Historic Richmond Inns

Yes, Plein Air art makes its debut in Richmond this week with its first annual “Plein Air Richmond.” Events like this attract artists from all around the region and, even,  nationally to participate and to compete for prizes. The event is being presented and hosted by Brazier Gallery to benefit the Richmond Symphony.

Artists will be visiting Richmond this week to paint en plein air! Check their schedule and check out the works in progress……

To see works in progress this week, visit:

On Monday, June 18, you’ll find artists at Pony Pasture and Belle Isle.

On Tuesday, June 19, the artists will be setting up in Lewis Ginter or along West Avenue.

On Wednesday, June 20, you’ll find the artists and their easels spread out at Rockett’s Landing, Libby Hill Terrace, and Church Hill.

Thursday, June 21, the artists will be setting up in Shockoe Bottom, Shockoe Slip, and the 17th Street Farmer’s Market

Monument Avenue between Strawberry and Lombardy will be featured on Saturday, June 23 for “Fast and Fresh” – a sort of quick draw event open to juried and non-juried artists. Details!

There are several special events, including a preview and gala on Friday evening. Advance tickets required.  For more information, please check their website! The artists!

This information has been submitted on behalf of Historic Richmond Inns by  Pat Daniels and Mike Rohde, Innkeepers, The William Miller House Bed and Breakfast, Home of the Hearty Gourmet Breakfast, located in Richmond’s Historic Fan District.

There is always something beautiful waiting to be enjoyed at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Beginning May 25 through October 14, visitors will have the opportunity to look deep into the world of “Butterflies Live!” Featuring tropical species from Costa Rica and Southeast Asia, including the famed Monarch, in the Conservatory, the exhibit gives guests an up-close look as the delicate creatures feed and roost. Guests are “warned” that butterflies may in fact land on them and instructed to allow staff and volunteers to remove any of the hitchhikers with a paintbrush, protecting their delicate bodies and wings.

A butterfly nursery is included in the exhibition and will offer guests the opportunity to see the beautiful creatures emerge from their pupa state. Over 12 species are planned for exhibition, however the count won’t be guaranteed until the butterflies arrive.  They are more active on sunny mornings, so the exhibit will be closed at night.

Admission to the Butterflies Live! exhibit is included with general admission: $11 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for children ages 3 – 12. Children under age 3 are admitted free.

You can even visit the butterflies for Independence Day – admission to the exhibit is free during the “All American 4^th of July” celebration at Lewis Ginter.

Plan a Richmond escape and enjoy the beauty of Butterflies Live! as well as the other permanent and traveling exhibits at the world-renowned Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Plan to stay at your favorite Historic Richmond Inn and you’ll enjoy comfortable, premium accommodations, gourmet breakfasts served daily and our signature Southern Hospitality. Plan ahead as reservations go quickly during the summer months! We look forward to welcoming you.

The Historic Richmond Inns

Planning to spend Mother’s Day in the RVA? Here are some best bets for making Mom smile!

Mother’s Day Tea at Maymont

Popular Maymont Mansion will feature a special Mother’s Day Tea this year during its commemoration of the 100^th Anniversary of its Japanese Gardens. At 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 12, guests will enjoy a Japanese tea ceremony on the lawn. Special guest, Toko Yomura will explain the traditions of the tea, and how both the Victorian and Japanese cultures celebrate important occasions with the ritual of taking tea. The $25 fee for non-members, or $20 fee for members includes an afternoon tour of the Mansion.

Mother’s Day Concert at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Lucky moms can spend May 13th at the beautiful Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Enjoy the morning touring the gardens and Garden shop, and plan to have lunch at Bloemendaal House or the Garden Café. A free jazz concert by Glenroy and Company will start at 1:00 PM. Visitors are welcome to and encouraged to bring picnic blankets and chairs (but no baskets or coolers).

Museum District Mother’s Day House & Garden Tour

From 1 – 6 PM on May 13, enjoy the biggest event of the year in the Museum District: the Mother’s Day House & Garden Tour. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event. 8 lovely properties are participating in the popular annual tour.

Mother’s Day Evening Concert at Agecroft Hall

Take Mom to see the Richmond Concert Band at 6:00 PM on May 13 at Agecroft Hall. Bring your lawn chair, blanket and picnic, enjoy the gardens and a lovely evening of free music and fun.

Of course, there is no better way to spend Mother’s Day than as a guest at one of our Historic Richmond Inns. Enjoy luxury accommodations, gourmet breakfasts and legendary Southern Hospitality conveniently located near popular Richmond attractions. Check our website for availability and to make reservations.

The Historic Richmond Inns

Each year the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden kicks off its celebration of spring with “Orchids Galore”, featuring hundreds of the exotic blooms. Exhibits and seminars are planned through April 22, 2012, to highlight the special features of the orchids, as well as their journey from points all over the globe to their ultimate caretakers and purchasers. The North Wing of the Conservatory will be covered in displays of live orchids; all included in general admission to the Garden.

