Richmond/West End

The West End is a district within, and west of, the city of Richmond, Virginia and includes both the West End (within city limits) and Far West End/Innsbrook area. The mailing address is either Richmond or Glen Allen, even thought much of it is located in the counties of Henrico and/or Goochland, and not within the boundary of the city. Many major businesses headquartered in the "City of Richmond", like CarMax and Capital One, actually have their headquarters in this area of Virginia. It has become a very busy and vibrant area, with many high end shopping areas and hotels located here. Much of the state's central population comes to this area for its malls and restaurants.

Get in

From the north, the West End is easily reached by Interstate 295, which can be accessed in Northern Henrico County at Exit 84B off of Interstate 95. The city of Richmond is bypassed when using this route. The other way to reach the west end is to take I 95 south from Northern areas and follow it until it splits with Interstate 64 West in the city of Richmond. Exit 180 (Gaskins Road) is a good place to pick up what has become the "second city" in Richmond, with its high end shopping and dining around the Short Pump area. If you want to go into downtown Short Pump, take exit 180A (Broad Street - Short Pump).

See

• 🌍 Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, 1800 Lakeside Ave, ☎ [phone]. The Garden is open daily from 9AM to 5PM The Garden is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25.. The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was once property owned by the Powhatan Indians, but was purchased in 1884. It has become one of the top public gardens in the US because of its facilities, programs, and displays. There are over 50 acres of garden with theme gardens including the Healing Garden, Asian Valley, Rose Garden, Children's Garden... There are several libraries and an education center, a visitors center, cafe, garden shop, and tree house. The garden is open all year long, excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Members are free; Adults $10, Children (3-12) $6, Children under 3 are free. 
• The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen VA 23060, ☎ [phone]. The Cultural Arts Center holds special events and performances, classes, and exhibits. Some examples are the Latin Ballet of Virginia, comedy and musical theatre performances. 
• Innsbrook After Hours, 4901 Lakebrook Drive Glen Allen, VA 23060, ☎ [phone]. Holds annual summer concert series and events 

Do

• Meadow Farm Museum, 3400 Mountain Rd.. 1860 living history farm site and museum 
• Bogey's Sports, 1675 Ashland Road, ☎ [phone]. S-R 9 am - 9 pm F - S 9 am -10 pm. Driving range, batting cave, miniature golf 
• Regal Short Pump, 11650 W. Broad Street, ☎ [phone]. 14 movie theatres 
• Bowl America, 4400 Pouncey Tract Rd, ☎ [phone]. 
• Henrico County Tourist Information Center, 3812 Nine Mile Rd, ☎ [phone]. The new tourist center opened September 17, 2010 in the restored Dabbs House Museum. The center has information for travelers on Richmond's historic and cultural sites, as well as guides and information for the rest of Virginia. 
• Eastern Henrico Recreation Center. This 24 acre recreation center is being reconstructed. The new model will be modified to comply with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. It will include a new fitness center, gym, activity spaces, classrooms, and administrative offices. Outdoors there will be a football field, track field, concession building, restrooms, and larger shelter. It is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2011. 
• Kings Dominion Amusement Park, 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, VA 23047. Although Kings Dominion is not in Richmond, it is about 20 miles away in Doswell, Virginia. It is a 400 acre amusement park. It was opened in 1975 with 15 rides. Now, some of the popular rides include the Hurler (1994), Rebel Yell (1975), Shockwave (1986), El Dorado (2009), Avalanche (1988), Scrambler (2003), and Anaconda (1991). The park now also includes a water park called WaterWorks which includes the Lazy Rider, Baja Bends, Spiral Chutes, Shoot the Curl, Tornado, Pipeline Peak... The park also includes a Theater, the Mason Dixon Music Call, KingsWood Amphitheaer, Eifel Tower replica, and the Action Theater. 
• The National, 708 E. Broad Street Richmond VA 23219, ☎ [phone]. The National Theater in Richmond opened in 1923. It was a popular site in the downtown scene in RIchmond. It hosted vaudeville, silent movies and a live orchestra. It was designed by architect Claude K Howell. From the outside, the building looks like an Italian Renaissance villa. The nation was recently restored and reopened, as RIchmond's newest concert venue. It has featured bands like Blues Traveler, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Ben FOlds, Elvis Costello, Melissa Ethridge, Pat Benatar, Justin TImberlake, and Matchbox 20. Payments accepted are cash, AMEX, VIsa, Mastercard, and Discover cards. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through Ticketmaster. 

