If you’ve ever heard the joke that “marriage is just asking each other what you want to do until one of you dies”, let us be the first to tell you – there’s only so much about it that’s actually a joke 😅 After this many years together in the same city, we occasionally find ourselves drawing a blank when it comes to what we want to do on a weekend night. The easy answer is to sit at home and be vegetables, which sometimes is all either of us wants to do after a long week. But often, we’d rather spend at least one weekend day or evening out and about in the city, enjoying new or familiar food, sights, and activities. Here we’ve compiled a few of our favorite classic date ideas in Richmond VA. These are all things that we’ve both done and enjoyed, and we hope they help spice up your evenings in RVA too.
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An utter classic: Boulevard Burger and Brew + Movieland
Whenever a movie we think we’ll enjoy comes out, we usually get tickets to see it at Movieland. The theater, built in what used to be a late 1800s train assembly plant, may not be the plushest or most modern theater, but it has a vintage, industrial vibe that we absolutely love. Plus, it tends to be a little less crowded than some of the more popular suburban theaters, and the parking situation is shockingly good and plentiful, especially considering it borders Scott’s Addition so closely. The seats aren’t the plush recliners you tend to find in newer theaters, and their concessions are limited to class movie theater food (think popcorn, candy, and sodas). However, the screening experience is really good, and they often show films that aren’t necessarily distributed to the more high-traffic theater chains. Plus, you don’t need a full menu in your theater for this particular date night, because Scott’s Addition has so many amazing restaurants that you can easily add the dinner of your choice to your evening.
Our favorite option for the dinner part of this dinner and a movie date is Boulevard Burger and Brew, which sits just across – you guessed it – Boulevard from Movieland. In addition to its location, the diner vibe is a perfect match for the vintage vibe of the theater. Their menu has always had a slightly-fancy diner angle, but they recently revamped it to get even more creative with their burgers. You can sub in turkey or veggie patties if you need, and their fries and milkshakes are SO GOOD. In fact, they have one of our favorite milkshakes in Richmond, and they’re perfect to split with your date. The only thing to keep in mind here is that you might be too full when you leave to do much of anything else so… do with this information what you will 🤣
Getting your steps in together: Farmer’s Market + Buttermilk Trail hiking
We love starting our weekend mornings with a stop at one of Richmond’s farmers markets. On Saturdays, we’ll often head over to Bryan Park for The Big Market. It’s about a 20 minute drive from where we live on the southside of Richmond, but all the vendors and food stalls make the drive worth it. Some of our favorite local farmers market vendors stop at are First Stop Donuts for fresh cider donuts, Hog Haven for amazing breakfast sandwiches (very much recommend the Original!), and Column 15 for delicious coffee (especially the nitro cold brew on a warm morning 😍). There are scattered picnic tables around the market, but you’ll most often see folks popping a squat on the big railroad ties that line the main path, or walking and talking while they eat. This is also a dog-friendly zone, as long as your fur child is on a leash or otherwise contained, so dog spotting is definitely another of our favorite activities at The Big Market. When it comes to parking, there’s plenty of space, and there are volunteers to help direct traffic on the way in so folks can park as efficiently as possible.
Our other favorite farmers market to catch is the South of the James Farmers Market on Sunday mornings in Forest Hill Park. It starts a little later and is a bit less crowded, AND our three favorite vendors above also stop at South of the James. All this makes it a perfect solution if we’ve missed The Big Market the day before, or if we’re just not feeling too people-y one weekend (#introverts4life). The parking situation is a little more chaotic, as the park is smack in the middle of an older neighborhood with narrow street and on-street parking. There is some lot space if you arrive fairly early, but otherwise you may be hoofing it from a side street.
Assuming we don’t take our farmers market breakfast to go (read: back home so we can nosh amazing breakfast sammies and donuts in our pajamas), we’ll eat while we walk, and then figure out what to do with the rest of our day once we’re full. A favorite next stop when the weather isn’t too brutally hot is an urban hike. Forest Hill Park has a lovely, 2.7-mile loop that’s somewhere between easy and moderate and is always fun to lap once or twice. It’s not a super flat trail or one that’s meticulously manicured, so it’s always worth keeping your eyes open for small wildlife and tree roots.
Another option that’s a short drive from both farmers markets is the Buttermilk and North Bank Trail loop. On the North Bank trail, you’ll get beautiful, up-close views of Hollywood Cemetery and Maymont Park, as well as several other unique views of the river, and the city and its infrastructure, while still being in a wooded environment. As you get towards the North Bank Trailhead, you’ll also be nearing a couple of different bridges that offer the opportunity to cross the James River. From there, you’ll hit the Buttermilk Trail, which is the longest part of the trail and runs along the south side of the James. You’ll get more lovely river and city views that just can’t be beat, as well as a more natural, untainted environment. The overall loop is a little over 6 miles, and has a few different access points.
