Richmond
Commemorating the 150th anniversaries of the Civil War and the end of American slavery

Other Free Attractions

Civil War and Emancipation Day: The 150th Anniversaries
Saturday, April 17, 2010

Free admission will be offered by the following attractions*:

The American Civil War Center
Black History Museum & Cultural Center
Elegba Folklore Society
John Marshall House
Library of Virginia
Lumpkin’s Jail
Maggie Walker National Historic Site
Museum of the Confederacy
Negro Burial Grounds
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Richmond Reconciliation Statue
Richmond Slave Trail Commission
Segway of Richmond
Valentine Richmond History Center
Venture Richmond – River District Canal Cruises
Virginia Historical Society

Free activities include but are not limited to*:

American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, 500 Tredegar Street
FREE admission is provided to events throughout the day, from a talk on how balloons were used during the Civil War to a blacksmithing demonstration and slave storytelling traditions.  Enjoy a variety of events for all ages. For more information, call 804-780-1865 or visit www.tredegar.org

Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Clay Street
Enjoy free admission and exhibits at this Jackson Ward institution. Featured exhibits include the new “Take Our Stand: The African American Military Experience in the Age of Jim Crow,” “My Richmond,” and “Banks, Boutiques and the Deuce.” Also, learn more about the Museum’s plans to form a chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. Museum hours: 10am-5pm.  For more information, call 804-780-9093 or visit www.blackhistorymuseum.org

Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street
The Library of Virginia is free and open to the public, featuring its new exhibition "The Land We Live In, the Land We Left: Virginia's People.”   The Library's Virginia Shop will offer participants with a Civil War & Emancipation Day a 10 percent discount and a free gift with every purchase made on April 17.  For more information, call 804-692-3500 or visit www.lva.virginia.gov

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, 600 North 2nd Street (at Leigh Street)
The second annual Maggie Walker Heritage Day will take place from 11am-3pm at the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site including music, dramatic presentations, lectures and exhibits recognizing the accomplishments of the nation’s first female bank president. Free ice cream will be served!   For more information, call 804-771-2017 or visit www.nps.gov/mawa

Museum of the Confederacy, 1201 East Clay Street
Stop in to visit the “Between the Battles” exhibition exploring the daily life of the Confederate soldier and “Virginia and The Confederacy” that showcases Virginia as the scene of more battles and deaths than any other state in the Confederacy.
For details call 804-649-1861 or visit www.moc.org .

Richmond Battlefield National Park, Tredegar Street
Hear historians talk about Richmond in 1860 and learn about photography during the Civil War.  These and many other events have been planned for the day.  Youngsters will have an opportunity to learn about the Junior Ranger Program. For more information, call 804-226-1981 or visit www.nps.gov/rich

River District Canal Cruises, Dock & 14th Streets at the Canal Turning Basin
Free admission during event hours only (12-4pm) on April 17.  Enjoy 40-minute historically narrated tours of the James River & Kanawha Canal along the historic Canal Walk in one of our covered boats, which accommodates up to 35 passengers and departs on the hour from the Turning Basin in downtown Richmond’s River District.  Richmond’s canals were first begun in 1789 after George Washington lobbied the General Assembly to proceed with his vision of a canal and turnpike system that would connect the harbors of the east to the trade and market opportunities in the west.  Cruises are open 12:00-7:00pm. For more information,  call 804-649-2800 or visit www.venturerichmond.com  

Segway of Richmond, 1301 East Cary Street
Thinking of touring Richmond on a Segway?  Enjoy a FREE ride on a Segway and learn about tours of Richmond offered on this personal transportation device.  Tours are offered 11 a.m., 12 noon, and 1 p.m. at The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar (500 Tredegar Street.) For more information, call 804-343-1850 or visit www.segwayofrichmond.biz

Shockoe Bottom, 15th & East Main Streets
Enjoy discussions and walking tours provided by the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, Elegba Folklore Society, the Sacred Ground Reclamation Project, and University of Richmond, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Union University.  Highlights include the Lumpkin’s Jail site and discoveries from the archeological dig at the site and the history Virginia Union University shares with this site, the Negro Burial Grounds, and Reconciliation Statue.  Hear about Gabriel’s Rebellion and the Sacred Ground Reclamation Project.  Dipita Dance Group of Richmond will offer music and dance from Africa, and the First African Baptist Singers will give a presentation on the songs of slavery and Negro spirituals.  Hear students recite the words of Harriet Tubman, Phillis Wheatley, Mary Lumpkin, Coretta Scott King and others in “Monologues of the Past,” and enjoy musical selections by the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild featuring freedom and civil rights.  Students from George Wythe High School will present a skit on the “Richmond 34” sit-ins during the 1960’s.  Hold history in your hands during the washing of artifacts from the Lumpkin’s Jail site, and hear scholars talk about their research on the Shockoe businesses of earlier centuries and the slave-trade areas.  Food vendors will be on site as well.  

Valentine Richmond History Center, 1015 East Clay Street
Enjoy “Waste Not, Want Not: Richmond’s Great Depression, 1929-1941” which demonstrates life in Richmond during the Great Depression, which lasted from October 1929 until the U.S. entered World War II. In the midst of calamity, Richmond residents joined other Americans in an explosion of political, organizational and cultural creativity. Members of the Richmond History Center will be aboard shuttle buses throughout the day, providing information about historical sites in Richmond and putting them in their historical context. For more information, call 804-649-0711 or visit www.richmondhistorycenter.com

Virginia Historical Society, 428 North Boulevard
The Virginia Historical Society (VHS)—headquartered in the Museum District of Richmond, Virginia—is a history museum, research library, and educational facility all wrapped in one.  The 178-year-old VHS features award-winning exhibitions that are entertaining and educational for visitors of all ages.  The Society is the only museum with all of Virginia’s history under one roof—all centuries, all regions, and all topics are covered.  Admission to the Virginia Historical Society’s museum and research library is FREE.  The Society’s hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.–5 p.m.  For more information, please call (804) 358-4901 or visit www.vahistorical.org.

* Note: Admission fees and activities are only free during event hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

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