Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Richmond, Va.

If you visit Richmond, make time to visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum on East Main Street. It's on the same street as the Main Street Station and the Farmer's Market.

This is the front of the museum. It is a home from the era of Poe's childhood, though not one he ever lived in or visited.

You'll get to walk through several rooms with artifacts from Poe's life in Richmond. He lived there early in his life before moving to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and back to Richmond at various times throughout his adult life.

Poe's mother, a traveling actress, died when he was 3 and John Allan, a wealthy merchant, and his wife, Frances Valentine Allan, took him in.

I really liked the portraits; original manuscripts, including those of Poe's sister Rosalie; and the layout of Richmond during Poe's lifetime, showing where he lived, went to school and worked.

You can't take photos inside the rooms, but you can outside in the courtyard.

This bust of Poe sits under a shelter in the courtyard behind the main museum building. I'm not really sure why people have left coins for the dead poet.

Here's the front and back side of the information you're given for the self-guided tour. It also includes a map layout of the buildings and grounds.

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Don't know much about Edgar Allan Poe? Check out these books.

    

And you most definitely should read Poe's work.

    

Church Hill, Richmond, Va.

Probably my most favorite neighborhood in Richmond was Church Hill. We spent a lot of time walking around Libby Hill Park and the streets, checking out the historic homes.

This neighborhood is one of the earliest incorporated areas of the city. It's on a hill that overlooks the James River, downtown and other neighborhoods.

I would love to live in this neighborhood! It's just so quaint, especially with the Italianate houses, which you know I love. :)

Check out this streetscape. So wonderful! I love it.

Check out this sunset.

The statue was erected in 1894 for Confederate soldiers and sailors. It's at Libby Hill Park, where we saw several kids biking and dogs fetching early in the evening.

We also saw a Segway Tour pass through. The people stopped to check out the view below. The Segway Tours take people to various historic and interesting sites throughout the city. We thought about taking the tour, but opted to explore areas on our own.

Here's a link to the site for the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods and one to Church Hill's own news website. These are good sites to learn more about the history of the neighborhood and what's currently happening in the area.

Below the hill, is Shockoe Bottom. We parked at Libby Hill Park one morning and walked down the hill to eat breakfast/brunch at Poe's Pub. Chris and I both ordered frittatas, which may sound like a light breakfast, but it wasn't! Both plates were loaded with eggs, cheese, sauce and veggies. We could have easily shared one between the both of us. 

This pub would be a great place to grab a bite to eat or a drink with some friends. The pub hosts several bands throughout the month, from rock and blues to R&B and country.

If we lived in Church Hill, I could imagine us walking down to the pub often during the week.