Prepare yourself: Civil War & Emancipation Day

You know how you’re always saying things like, “I live near all these museums and historical sites, and I never go to any of them?” Well, imagine how you’ll feel if you don’t go to any of them on the day that they’re all FREE! You’ll be saying things like, “Wow, I’m dumb.”

April 15, 2011; 6:00 AM • by Doug Callahan

That’s right. We went there.

But anyway, this Saturday (April 16) is Emancipation Day, and to commemorate it, tons of awesomely educational stuff will be free. And there are even easy ways to get to all of them. Richmond’s too good to you.

We took the liberty of planning out an eventful Emancipation Day for you. (Don’t like our ideas? FINE. You can check out the entire schedule here. [PDF])

9.30am

Come to Historic Tredegar for the Welcome and Opening Remarks, including a few words from the Honorable Mayor Dwight C. Jones.

10am

Phew, that was a little boring, right? I won’t tell if you won’t. But hurry over to 14th and Dock Street for a 40-minute guided boat tour.

11.30am

Take a walking tour or Lumpkin’s Jail, Negro Burial Grounds (felt really uncomfortable typing that), and the Reconciliation Statue.

12pm

Did the tour’s slavery stuff just get you angry and depressed? Good. But stick around and you can feel renewed with talk of REVOLT at a discussion called Gabriel’s Rebellion: Slavery and Moving On. Don’t know who Gabriel is? Tim Barry wrote a song about him.

1pm

Take a free Segway tour of Brown’s Island. Get your learn on while you bring out your inner Gob Bluth.

1.40pm

At the Maggie Walker National Historic Site, you can take in a performance from the First African Baptist Church Choir. I’ll seriously fight anyone who yells “Freebird.”

2.30pm

At the Boulevard Campus, you can take free tours of the United Daughters of the Confederacy every 30 minutes on the half-hour. If you’re waiting for one to start, go check out the Virginia Historical Society’s exhibit, “An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia.”

3.30pm

Check out an Infantry Firing Demonstration at Historic Tredegar. It’s hard to imagine this as being anything but awesome.

4pm

Close out the day with a Belle Isle Walking Tour with Park Ranger Mike Gorman. Meet at the Bluestone Courtyard. Wait, you aren’t tired, are you?

5pm

All sites close. You’re on your own from here on out, homie.

And don’t forget: To the Museums & Back will be running free shuttles all day to all of these sites:

Historic Tredegar
Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
Elegba Folklore Society
Lee Jackson Camp No. 1, Sons of Confederate Veterans
Library of Virginia
Lumpkin’s Jail, Negro Burial Grounds, & Reconciliation Statue
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Museum of the Confederacy
River District Canal Cruises
Richmond Slave Trail Commission
Richmond Slave Trail Commission
Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project
Segway of Richmond
United Daughters of the Confederacy
Valentine Richmond History Center
Virginia State Capitol
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Recommend this
on Facebook
Report an error
Subscribe to our
Weekly Digest

Doug Callahan

Doug Callahan is a grad student at VCU and the community news intern here at RVANews. When he’s not working toward his degree, Doug enjoys playing music, watching cartoons, and carousing with friends. His talents include the ability to move his scalp and play the “William Tell Overture” on his teeth. He loves each and every one of you, in very different ways.

April 15, 2011 6:00 AM 0