Upcoming Tours

Food Tour Gift Certificates Our food tour gift certificates always fit! Good for any one of our standard walking food tours, Saturdays or weekdays. You can print the certificate out or we’ll send a sharp-looking certificate either to you, so you can have the pleasure of bestowing it on someone special or directly to whomever deserves it. $44.46 for each one, including the ticketing fee. Good for one year from purchase. As of June 1st, 2013, the price will go up to $50, inclusive of ticketing fee. Available here.

Carytown & Museum District: Butchers, Bakers & Beyond
Saturday, May 18th, 2 p.m. SOLD OUT!!!
Saturday, July 20th, 2 p.m.
Saturday, August 31st, 2 p.m.

We’ll mix it up for you along one of Richmond’s most eclectic thoroughfares. Visit intimate bistros, bustling lunch spots with Southern favorites, and specialty food retailers featured in national magazines while passing through quirky Carytown. You’ll learn secrets from butchers to bakers as well as get a peek at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ new sculpture garden. Come see our culinary trendsetters such as Secco, Dixie Donuts, Deco, Coriander Cafe at Boone’s Food Shop, Belmont Butchery, Carytown Cupcakes, Basili’s, Don’t Look Back, Curry Craft, Belmont Food Shop, Zeus Gallery Cafe, Museum District B & B, Amour Wine Bistro and others in Carytown and the Museum District. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and can be purchased here.

SPECIAL EVENT in honor of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln:
Lincoln Legs: Brunch & Brushes with History
Sunday, May 19th, 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday, June 9th, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. NEW TIME for SUMMER!
Sunday, July 7th, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sunday, August 4th, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Take a walk with us as we re-trace President Lincoln’s journey through Richmond on April 4th, 1865 and pause for brunch at Arcadia at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market where Lincoln paused on his walk. We’ll visit sites related to that historic day as well as share sites and stories connected to the filming of Lincoln in Richmond last year. To set the scene, we’ll bring you some delicious Dixie Donuts as well! Tickets are $44.46 for May 19th and $50 afterward and are available here.

Church Hill: From Spies to Pies
Saturday, May 25th, 2-4:30 p.m. SOLD OUT!
Saturday, July 13th, 2-4:30 p.m.

Church Hill has a storied past and its future looks brighter than ever with a revitalized culinary scene that includes The Roosevelt, Dutch & Company, Sub Rosa Bakery, Proper Pie Co., WPA Bakery, Cucina, Anthony’s on the Hill and the place that started it all, The Hill Cafe. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and are available here.

VCU: Alternative Eats
Saturday June 8th, 2 p.m.
Saturday, August 10th, 2 p.m.

More fun than college, this tour walks us through VCU’s vibrant and Victorian (and victorious!!!) Monroe Park Campus with a pop over into Carver on occasion. Depending on the day, savor the flavors of The Nile, delight in the vegetarian goodness of Ipanema Cafe, step into Carver for the bounty of The Black Sheep or the cutting edge cuisine of The Magpie, have a classic snack at Sally Bell’s, live like a local at the lovely William Miller House B & B or the gorgeous Grace Manor Inn or discover the hipness of Balliceaux and the new kid on the block who is wowing everyone, Heritage. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and are available here.

Both Sides of Broad: The Art & Soul of Richmond
Saturday, June 15th, 2 p.m.

This tour combines the best of both sides of Broad Street in the heart of Monroe and Jackson wards, with a few stops at some of First Fridays’ favorite spots including Quirk, and depending on the day, Nick’s, Perly’s, Pasture, Mama J’s, 525 at Berry Burke, Saison, Tarrant’s Cafe, Thai Corner, Rappahannock, Lemaire, Kenn-Tico, Mansion 526, Comfort, and others. Join Real Richmond for samples and insider info from restaurateurs on this 1.5 mile walking tour. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and can be purchased here.

U R Here: Eating on the Avenues
Saturday June 29th, 2 p.m.
Saturday August 17th, 2 p.m.

Join us along Libbie and Grove avenues in the city’s West End near the University of Richmond for a leisurely afternoon of sauntering, sampling, and shopping. We’ll do less walking than our usual tours and hear from more chefs, owners and–special feature–antique experts at some of Richmond’s finest shops, including Kim Faison Antiques. With stops at fine restaurants and specialty food and wine purveyors, including, depending on the day, such stops as Cafe Caturra, Gearhart’s Chocolates, The Blue Goat, Pearl’s Cupcake Shoppe, J. Emerson Wine, Palani Drive,  Barrel Thief, Westhampton Pastry Shop, Shyndigz, Yellow Umbrella, The Continental at Westhampton and more, it’s a full afternoon that will leave you full!  Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and are available here !

The View from Bellevue
Saturday, July 27th, 2-4:30 p.m.

