chicago. And you can read about roadtripping with 4 large dogs and boating to the Bahamas with a pit bull. We do love hearing insider's tips, and if you would like to share your hometown, please click here for more information or contact us through our Facebook page.