Buy

• Short Pump Town Center-, 11800 West Broad Street. Short Pump mall is a beautiful place in Richmond. It is an outdoor mall with all of your major stores and department stores. Short Pump is romantic and quaint surrounded by waterfalls and beautiful lights and décor. The only negative thing about Short Pump is the fact that outdoor malls do not take into consideration cold weather. If it is cold and raining out, Short Pump is not the place to be, however, on a beautiful spring day, it’s perfect. It’s more of an upscale shopping center with restaurants like ‘The Cheesecake Factory’, or ‘Firebirds’. The shops range from your ‘Nordstrom’s’ and ‘Gap’ to fine jewelry and boutique clothing. Short Pump is the perfect place to visit if it’s your first time in the area. The shopping, food, and scenery are perfect. 
• Gayton Crossing Shopping Center on Gaskins Rd. at Gayton Rd., also in Henrico County
• Regency Square Mall Located at Parham and Quioccasin Roads in Henrico County
• Cary Town, ☎ [phone]. Carytown was established in the late 1920s. It is recognized as a superior shopping district in Richmond with over 200 businesses. It has been preserved as a historic area. Carytown offers popular groceries including Fresh Market, Martin's, Ellwood Thompsons, and Krogers. There are cafes and coffee shops, like Bev's Homemade Ice cream, Cary Street Cafe. There are spas, candy shops, clothing boutiques, and vintage and consignment stores like Halltree and Bygones... Check out the restaurants while you're there - some of the best eateries in Richmond, from the low-end Galaxy Diner to the Thai restaurants, make their homes in Carytown. There is the Byrd Theater which screens movies for $2.00. Each year Carytown hosts an annual Watermelon Festival which draws 100,000 people from near and far. 

Eat

• Kenji Hibachi and Sushi- Located at 11740 West Broad Street, Suite 102B Richmond, VA. A smaller, more quaint sushi and hibachi restaurant. The staff is very welcoming and remembers their “regular” customers. They also are great at helping decide what to order on the menu. Their pink panther roll is one of their most famous rolls and for a good reason. They are reasonably priced compared to other hibachi and sushi restaurants. It’s never overly crowded so reservations aren’t necessary (unless you are with a large group). Casual dress is fine and children are welcomed.
• Melting Pot, 9704 Gayton Rd (in Gayton Crossing Shopping Center), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Su-Th 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 5PM-12PM. This is fondue restaurant with a great wine list. The food prices are on the high end. On Thursday night there is a wine tasting in the bar area for $10 and you get to sample three different wines and meal purchase is not required. meals $18-$50, fondue $13 plus $6.50 for each additional person. 
• Sakura Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar, 9008 W. Broad St, ☎ [phone]. They have sushi, habachi grill, and normal menu. 
• Byram's Seafood, 3215 W. Broad St, ☎ [phone]. Most entrees are under $15. 
• Greek Islands, 9503 W. Broad St, ☎ [phone]. Serving authentic Greek food for 35 years with most entrees are under $15. 
• Grandpa Eddie's Alabama Ribs & BBQ, 12859 Broad Street, ☎ [phone]. Road. Best BBQ in town! Virginia State Championship BBQ. Beef Brisket, Ribs, Pulled Pork. Catering and Private Parties too! 
• Pho So 1, 6403 Rigsby Rd (Near West End), ☎ [phone]. Hands down the best beef phở in Richmond, and, according to many, rivals what you get in Saigon. Complete with packed crowds on the weekends and hurried servers, but still worth the wait. Order a durian bubble tea (off-menu) for dessert, and you'll feel like you're in Southeast Asia. 
• Red, Hot & Blue, 9502 W. Broad St, ☎ [phone]. This is the BBQ spot. Most entrees are under $10. 
• UMI, 11645 W Broad Street, ☎ [phone]. Best sushi in town! 
• House of Vietnam, 3402 Pump Road (in Short Pump Crossing shopping center), ☎ [phone]. One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the area. 
• Glory Days Grill, 10466 Ridgefield Parkway, ☎ [phone]. Glory Days Grill is a sports bar which includes a wide variety of foods at reasonable prices. This is a great family restaurant with an entertainment room in the back. There are many TVS - big and small - in the restaurant with volume controlled radios at each table. Glory Days serves lunch and dinner. Its casual dining. You can dine in or take out. 
• Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant, 6004 W. Broad St. Great Vietnamese food, and an excellent beer selection. 