Are you not entertained? Catch a show at The Rep, Altria Theater, The National, or the Carpenter Theater + dinner and/or cocktails
A few months back , I picked us up some matinee tickets to a traveling production of Mean Girls: The Musical at the Altria Theater. We enjoyed it immensely, and got out with plenty of time before dinner, so we hopped over to Beauvine to cap off the evening with high-end burgers and milkshakes. It was an excellent choice and a perfect date day.
One of the things that Richmond has going for it is its arts and entertainment scene. While we may not be a big town like Washington DC, we definitely get our fair share of great performers, speakers, and comedians. Case in point, I still haven’t recovered from finding out all 4 of Matt Rife’s upcoming shows sold out before we could get tickets 😭 We’ve seen excellent touring productions of Broadway shows like Wicked, The Lion King, Newsies, and more. We’ve seen Eddie Izzard and Taylor Tomlinson during their tours. We’ve enjoyed all kinds of bands and acts at the National. And we’ve enjoyed the Richmond Ballet’s Nutcracker production every holiday season. And that’s just a taste of what our River City has to offer! For any well-known acts or shows, it’s always best to plan and buy tickets in advance – this saves time and hassle at the door and will get you sped right along to your seat.
And while you’re making plans, go ahead and make your dinner reservations for after the show, as well. After all, the other great thing about Richmond is the food scene, and there are plenty of restaurants close to Altria, and to all the venues in the city, so the worst problem you’ll have is being spoiled for choice. Just know that if you try to walk in to any of these nearby spots after a show, you might have a hard time getting seated, even at the bar, as none of these restaurants are nearly large enough to accommodate all the folks who just emptied out of whichever theater you chose.
Best Cafe happy hour + browsing the VMFA permanent collection
We love a good Richmond VA happy hour date – after all, there’s no better way to celebrate the work day being over – and it’s even better when there’s more to do than just eat and drink. Enter: VMFA. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is one of Richmond’s most significant institutions, not only from an arts perspective, but from a community perspective. On Fridays in the warm months, the museum’s first floor cafe, Best Cafe, discounts food and wine purchases while music acts, dance classes, and other attractions gather guests in the museum’s atrium. There are often tables and plenty of places to post up or shop for souvenirs, and because it’s Richmond and this city is shockingly small, you’re bound to see at least one person you know (I literally ran into an old friend from high school last time we went!). Take that as a positive or a negative, your choice 😅
Once you’ve finished a drink or two and had a snack, make sure you toss any trash and put your glass on a tray, because now it’s time to wander VMFA’s beautiful exhibits. With 3 floors of permanent exhibits and several galleries for traveling or seasonal exhibits, there’s always something to see and learn about here. On our last visit, we stayed on the third floor, perusing the Art Deco and Art Nouveau design exhibits, which truly made my little vintage style- (not vintage values-) loving heart so happy. Before Luke and I got together, I had a few other dates at the VMFA, so can confirm it’s a blast whether you’re with your significant other, or someone who’s just auditioning for the role. After all, the museum is quiet, makes it easy to find new things to talk about, and is also a public place with well-lit parking.
Stoke those romantic vibes in a casual setting: Garnett’s picnic + Libby Hill
If you love a good sandwich, you very much need to check out Garnett’s in the heart of RFVA’s Fan District. Researching this article was actually so much fun for me, because as much as we love Garnett’s, we didn’t necessarily know all the history behind it – like the fact that this was the location of the original Chiocca’s sandwich shop before it moved (another Italian hand-level classic spot), or the fact the turn of the 20th century building has also been hope to a drug store and a confectionary. Today, it’s a lovely little hole in the wall diner that serves amazing sandwiches and delicious cakes and pies. And our favorite part of Garnett’s is that they offer a date night special every night, where you can order two entrees and a bottle of wine for $33. And if you ask, they’ll package everything in recyclable or biodegradable materials and pack it all into a picnic basket for you, so you can have your dinner in front of any view in the city.
Well, there’s no view we’d rather pick than the one from Libby Hill Park. So on our last picnic date night, we ordered ahead and picked up our picnic basket from Garnett’s, then drove the 15 minutes down Broad St to get to Libby Hill Park. It was a warm evening, and we got to people watch and bask in the sunset while we enjoyed our sandwiches from the comfort of our soft picnic blanket. We even got to see a young lady getting her senior portraits taken, which was a real shot of nostalgia for both of us. It was a perfectly lowkey, relaxing way to spend an evening together, doing what we probably would have done at home anyway – eating and chilling – but with much better scenery and ambiance than we would’ve found on the TV.
The only thing to remember about this is that Garnett’s operates on the honor system – that is, you don’t pay extra for the use of a picnic basket and blanket, but you are expected to return it to the restaurant on the same day you borrowed it. Don’t be the rotten apple that ruins the barrel, okay? 😉
Don’t forget these ideas! Pin ’em while they’re fresh 👍
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