Richmond/The Fan

The Fan is a district in Richmond, Virginia. It is named The Fan because of the way the roads fan out to the west from N. Belvidere St. It's easy to find a variety of boundaries that "define" the Fan, just ask a variety of Richmonders. Everyone will have a slightly different mental map. But roughly speaking, the Fan District is bounded on the east by Belvidere St (U.S. Route 1), on the west by The Boulevard, on the North by Broad Street, and on the South by Cary Street. The Fan itself is bordered on the west by the Museum District/Carytown, on the South by the Byrd Park, Randolph, and Oregon Hill neighborhoods, and on the North by the Carver neighborhood.

Get in

By car

From I-95: Exit 79 - The Boulevard: From the exit turn right at the stoplight and head south on Boulevard until you reach the intersection with Broad St. From this intersection to that of Cary and Boulevard, the fan is to your left. Turning left down any street in between will give you access to the fan.

Exit 76 - Belividere (Rt 1): From the exit you will come to a traffic light. Most out-of-towners take a left at the light on to Leigh St, followed by an immediate right at the next light on to Belvidere. From Belvidere and Leigh head south to the intersection with Broad St. From here to the intersection with Cary St, the fan is to your right. If you stay on Belvidere immediately past Monroe Park is Main St., the main westward thoroughfare through the Fan.

From 195 (toll):

See

The fan is home to many historic homes, parks and monuments as well as the Monroe Park campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

• Altria Theater, 6 North Laurel St (at Main St), ☎ [phone]. Regularly features off-Broadway plays in addition to hosting comedians from around the nation. 

Parks

• 🌍 Monroe Park. Bound by Belvidere, Main, Laurel and Franklin St., Monroe Park sits on the eastern edge of the Fan. The park dates back to 1851 and is the oldest park in the city. In the park are monuments to William Carter Wickham as well as to World War I&II servicemen. The park is semi-managed by VCU and serves as a "quad" for the campus during the school year. (updated May 2017)
• Triangle Parks - In four places in the fan, the branching of the streets creates tringle shapped plots of land that are used bu the city as small parks
  • Harrison and Park - This small park in the midst of the VCU campus is home to the Richmond Howetzers Monument.
  • Morris and Brunswick
  • Park and Hanover - This park contains a playground for the neighborhood children
  • Park and Staurt - This small park contains a monument to the Pioneers who explored and settled the westward regions of the commonwealth.

Monument Avenue

• 🌍 Monument Avenue. Richmond's most prestigious street cuts through the fan, starting at the western terminus of Franklin St at Lombardy. 4 of the 6 monument along the street are located in the fan. (updated May 2017)
  • J.E.B. Staurt - at Monument and Lombardy (Staurt Circle)
  • Robert E. Lee - at Monument and Allen
  • Jefferson Davis - at Monument and Davis
  • Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson - at Monument and Boulevard
  • Matthew Fountaine Muarry, who served in the Confederate Navy, but who is memorialized for his contributions to oceanic navigation and his invention of the torpedo - at Belmont St
  • Tennis star and humanitarian Arther Ashe - at Roseneath St.

Museums - The Fan and the adjacent Museum District contains some of Virginia's best museums

• 🌍 Virginia Historical Society Museum. (updated May 2017)
• 🌍 Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Includes the Museum of Catholic History in Virginia (updated May 2017)

Do

• The Grace St. Festival - Every fall VCU host the Grace St Festival on the 900 block of Grace St

Live music

• The Camel, 1621 West Broad Street. The Fan Hosts Jazz, jam, indie acts. 
• Strange Matter, 929 West Grace Street. The Fan 300 capacity dive bar venue that has had much history in the RVA music scene. Formerly known as Twisters, 929 Cafe and Nanci Raygun, it recently re-opened as Strange Matter. 

Buy

Although there are some great shops actually in The Fan (such as along Strawberry Street, near Park Avenue), the great shopping is in Carytown. Carytown is south of the bordering neighborhood, The Museum District, on Cary Street, west of Boulevard.

