What to See in Richmond, United States: Free Audio Guide

Richmond is a historic Virginia city with churches, theatres, grand houses, cemeteries, and distinctive neighbourhoods to explore. From the Moorish Revival Altria Theater and richly decorated Byrd Theatre to Capitol Square and the city’s historic residences, Richmond rewards visitors who take time to look closely. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Richmond with 219 narrated places.

What to See in Richmond

The places below reflect Richmond’s varied architectural and historical landscape, from religious buildings and public landmarks to theatres, houses, and cemeteries.

St. Patrick Catholic Church

St. Patrick Catholic Church is one of the city’s religious landmarks. It offers a quiet place to pause while exploring Richmond’s streets and historic buildings.

Trinity Methodist Church

Also known as Trinity United Methodist Church and New Light Baptist Church, Trinity Methodist Church is a distinctive Italianate building. Built between 1859 and 1875, it is a three-story stuccoed-brick structure with a central tower rising in three stages. The tower once continued with an open octagonal belfry and spire, but that upper section was removed in 1955 after damage from Hurricane Hazel. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Third Presbyterian Church

Third Presbyterian Church is a former church that now serves as a condominium building. Its present use adds a modern chapter to the history of this Richmond landmark.

Altria Theater

At the southwest corner of Monroe Park, the Altria Theater is the largest venue in Richmond CenterStage’s performing arts complex. The historic theatre was designed in the Moorish Revival style around 1925 by Marcellus E. Wright Senior, working with Charles M. Robinson and Charles Custer Robinson.

It opened in 1927 and was dedicated by the Shriners in 1928, having originally been built for the Acca Temple Shrine. Richmond purchased it in 1940 and converted part of the interior for municipal use. The basement once contained Richmond Police Department facilities, including offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, and a shooting range. It also held an underground swimming pool for training until the pool was filled with concrete during the 2014 renovation.

St. Mark’s Church of Christ

St. Mark’s Church of Christ is a contributing property within a National Register of Historic Places listing. It forms part of Richmond’s recognised historic landscape and is worth noticing while walking through the city.

Capitol Square Bell Tower

The Capitol Square Bell Tower, also known simply as the Bell Tower, is one of the landmarks to look for around Capitol Square. It is also included in Neywo’s walk focused on Capitol Square, Washington, and Virginia’s women.

The Almshouse

Also known as the City Home, The Almshouse is a historic Richmond complex that served as both an almshouse and a hospital. Its past reflects the civic and social history embedded in the city’s older buildings.

Byrd Theatre

The Byrd Theatre in Carytown is Richmond’s historic movie palace. It opened on December 24, 1928, during the early era of talking pictures and was designed for sound motion films.

Its interior was designed by Fred Bishop in the French Empire style and decorated by Arthur Brunet Studios of New York. Italian and Turkish marble, velvet drapes, Greek mythology murals, and eleven Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers create its lavish atmosphere. The largest chandelier above the auditorium is eighteen feet wide, weighs two and a half tons, and contains five thousand crystals illuminated by coloured lights.

The building also included unusual features for its time, including a central vacuum system and a natural spring in the basement that was used for air conditioning.

Barton Heights Cemeteries

Barton Heights Cemeteries are a connected group of six historic African American cemeteries: Cedarwood, originally called Phoenix, Union Mechanics, Methodist, Sycamore, Ebenezer, and Sons and Daughters of Ham. Established between 1815 and about 1877, when the area was part of Henrico County, the cemeteries preserve a place of remembrance with hundreds of burials.

Richmond’s Historic Houses

Several historic houses add a more residential perspective to Richmond’s past. The group includes Hardgrove House, Burton-Farrar House, Catlin-Fergusson House, William Catlin House, Lockwood Double House, Libby House, and Miles Turpin House.

The Lockwood Double House is notable for its arrangement as two homes within a single residence. Miles Turpin House is accompanied by the Turpin-Yarbrough Rowhouse, while Burton-Farrar House belongs to a cluster of historic residences that also includes the Catlin-Fergusson House and William Catlin House.

Jefferson Hotel

The Jefferson Hotel is one of Richmond’s historic landmarks. This luxury hotel first opened in 1895 and was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1968 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

Explore Richmond with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

Neywo’s Richmond audio guide includes five walking tours, one bus route, and one bike route. Together, they offer different ways to explore the city, with stories that play as you reach each place.

The five walking tours are:

• Capitol Square, Washington and Virginia’s Women: 1.51 km, 85 minutes, 12 narrated stops.
• Court End to Jackson Ward: 2.56 km, 100 minutes, 12 narrated stops.
• Poe, Shockoe and Church Hill: 2.48 km, 98 minutes, 11 narrated stops.
• Monument Avenue to Carytown: 2.97 km, 93 minutes, 9 narrated stops.
• Broad Street West: 3.38 km, 103 minutes, 10 narrated stops.

There is also a GRTC Pulse bus route from Rockett’s Landing to Scott’s Addition, covering 4.9 km in 21 minutes with 7 narrated stops, and a Downtown Richmond bike route from Capitol Square to Jackson Ward, covering 2.9 km in 14 minutes with 7 narrated stops.

Download Neywo and explore Richmond at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, and the guide includes 219 narrated places across the city.

Richmond is part of Virginia in the United States. For another Virginia stop, consider Virginia Beach, or continue exploring the state with Williamsburg and Charlottesville.