Right Around the River Blog

Spring Into Richmond City Parks Near Rocketts Landing

Post Date: 03-21-2014

Spring has finally arrived, which (hopefully!) means more sunshine and recreation-filled days in the great outdoors. Fortunately, when we want to get out and enjoy the weather, not only do we have many ways to stay active right here along the river at Rocketts Landing— RVA’s vast park system surrounds us. From exploring Richmond’s rich history, skyline views, athletic courses and beyond, we have plenty of ways to recreate right around the river.

• Great Shiplock Park

The Great Shiplock Park offers a step into Richmond's canal history along the James River. Photo credit: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation

Our next-door neighbor, Great Shiplock Park is located at Dock and Pear Streets in Shockoe Bottom along the Virginia Capital Trail. The park is a remnant of Richmond’s great lock that was built between 1850 and 1854 and helped ships bypass the James River’s fall line through the Kanawha Canal system.

The park recently got a major facelift thanks to the Virginia Capital Trail, which now features a refreshed entrance with new trees and grass, upgraded landscaping, new canal stones and an electronic kiosk that details sites to visit and things to do in Richmond — and along the (once complete) 55-mile Virginia Capital Trail.

Great Shiplock Park is also a popular fishing hole filled with largemouth bass and year-round channel catfish and sunfish. And during the spring (so, right now!) through June, anadromous fish further fill the river as they migrate for their annual spawn runs from the ocean to the river.

• Gillies Creek Park

As our backdoor neighbor located on Williamsburg Road, Gillies Creek Park features 40 acres of recreation tucked in the woods at the bottom of Fulton Hill. The park is uniquely home to the city’s only BMX track while also serving as a popular sunny-day destination for its 18-hole disc-golf course and horseshoe pits.

The City of Richmond and The Gillies Creek Park Foundation are currently collaborating to further develop the park and connect it to a new urban greenway. According to the park’s website, the upgrade “will link Richmond neighborhoods to the nearby riverfront, Tobacco Row, the Virginia Capital Trail and the restored canal.” So, keep a lookout for future park developments — and in the meantime, get your disc golf on!

• Powhatan Hill Park

Located just up the street from Gillies Creek Park is Powhatan Hill Park in Fulton Hill. Situated at the hilltop with an amazing eastern view of the city, the park features a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts and a baseball field. On sunny days, the fields fill with balls games while children swing in the breeze.

Powhatan Hill Park also has its place in Richmond history. Named after the famous Native American chief, the park was once the site where Richmond Captain John Smith, Captain Christopher Newport and other Jamestown settlers stopped to explore while traveling down the James River. So, while catching a fly ball, you can bask in centuries-old history. (P.S.: One of the best sledding spots in RVA is also at Powhatan Hill Park!)

• Chimborazo Park
  

The Chimborazo Medical Center housed thousands of wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Photo credit: Flickr user taberandrew

Located along Broad Street at the top of Church Hill, Chimborazo Park is rich with history and a fantastic 180° city-skyline view. During the Civil War, the land was home to a large Civil War hospital, and visitors can experience the story at the Chimborazo Medical Museum. Today, the location also serves as the National Battlefield Park headquarters. The park even features a mini Statue of Liberty (one of 200 statues the Boys Scouts erected in 39 states across the county during the 1950s).

Plenty of green space offers great picnicking with a view! A park house also sits on the eastern edge, which you can rent for meetings and events. And, dog lovers can bring their pups to the popular Church Hill Dog Park along the park’s eastern lower terrace. You can also visit the renovated Chimborazo Playground, featuring a community garden.

• Libby Hill Park

The Libby Hill terraces wind down Church Hill offering wonderful city views for an afternoon stroll. Photo credit: Flickr user taberandrew

Situated in Church Hill, Libby Hill Park is one of RVA’s three original parks and also a National Historic Landmark in St. John’s Church Historic District. This seven-acre park features a wonderful hilltop view of the James River and Richmond skyline. In fact, the view is so impressive and so closely resembles the view of Richmond on the Thames in England that it’s said to have given Richmond her name!

Libby Hill Park also features an ornamental fountain and a monument erected in 1894 for Confederate soldiers and sailors, replicated after Pompey’s Pillar in Alexandria, Egypt. You can enjoy the green spaces, meandering paths and park house — and walk similar footsteps as some of RVA’s first parkgoers.

• Jefferson Park

Another hilltop park, Jefferson Park is located above Shockoe Bottom in Union Hill and offers yet another great view of the city skyline. You can enjoy open green spaces filled with trees as you take in the scenery, as well as a bandstand with comfort facility, tot lot and exercise trail.

And, if you’re the adventurous, off-the-beaten-path sort, the famed collapsed Church Hill Tunnel (which was built in the late 1870s and collapsed in 1925, trapping at least five workers and a steam engine) lies hidden in the park’s hills. (PS: The tunnel is sealed from the public, so if you happen to find it, the risk is yours!)

Should another park be on our list? Let us know! We love sharing all the great ways you can get out and recreate at and around Rocketts Landing.