Richmond is the only major city in the U.S. with Class IV white-water rapids shooting right through the middle of downtown. The James River is so beloved now for its beauty and recreational opportunities that it’s hard to realize that for so long it was a dirty, industrial waterway that the area used and abused, and otherwise turned its back on. The Clean Water Act of 1972 changed that, thank goodness, and for years now the James has been a great source of pride and a drawing card for the region, a beautiful asset that people want to play in and protect.
From muscle-powered sculls to powerboats, with tubes, rafts, canoes, and kayaks in between, people like to get out on the water. This chapter will give you the 411 on how to stay safe, so no one will have to call 911. The James River is not a water park. There are no lifeguards, and people have drowned in it, so pay attention to water levels and rules of the river, some of which are mentioned in this chapter.
In one day along the James here, you can see herons trying to get lucky, bufflehead ducks cavorting on winter days, and bald eagles within the city limits. In warmer weather you’ll see painters painting plein air, white-water rafters rolling through rapids, expert kayakers surfing, mountain bikers carving riverside trails, fly fisherfolk casting off, volunteers spreading mulch on trails and picking up trash, and families frolicking.
Some folks are lucky enough to work with a river view. Don’t assume that you can’t afford to live near the river; there are so many neighborhoods that offer river views from condos, apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes or feature easy access to the river. With fishing, paddling, tubing, hiking and biking trails, and rocks to climb and scramble over, living near the river is as close as most of us will ever get to living in a full-service resort. Too many outsiders think of Richmond as a city of statues, but we’re not about standing still; we’re romping along the river.
There is no excuse for staying inside and vegetating when hundreds of parks in the Richmond area beckon with infinite possibilities for enjoyment. Recreation gets its due in the next chapter. Of course there will be some overlap, but this chapter provides an introduction to the region’s main parks as well as the unique offerings at some lesser-known parks. Keep in mind that battlefield parks get attention in the “Commemorating the Civil War and Emancipation” chapter. Parks that function primarily as boating access to the James River have their day in the sun in the “A River Runs Through It” chapter. Some parks are the sites of major festivals, races, and concert series.
With the exception of Pocahontas State Park and the National Battlefield Parks, the parks in our area fall under the jurisdiction of the local parks and recreation department. Regionalization hasn’t caught on in this neck of the woods, so you’ll have to check out each locality’s Web site for more park information. This chapter starts at the state park level and works its way through City of Richmond parks, both north and south of the river and then to Henrico, Hanover, and Chesterfield Counties, and finally to the outlying counties of Goochland and Powhatan.
Overview
Richmond’s first three parks were acquired in the 1850s. Since then the list has grown considerably, so that the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities oversees 169 parks, tot lots, playgrounds, and open spaces sprinkled throughout the city. With forested trails, ponds, dog parks, river access, and athletic opportunities, we haven’t paved paradise in the city. The gem of this impressive collection is the James River Park System, a 550-acre oasis that stretches for miles along the banks of the James River in the middle of the city, but don’t confine yourself to it. There are adorable urban pocket parks, disc golf courses, fields, basketball and tennis courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, community gathering spots and gardens, and trails of all sorts, so get out there and explore. Parks are open dawn to dusk, glass and alcohol are prohibited, dogs must be on leashes except in dog parks, and golf and archery are not allowed. See www.richmond.gov/parks for a complete list of park locations, amenities, and rules.
The “big three” counties, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico, which encircle Richmond, sport an impressive array of parkland with amenities all over the map, quite literally. There are equestrian facilities, basketball and tennis courts, skate parks, and in an encouraging move, several parks that offer special facilities for special-needs children or those in wheelchairs.
Most of the county parks are open from dawn to dusk. It should go without saying to please pick up after yourself and use the trash receptacles. Dogs should be on leashes, and they need to be picked up after, too. Chesterfield boasts 3,152 park acres, Hanover 1,153, and Henrico comes in at 3,630 acres. I couldn’t possibly tell you about every acre in every park, so the ball’s in your court, so to speak.
Both adrenaline junkies and those inclined towards more traditional (and tame) recreational pursuits will find plenty of ways to be active in this part of the world. The weather is such that people might be out on their bikes in January and golfing in February. Besides the usual suspects, Richmond has some unexpected offerings for a metropolitan area, including superior single-track mountain-biking trails in the city along the James River. Richmond is the rare city where you can go white-water rafting, rock climbing, and recreational tree climbing, as long as you’re hooked up with the right outfit.
If you don’t find your preferred activities in this chapter, remember that many other options are covered in the “A River Runs Through It,” “Parks,” “Kidstuff,” and “Annual Events” chapters. Paddling, rowing, and white-water rafting are covered in the “A River Runs Through It” chapter. Mountain biking gets attention in the “Parks” and “A River Runs Through It” chapters. The cursory attention to camping given here doesn’t indicate its popularity among area residents. It’s just that most people head to the state parks in the mountains or near the beach to camp. For listings of all the state parks, check out www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks.
There are simply too many recreation leagues in too many sports to list them here. Soccer, baseball, softball, and tennis are all popular activities, often available through the various parks and recreation departments in our area. YMCAs and other gyms and recreation centers are everywhere you turn around. You would think no one here ever sits on a couch in front of a television. Besides offering the traditional softball and volleyball leagues, the area also feature groups that participate in wheelchair basketball, kickball, hula hooping, fire twirling, rugby, and on and on. Discover Richmond, an annual publication of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has a handy listing of dozens of organizations that offer youth and adult programs in a wide variety of sports.
Besides a few municipal pools in the city of Richmond, public pools are not the way of the world here. Many neighborhoods are home to recreation associations that feature pools and often tennis courts and charge yearly membership dues.