Eat

• Baja Bean Co., 1520 West Main Street (The Fan, near VCU), ☎ [phone]. So Cal Mexican food in a relaxed setting. Largest Patio in the Fan, pool tables, games, music on weekends. Many daily specials will help you keep your budget in check. Self proclaimed #1 Tecate Bar in America 
• Bamboo Cafe, 1 S Mulberry St. 
• Buddy's Place, 325 N Robinson St. 
• Curbside, 2525 Hanover Ave. 
• Edo's Squid, 411 N Harrison St, ☎ [phone]. Edo's is a local favorite, offering Italian inspired seafood dishes. Located on the second floor, above Stuffy's Subs, in the VCU area. Edo's can quite crowded on weekends, and especially with VCU student in-town during the school year. Moderate to expensive. 
• Harrison St. Coffee Shop, 402 N. Harrison St. Located in "The Fan". A good place to get fair trade coffee, and vegan sandwiches. 
• Joe's Inn, 205 N Shields Ave. 
• Kuba Kuba, 1601 Park Avenue (corner of Stuart and Lombardy). Kuba Kuba is a smoke-free Cuban restaurant known to have the best menu for Cuban food in Richmond. It has a variety of salads and appetizers including Tostones or deep fried plaintains and Scallop Ceviche, which is a dish with lime-marinated scallops over mixed greens. Kuba Kuba also serves Paella Valenciana, a traditional Spanish rice dish with Chorizo, clams, mussels and shrimp. User reviews from CitySearch rated Kuba Kuba 4.5 stars with five being the highest rating. 
• Panda Garden, 948 W. Grace St. Located in "The Fan". Used to be just vegan Asian cuisine. 
• The Sidewalk Cafe, 2101 W Main St (just east of the Boulevard), ☎ [phone]. Serves the best food in Richmond at a very reasonable price. The menu has a great deal of variety and daily specials are inventive. Because of its reputation, Sidewalk stays packed and a short wait may be necessary. Don't feel railroaded into taking an uncomfortable table as the waitstaff will understand those who prefer a booth (trust me, you want a booth). For the ideal Richmond experience or simply for those who want to get their money's worth, Sidewalk is a must. 
• Sticky Rice, 2232 W Main St, ☎ [phone]. This Fan restaurant serves unusual sushi (including many vegan and vegetarian options) and a range of Asian-inspired dishes. 
• 🌍 Strawberry Street Cafe, 421 Strawberry St, ☎ [phone]. M-F 9AM-10PM, Sa 10AM-10PM, Su 10AM-9PM. The Strawberry Street Café is well-known for their appetizing foods and famous bathtub salad bar. The restaurant recently experienced national recognition on the game show Jeopardy. The Strawberry Street Café also won the Gold Cluster Award from the Virginia Wine Industries Governors Cup for their exceptional representation of Virginia’s wine every year since 1994. In the center of the restaurant, there is an oversized old-fashioned claw-footed bathtub stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables and prepared salads. The menu has a variety of different foods ranging from burgers to quiche. Some of the restaurant’s popular dishes include chicken pot pie, spinach lasagna, pasta jambalaya, crab and artichoke dip, broiled Maryland crab cakes, and the vegetarian bean burger. (updated Sep 2015)
• Three Monkeys, 2525 W. Main Street (on Main between N Davis and Robinson), ☎ [phone]. Three Monkeys Bar and Grill is an upscale corner café in the Fan, where the menu includes Greek specialties such as Saganaki and Spanakopita and a variety of other foods ranging from common burgers and fries to homemade pizzas. 

Drink

The Fan is replete with bar/restaurants, concentrated mostly on Robinson Street (two blocks east of The Boulevard), and along Main Street for the entire length of the Fan.

Mostly just make sure you catch some great live music, like at the Cary Street Cafe, a "Bohemian cafe, with the tunes to match". 2700 block of Cary Street, (about a block from Boulevard)

• F.W. Sullivan's, 2401 W. Main Street. Great food and good times at this Fan District favorite 

Sleep

• 🌍 The Grace Manor Inn, 1853 W Grace St (at Meadow St), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. A delightful Richmond bed and breakfast. Each morning guests are served a three-course gourmet breakfast in the formal dining room, with complementary bellinis and mimosas. All suites include off-street parking, free high-speed internet, television, CD player, mini fridge, a microwave and other amenities. $175-215. 

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