Drink

• Bar Louie’s located at 11788 West Broad Street in Richmond, VA. Bar Louie’s a casual bar which also offers food. There are two bars inside of the establishment which helps with the crowds on the weekends. If you are going with a large crowd you will want to reserve a table since spots at the bars fill up quickly. The age group varies from early twenties to late fifties. Certain weekends there is a cover charge (normally about $7) so call ahead to check. It gets busy around 10:30-11pm and parking is hard to come by. There’s a back exit and front porch that can be used for smoking.
• Shula's 2, 6624 W. Broad St. M-Th 11:30AM-12 Midnight, F-Sa 11:30AM-1AM, Su 11:30AM-11PM. This is a sports bar also with about 30 plasma screen HD TV's. 
• Capital Ale House, 4024-A Cox Rd, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. M-F 11AM-1:30AM, Sa-Su 10AM-1:30AM. 75 Beers on draft and over 200 bottled beers. Beer prices can range from $2 to $50. 
• Home Team Grill, 11351 Nuckols Road (in Twin Hickory Shopping Center), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Rare Olde Times Irish Pub, 10602 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23229, ☎ [phone]. Having a long tradition as a centerpiece in people's lives, public houses have acted as hardware stores, "spirit groceries", undertakers, and in many other capacities. But as a place for friends and community to gather in an informal setting, pubs have become less well known. Rare Olde Times is distinctly a Public House. You can find casual and regular acquaintances, friendly staff, a homely setting, and the personal touch that family ownership brings. Andy is a native of Dublin, Ireland and named the pub after a favorite song of his father’s. 

Sleep

• Comfort Suites At Virginia Center Commons, 10601 Telegraph Road, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3pm, check-out: 11am. Offers guests free breakfast, free high-speed Internet access and an indoor heated pool. $80 +. 
• Sheraton Richmond West, 6624 W. Broad St, ☎ [phone]. 
• Virginia Crossings Resort, 1000 Virginia Center Parkway. Glen Allen is 10 miles north of downtown Richmond and only 20 miles from the Richmond International Airport. 
• 🌍 Courtyard Richmond North/Glen Allen, 10077 Brook Rd, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 4:00, check-out: 12:00. The new state-of-the-art lobby at Courtyard Richmond North provides greater flexibility and choices for our guests. This Glen Allen hotel's lobby features inviting, flexible spaces to work or relax in, free Wi-Fi throughout and easy access to the latest news via our GoBoard™. The highlight of our lobby is The Bistro, which provides breakfast and dinner service with cocktails. The hotel offers 2800 square feet of flexible meeting space, perfect for corporate events and social gatherings. Just a short drive to downtown Richmond, Kings Dominion, Richmond International Airport, and Busch Gardens, our hotel has an ideal location no matter where you want to go! Our North Richmond hotel is also within easy reach of the dining, shopping and entertainment of nearby Virginia Center Commons Mall, Short Pump Towne Center, Carytown, and Shockoe Slip. Courtyard Richmond North is within minutes of Villa Park, Owens and Minor, and Bass Pro Shops. Welcome to Courtyard Richmond North/Glen Allen, It's a new stay! 

Budget

• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel North West, 7831 Shrader Road, ☎ [phone]. This extended stay hotel offers on-site guest laundry facilities and free wireless high-speed Internet. 

Mid-range

• Wingate, 13991 North Gayton Rd (by Wyndham Richmond Shortpump), ☎ [phone]. 

Splurge

• Embassy Suites Hotel Richmond, 2925 Emerywood Pkwy, ☎ [phone]. Enjoy a nightly reception and cooked-to-order breakfast. 

Connect

• The area code is 804.
• Postal cities include Glen Allen, Short Pump, Tuckahoe, Wyndham, and Henrico.
• You can find free Wi-Fi at Panera Bread locations on Broad St, and at Stony Point and Willow Lawn and at the Capital Ale House on Cox Rd. You can also find Wi-Fi at the Twin Hickory YMCA or any McDonalds.