The Fan - Richmond, VA Area Guide

Named for how the roads fan out from downtown, the district did not start developing until the late 19th century. It quickly became a fashionable neighborhood to live in and known for the variety of architectural house designs. The neighborhood fell into disrepair during the Great Depression and afterwards, as people left the city for the suburbs. In the '60s, efforts began to preserve the area. Today, you can still see the Victorian, Italianate and Queen Anne architecture and the cobblestone roads.

The neighborhood makes the perfect location for students of Virginia Commonwealth University, as that sits at the eastern end. Other points of interest include the free Virginia Center for Architecture, and, next to the neighborhood, the free Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Open 365 days a year, this museum contains over 33,000 works of art in its permanent collection, plus a wide variety of special exhibitions.

With an atmosphere reminiscent of a speakeasy, Heritage pours good drinks and serves upscale plates to go with them. Enjoy the taste of pimento croquettes with smoked tomato aioli, or try a roasted chicken, served with local greens and the Southern favorite, cheddar grits. Cleanse your palate with unique drinks, such as the fig of thyme, moonshine with honey and ginger, or bourbon with ginger beer, all created by the award-winning mixologist, or choose from the selection of craft brews on tap.

At lunchtime, head down to the corner of W. Main and S. Morris to find Chow House. Locals can’t get enough of the large portions and unique menu. The restaurant specializes in Latin, Asian and American fusion, creating sandwiches that include The Betty, made with marinated Korean beef, pickled veggies, eel sauce and avocado crema. Act like a local and order the fry bread tacos, a consistent favorite.

Located in the heart of the neighborhood, The Betty on Davis serves soups, sandwiches and entrées made with fresh ingredients and served in large portions. Choose from fried Brussels sprouts with candied almonds, smoked New York strip over sweet potato mash, or the Elvis burger, which has peanut butter, banana and bacon on a burger, just like The King would have it. This favorite restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on weekends, making it a great late-night spot to visit with your friends and enjoy the full bar and extensive beer selection.

For an experience that’s hard to find anywhere else, have your late-night fun at McCormack’s Whiskey Grill & Smokehouse. Open until 2 a.m. every night, this hipster bar seems to serve every kind of whiskey, in addition to a beer and cocktail menu and a limited menu of upscale bar food.

At 2 miles west of downtown Richmond, the Fan District stretches from U.S. 250 in the north to the downtown expressway in the south. Route 301 runs along the eastern edge, and just past the western edge of the neighborhood runs I-195. All in all, residents and visitors of the area find getting around to be very simple.

Known as GRTC, Richmond public transit runs buses throughout the city on over 30 routes, including express routes. Buses stop every few minutes, making getting on and off convenient, and a regular one-way ride costs $1.50.

While The Fan and surrounding areas do not have many dedicated bike lanes, the area has bicycle-friendly roads and also proves pedestrian-friendly, with the neighborhood considered the city’s seven most walkable.

Residents find it easy to call a cab when they need one thanks to the many companies operating in the city, such as Taxi Richmond and MPA Cab, and they also use the app-based company Uber.

Most visitors park on the street or in one of the 20 parking lots and garages run by the city. One such garage sits conveniently near the restaurant area of the Fan District.

One of the most popular parks in the city sits right outside of The Fan neighborhood. Consisting of nearly 300 acres, Byrd Park features three lakes, which all allow licensed fishing, a playground, picnic shelters and grills, tennis courts, and softball fields. The park also includes a popular exercise trail and sidewalks.

The park has a stage and amphitheater where the Festival of the Arts provides free entertainment during the summer, as well as being the location of the annual Richmond Jazz Festival in August.

Inside of Byrd Park, dogs and their owners enjoy coming to the Barker Field Dog Park. This fenced, multi-acre park has separate sections for large and small dogs. The park costs visitors nothing, but dogs must be licensed and have their rabies shot.

Residents of Richmond enjoy a 3 percent lower cost of living compared to the state. The average rental rates for a one-bedroom apartment cost $770.

A domestic beer only costs you $2, and gas sits 6 percent lower than the state, 9 percent lower than the country.

The closest large shopping center can be found just southwest of the neighborhood, right off Powhite Parkway. Stores including Target, Lowe's and Walmart meet all of your basic shopping needs. The small-town feel of grocer Strawberry Street Market has what you need for a quick food pick-up, or you can travel just outside the area to Kroger.

For more personalized stores, stay in the Fan neighborhood. Music lovers, stop in at Deep Groove. This small vinyl shop stays stocked with new and vintage albums. With an extremely knowledgeable owner and staff, the store remains top-rated with customers.

Book lovers know to add Black Swan Books to their shopping lists. Buying and selling used and rare books, Black Swan carries more than 20,000 titles, only listing a portion of the selection online.

For those with kids or those who are kids at heart, World of Mirth provides just what it says. This toy store features classic children's books and toys, providing an alternative to the toy aisles of the big-box stores. World of Mirth also features geek toys, with items from "Doctor Who" and "Game of Thrones" leaving customers raving about the quirky items the store carries.