I often have to go to different places either for business purposes or just personal purposes and I tell people what I do. The most common thing that I hear (other than: “wait, so how do you make money?”) is “You know, I have never been here for X number of years and I’ve never been on a tour of Richmond.”
When the tour was designed, it was intended for tourists. There were no walking tours that gave an overview of the history of the City of Richmond from founding to present. All of the tourists who came on the tour appreciated this aspect, but one thing that we hadn’t expected, was the amount of locals who came on the tour. We saw about the same amount of locals (local being the Richmond Metropolitan Area) as we did tourists. It makes one think about how much we can take for granted the City that we live in. Without a doubt, and the Tripadvisor reviews demonstrate this, many locals discovered things about Richmond that they never knew. It’s easy to see the same buildings every day for years and just see them as their current function; but each and every building in this City has something to do with the history and character of this City, no matter how minute. Every cobblestone has seen countless residents of all walks of life pass over them and leave their mark on Richmond, no matter how small.
It’s easy to take something for granted that seems like will always be there.
Some of the people that we have talked to have lived here less than 5 years and some are lifelong residents of the area. There are people from places like Henrico, Glen Allen, and Chesterfield who, despite many years in the area, have let a disdain for traffic, one way streets, and paid parking disallow them from enjoying the “old city of the new south”.
Heck, I lived in San Francisco, California for 3 years and grew up in the metro area. Aside from when my parents would take me into the city every 10 years or so, I never really explored the city. I always thought “well, there’s always time for that.”
And if you desire to learn more about the city that you live in, we hope you do that on our free tour so we can show you Richmond through the lens of history. Be a Tourist in Your Own City!
Or, you can explore on your own… although our tour will help you maximize that.
Just don’t forget sunscreen and water!
See you on the route.