This is my first post in a new series called, “Workcation.” The tone of each post will be retrospective recommendations on where and how you can explore a city and what to eat if you are able to schedule one free day prior to or after you finishing a conference or meeting for work. At the end of each post, I will attached a map of my recommendations and pdf’s of my original custom guides built when I initially researched the location. The “eats” guide will include the added bonus of photos and reviews of the food I consumed within the full listing. I hope you enjoy reading these post and that they help you start to plan your “workcation” once you know where you’re going.
I am starting with an updated version of my 2013 “Hidden Gem: Richmond, VA” blog. My original blog is appended to this update. Below is what I recommend you do if you have 16-24 hours of free time before or after your work event starts.
Start your day off with a hearty early morning breakfast at my favorite breakfast/brunch restaurant at The Urban Farmhouse Market and Café. I am not a huge breakfast person so I consider a coffee and plate of waffles hearty.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Urban Farmhouse Market and Café. My meal included a pumpkin spice latte and waffles. Eating both produced a warmth in my belly and a smile on my face.
If you’re like me and you get a little lethargic after eating a meal, there is nothing better than taking a nice walk to get your heart rate going. I recommend walking along the Riverfront Canal Walk toward the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. Along this route, you will bypass street art, restaurants, and four centuries of history depicted through medallions, statues, and exhibits.
After this walk and history lesson, I would’ve normally recommended you visit my favorite lunch restaurant, the Black Sheep, but it has since closed it doors. My recommendation in this case is to peruse my restaurant list and pick one that strikes your fancy. If I was spending this day in Richmond, my choice would be to head to Carytown to the Baker’s Crust. There are so many dishes on their menu that I want to try; making this decision would be the equivalent of me making Sophie’s choice.
This gravy smothered thinly pounded pork loin over yellow corn cheese grits dish, the Pork Grillades, by restauranteur Johnny Giavos was one of the best things I have ever eaten.
After restoring your energy with this well-earned meal, I would recommend spending sometime in Carytown, a hamlet of locally owned shops, boutiques, restaurants and specialty stores, and it’s surrounding area, which includes the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
After exploring the quaint neighborhood of Carytown and visiting a museum of two, I recommend taking a break at your hotel for an hour or two. After all, this has been a busy day trying to take in as much of Richmond’s history and culture as you can during your one free day.
Once you feel rested and hungry, I recommend enjoying a meal at my absolute favorite restaurant in Richmond: Fat Dragon. This was hands down the most delectable and flavorful meal I ate. The portions were huge, so I recommend if you want to try a couple of appetizers and an entree, choose wisely or schedule your first work event with colleagues while enjoying a meal.
I enjoyed this meal with a couple of people from one of my vendors. We split an order of Spicy Wings and Chili Dumplings. I ordered this Asian Style Ribs thinking that it would just be maybe 3 full ribs. It was the ENTIRE rack. These ribs were umami-heaven. At the time, I wish that I had more than one stomach so that I could eat them all. They were THAT GOOD!
Afterwards, enjoy a leisurely stroll back to your hotel or catch a cab and enjoy a nightcap in your hotel’s bar.
ALTERNATE AFTERNOON: I am a brick-and-mortar type of gal, so for all of my nature lovers, below are alternative suggestions of how to spend the second half of your free day in Richmond.
I hope this post helps you if your future includes travel to Richmond, VA for work. For more information on how I prepare for my “workcations,” visit my post here.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to go to a conference in Richmond, VA. My initial thoughts were, “Why Richmond? What is so interesting about Richmond that a conference should be held there?”
The List
After finding out the location of the conference, I began researching and creating an extensive list of “things to do” and “restaurants” to visit. I looked at the Visit Richmond tourist website, searched Food Network‘s page to see if any interesting restaurants were listed, searched the New York Times travel guides, and cross referenced these results with Trip Advisor listings to cobble together a list of things to do and places to eat. This extensive research produced the following guides for the Richmond, VA area. Surprisingly, I discovered that there was quite a few “things to do” and “places to eat” in Richmond.
Richmond, VA “Things to Do” Guide 2013 (c) WInter Shanck, 2013
Richmond, VA “Things to Do” Guide 2013 (c) WInter Shanck, 2013 
Richmond Restaurant…
Savory Sweet Neat 