Biotech, finance, healthcare, law and government converge in RVA’s booming downtown. This is where you’ll find more than 2,500 businesses and 80,000+ workers on an average day. In between and just beyond the high-rises things get even more interesting. We’re talking 20 miles of single track trails and Class IV & V rapids. Pedestrian bridges and canal walks. Street murals and bike shares. A legit party island. All of this within walking distance from your 9-to-5—or your home if you choose to live in one of the 2,000 newly constructed apartments, condos and lofts in the area.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Lawyers, med school students, journalists and cool nerds doing science things. The city’s best chicken salad from the Christopher’s RunAway Gourmay food cart at the James Center. Happy hour pints at Penny Lane Pub—open to any and all Liverpool football fans. Business, but never “as usual.”

WHAT’S UNEXPECTED

Brown’s Island—the party island we mentioned earlier. This magical green space is where you’ll find Friday Cheers, a summer concert series; the Richmond Folk Festival; and Riverrock, the largest outdoor river festival in the country. Thousands of people and tons of fun. Typical RVA.

CHECK IT OUT

See Downtown through the eyes of different Richmonders as they show off their favorite spots.