On Wednesdays and Sundays at 2:00 PM, and Saturdays at 10:00 AM, the Garden will host free (with admission) drop-in sessions to learn more about orchids. Themes include conservation, habitat loss, identification, photography, growing, raising and protecting these stunning blooms.

Also on exhibit at the Garden is the collection of Reichenbachia, named for German orchidologist Henrich Gustav Reichenbach. Visitors will enjoy a rare treat as they view “large-scale, 19^th-century chromolithographs” made from hand-painted, life-sized renderings of real orchids. The collection takes visitors back to the days when “plant-hunters” actively raced around the globe searching for new specimens to catalog. The Reichenbachia are on loan by Dr. Arthur Burke, expert orchid grower and presenter of several of the drop-in sessions.

Orchids Galore kicks off the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens springtime celebration: “A Million Blooms”. Garden enthusiasts can time their visit perfectly to see the last days of the orchid exhibits and the first days of Virginia Garden Week which overlap in late April. Nothing can complete a garden-themed visit like a stay at one of the Historic Richmond Inns. Enjoy gourmet breakfast, premium accommodations and world-renowned hospitality between visits to some of Virginia’s most popular horticultural events. Spring in Virginia is nearly here – have you secured your luxury Richmond bed-and-breakfast accommodations yet? Don’t wait!

The Historic Richmond Inns

Image: Sarah Hauser. Virginia Tourism Corporation

This December you are guaranteed to find LOVE at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Thanks to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and the Virginia is for Lover’s campaign, the letters, which together are 7-feet high and 16-feet long, will feature prominently in this year’s Dominion GardenFest of Lights. The festival includes displays totaling over half a million lights, along with family-friendly activities, botanical decorations, model trains and more.

The annual event is a highlight of the Richmond winter season events. This year’s theme is “Nature’s DeLIGHTS”. More than 50,000 people visit during the event annually, and this, its seventeenth year, could be the best yet. 2011 guests will enjoy the “Diamonds in the Rough” stick sculpture by world-renowned artist Patrick Dougherty and a new 250-foot long tunnel of lights.

True to its commitment to conservation, the Garden has created its light displays with more than 80% LED lights which use less power than traditional strand lights. Considering that there are more than 40 miles of stringed bulbs included in the displays, using technology to control consumption is integral to the Garden’s educational objectives.

The nightly presentation is open during all but the most extreme of inclement weather through January 9 (closed December 24 and 25). The cost is $11 per adult, $10 per senior, $7 for children ages 3 – 12, and free for children under 3. Adult garden members pay a special $5 rate, and child members ages 3 – 18 will pay $4 each. Hours are 5 PM – 10 PM.

Families are encouraged to take photos with the giant LOVE display and post them to the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Facebook Page and Tweet the with the hashtag #LOVEVA. If you’re looking for LOVE over the holidays, make the Dominion GardenFest of Lights your very first stop!

The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was chartered by court decree in 1984. The property was originally purchased by Lewis Ginter in 1884, where he built the “Lakeside Wheel Club” for Richmond bicyclists. After Ginter’s 1897 death, his niece, Grace Arents, bought the abandoned club, remodeled and founded a convalescent home for sick children.

Eventually, the need for the convalescent home ceased, and Arents moved into the building, renaming it “Bloemendaal”, which is Dutch for “Valley of the Flowers.” Among her final wishes, Arents arranged for the City of Richmond to ultimately take possession of the property and to establish a botanical garden honoring her uncle. After several years and some litigation, the Garden Club of Virginia was finally able to honor Arents’ wishes, and in 1989 restored the Grace Arents Garden as the first site in the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

Today, the mission of the garden is to provide “education to the community about the plant world, promote the best in horticulture and landscape design, and work toward the goal of being a leader in botanical and applied horticultural research”.  More than a dozen themed gardens now delight guests on a property of 50+ acres. The classical domed Conservatory is a stunning tribute to the people and resources that make the facility possible.

The gardens are open year-round, except on January 1, Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and December 25. Visitors can learn about the rich history of the site at the Visitor’s Center, browse the Garden Shop, or enjoy a refreshing break at the café or tea house. Seminars and lectures are scheduled throughout the year, along with special events including live performances and festivals. The Garden’s website is regularly updated with scheduled events.

One of the most anticipated events each year is the Dominion GardenFest of Lights, scheduled to run from November 25, 2011 through January 9, 2012. The gardens will be illuminated by 700,000 lights, and children can meet both Santa and the Butterfly Fairy on select dates. A huge fire pit is created in the Children’s Garden, weather-permitting, featuring S’Mores and hot chocolate to warm guests inside and out. Throughout the holiday season, live performers and carolers fill the gardens with joyful noise. While many of the Historic Richmond  Inns book over a year in advance for the holiday period, you can still find available dates at some properties, so make your travel plans today!

The Historic Richmond Inns

Resources:

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens fact sheet and website