A Sunday South of The James

One of my favorite activities is exploring my local city of Richmond, Virginia. While Richmond is a small city, I often find myself neglecting certain parts of it. Living in Richmond’s beautiful and iconic Fan District makes it easy to stick to my own neighborhood. In an attempt to break out of this habit, my boyfriend, Leo, and I enjoyed a Sunday south of The James.

The James, officially known as The James River, runs right through Richmond, splitting the city in half. The Fan District, where I live, is located north of The James. The area south of The James, known as the Southside, offers a completely different atmosphere within the same city. From what I have explored, the Southside offers a more laid-back, residential, and natural environment. There are more single-family homes and more green space. Eager to explore more of the area, Leo and I ventured over The Nickel Bridge to the Southside.

Arriving in the Southside, we headed to Forest Hill Park for the South of the James Farmers Market. While driving there we crossed through charming neighborhoods filled with cozy bungalows framed with trees. It happened to be a picturesque September day as well. The sun shined brightly and warmly with a simultaneous chill in the air.

When we arrived at the farmers market, live music played, and families and dogs wandered through the wide variety of vendors. An upbeat, lively energy spread contagiously throughout the market.

The market included a diverse array of food trucks and vendors selling fresh produce, fresh meat, coffee, jewelry, and more! While exploring the various vendors, we bought a nitro cold brew, an eggplant, and minced garlic. Ready to explore more of what Southside had to offer we headed out.

Getting back to the car we decided to aimlessly drive around and explore. With the windows down and music playing, we enjoyed exploring parts of Richmond we had never seen before. After driving around for a bit, we felt eager to get outside and enjoy the Southside’s various trails.

We headed over to Pony Pasture, a park offering trails encompassed by greenery running alongside The James River. Nearing the park, we entered a cozy, woodsy neighborhood. We weaved through the winding roads until we entered the parking lot. Getting out of the car we could see a glimpse of the glistening river. We headed over to the trailhead where an opening allowed us to look out upon the river. The glossy river rested at low tide allowing rocks to peep out above the water line. Looking out across the river we saw vibrant green trees fill the opposing river bank’s horizon. Taking a deep breath I let the fresh air fill my lungs. Hearing the slow trickling of the water and the wind rushing through the trees caused a calmness to surge throughout my body. This calmness then produced a lively energy within myself. Full of spirit I turned to Leo and said, “Ready to trail run?” He nodded in agreement, also feeling refreshed from the regenerative powers of water.

We then hit the trails. We ran through the trees, leaping over rocks and roots and smiling at the passing trail explorers. As we ran, we chatted about life and excitedly pointed out the beauty we saw to each other. Running through the woods offered a vastly different experience than our usual runs through the city streets. It provided an extremely freeing and energizing experience.

When the trail loop came to an end, it merged back into the parking lot. Feeling out of breath and sweaty we walked back to the car. High from dopamine Leo and I got into the car with smiles. We rolled down the videos, put music on, and headed out. Driving back through the winding roads and over the bridge, we made our way back to The Fan. Rejuvenated from our Sunday morning south of The James, we felt ready to go home and tackle our homework.

Days like these help remind one that even within a small city like Richmond, there is always something new to see or a place to further explore. After living in Richmond for over a year, I still constantly notice new details on familiar streets and find new areas I didn’t know existed. I believe that seeing the endless opportunity within your local community helps provide one with a positive, uplighting, and exciting life. I never want to stop exploring and appreciating what is right at my fingertips.