Go North, food tourists! We’ll see what’s cooking in one of Richmond’s most charming neighborhoods. Our shorter than usual walking route through Bellevue will show off the quaint and quirky and the lovely Arts-and-Crafts architecture in this historic area while we sample at hidden gems including The Mill on MacArthur, Tastebuds American Bistro, The Grey Hill Cafe, Once Upon a Vine, Stir Crazy and Little House Green Grocery. We’ll see backyard chickens, too! Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and are available here.

Shockoe Bottom/Church Hill: Shock & Awe
Saturday, August 24th, 2 p.m.

Come along on this 1.5 mile walking tour of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods as we sample specialties at several distinctive, local eateries, including, depending on the day, spots such as Arcadia, Julep’s, Aziza’s, LuLu’s, 2113, Tio Pablo, C’est Le Vin, Station 2, Bookbinder’s, Halligan, Flames 231 and Globehopper. Besides wonderful food and insider info from chefs and owners, you’ll get a taste of the architectural and historical richness of River City. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and can be purchased here.

Shockoe Slip: Capital of Cuisine
TBA, 2 p.m.

This 2.5 hour tour begins at Fountain Bookstore on E. Cary Street in Shockoe Slip. This area was once an international trading post and we’ll sample plenty of international flair along our 1.4 mile route at such stops, depending on the day, as Bistro Bobette, Sine, The Dining Room at the Berkeley Hotel, La Parisienne, Citizen, Casa del Barco, Urban Farmhouse Market & Cafe, La Grotta, The Canal Bistro at Off the Hookah, The Tobacco Company, Coppola’s Main Street and Mise en Place. Richmond has played a central role in American history and has the history, architecture, natural features, and culture to prove it. Tickets are $50 inclusive of ticketing fee and will be available soon.

Fan of the Food: Eateries & Arts
By Special Arrangement for groups of 8-12

This 1.5 mile walking tour highlights the artistry of chefs and artists along Main and Cary streets in the Fan. You’ll sample what’s cooking at several locally-owned restaurants and food purveyors including, depending on the day, such spots as Lady N’awlins, Peacock’s Pantry, Mint, Heritage, Rowland Fine Dining, Lamplighter, Bacchus, Olio, Bombolini Pasta, Rostov’s Coffee, and pop into art galleries such as Glave/Kocen and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Besides wonderful food and insider info from chefs and owners, you’ll get a taste of Richmond’s vibrant cultural life. Email tours@realrichmondva.com to arrange for your group of 8-12 people.

Off the Eatin’ Path: Richmond’s Riverfront
By Special Arrangement; minimum 8 people.

This tour, not our typical food tour, showcases RVA’s riverfront and ends with lunch. There’s a river running through Richmond and so much fun to be had on and along it! This tour starts with an hour guided walk from Shockoe Slip to Brown’s Island that highlights natural beauty, artsy and adventurous endeavors, and hip and historic happenings all along the route. After our walk, we finish with a relaxed and delicious lunch at Canal Bistro at Off the Hookah or Sine Irish Pub or La Parisienne. We’ll eat outside if weather permits. It’s perfect for groups of 8-25 people. Contact us at tours@realrichmondva.com to set up a group tour.

SPECIAL EVENT!!! RVA Ink: Imprint & Impact
TBA or by special arrangement

Explore an area full of creatives who are having an impact on Richmond’s Downtown Arts District. We’ll see tattoo artists at work at Ghostprint Gallery, laser engraving and cutting at Big Secret, art changing kids’ lives at Art 180, all the news that’s fit to show us at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and hear about historical figures who’ve made their mark on Richmond and the world. Not a food tour per se, we will have lunch at Pasture, Jason Alley’s restaurant that is having quite the impact on Grace Street as evidenced by its inclusion in a recent NY Times article. Tour include lunch, admission to the Valentine and meet and greets with several area movers and shakers. It’s perfect for groups of 8-25 people. Contact us at tours@realrichmondva.com to set up a group tour.

Dinner & Dames: Mary Randolph, Maggie L. Walker,
Elizabeth Van Lew & More
Available for private groups or charters (12-24 people)

This tour isn’t our typical afternoon walking tour. Instead we start with a one hour trolley ride through time, led by Susan and Maureen on a Richmond Trolley Company trolley, zooming through the centuries and hearing tidbits about some of the notable women in Richmond’s history as well as our robust food heritage.
Then we’ll head into Mise En Place where Chef Christine Wansleben will present a tantalizing 4-course dinner (or a 3-course lunch) that draws on Richmond’s own Mary Randolph’s (aka “Queen Molly”) 1824 cookbook, The Virginia Housewife. Our first Dinner & Dames had Oysters en Croute with a Smoked Bacon Sauce, Barley Soup and fresh-baked rolls, Herb-Braised Chicken w/ WineSauce, and Apple Fritters on the menu, so you can be sure the Martha Stewart of the 19th Century (and Chef Christine) knows her stuff! Wine is included. Dinner & Dames is available for your group or private party (minimum 15 people). It can also be offered during the day as Lunch & Ladies. Call (804) 840-5318 or email tours@realrichmondva.com to arrange.

Please note that participating restaurants and food purveyors are subject to change.