Must-See Attractions in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia — updated August 21, 2026
Eight Richmond attractions ranked by how well they hold up, from Maymont's 100 acres to a canal boat that carries 25 passengers at a time, with hours and review counts for each.
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Richmond's biggest attractions are unusually spread out: a fine arts museum and a science museum face each other across Arthur Ashe Boulevard, the Civil War sites sit down on the river at Tredegar, and Poe's memorabilia is out east on Main Street. Several of the best are free to walk into or open past dark on one specific night. The list below is ordered by how settled each place's reputation is, using rating alongside review volume rather than rating alone.
1. Maymont
The most reviewed attraction in this guide and still one of the highest rated: 4.8 from more than 10,300 reviews, which is about as proven as a Richmond rating gets. Maymont's daily hours run 10 am to 7 pm, so it absorbs late afternoons better than the museums do. The Stone Barn Welcome Center, with the gift shop and restrooms, keeps shorter hours: Thursdays through Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm. Plan the visit around that if you need either. The site marks a century of the estate as a place for nature and history, and it is large enough that a first visit rarely covers all of it.
2. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
A 4.8 average across nearly 9,900 reviews, the rare large museum where the score has not drifted down with volume. The practical advantage is scheduling: the VMFA is open 365 days a year, 10 am to 5 pm Saturday through Tuesday and until 9 pm Wednesday through Friday. That late close makes it the best option in the city for an evening indoors. Lunch at Amuse is served daily from 11:30 am to 3 pm, with Sunday brunch in the same window, and the Best Café and Espresso Bar runs an ongoing Friday session from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
3. Science Museum of Virginia
Rated 4.7 across more than 5,400 reviews, and the schedule is the reason to plan ahead rather than drop in. Dome shows run through the day starting at 10:30 am, with Live Science demonstrations layered between them, so checking the day's times before arriving is worth the minute it takes. Standard hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm daily. On Fridays the building stays open until 8 pm, with Extended Fridays programming from 5 to 8 pm, which is the quieter way to see the place if you are not bringing children.
4. The Poe Museum
A 4.7 rating from more than 2,700 reviews for a small site, which is a strong showing given how compact it is. The collection is spread across several buildings on East Main Street, filled with memorabilia and artifacts from Poe's life. Closed Mondays. Otherwise it opens Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. The museum also runs an evening events calendar, including its Unhappy Hour, so it is worth checking what is scheduled before you go rather than assuming daytime hours are the whole offer.
5. American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
The 4.5 average here comes from more than 1,200 reviews, a lower score than the museums above but a well-tested one. The riverside Tredegar site is open daily, 10 am to 5 pm, at 480 Tredegar Street downtown. Two elements are worth timing a visit around: the Tredegar history tour runs daily at 11 am and 3 pm, and musket firing demonstrations happen daily at 1 pm. Arriving shortly before one of those slots turns a self-guided walk into something more structured. The museum also operates a separate Appomattox location, open daily on the same hours.
6. Maggie L Walker National Historic Site
Walker's Jackson Ward home, preserved by the National Park Service, covers her work as a banker and her role in civil rights and Black economic empowerment. The rating is 4.7 from 530 reviews, a smaller sample than the big museums but consistent across it. The catch is access: public tours run Fridays and Saturdays only, 9 am to 4:30 pm, and the site is closed Sunday through Thursday. Group tours are offered Tuesday through Thursday by appointment only. It also closes on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Build your Richmond weekend around the Friday or Saturday window.
7. Hollywood Cemetery
A 4.7 rating, though from only 343 reviews, so treat it as promising rather than settled. The cemetery describes itself as an active burial ground, a national treasure and an outdoor museum, and it is laid out as a historic garden cemetery above the river. Gates open at 8 am and close at 5 pm daily, extending to 6 pm during Daylight Saving Time, which is the stretch when a long walk actually fits after work. The office keeps separate hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, if you need help finding a specific site.
8. Riverfront Canal Cruises
The lowest rating on this list at 4.4, but from 938 reviews, so the number is well established rather than a fluke. Tours depart on the hour from the canal's Turning Basin at 139 Virginia Street downtown, on boats that carry up to 25 passengers and are accessible. It is strictly seasonal. The published 2026 schedule runs April through early November, with the longest days in May through September: noon to 7 pm Monday to Friday, 11 am to 8 pm Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm Sunday. The final day of the 2026 season is November 8.