Things to Do in Church Hill
The St. John's Historic Church District is on the National Register of Historic Places, so there's a great deal of interesting architecture to see here. The church itself was the site of Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, and the neighborhood features many other historic homes as well as the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. There are important sites and markers to take in at every turn here -- even green Chimborazo Park was once the site of a major Civil War hospital.
Independent eateries fill the southern end of the Church Hill neighborhood, and trendy Shockhoe Bottom's restaurants, museums and nightlife are bringing more visitors into Church Hill. Tucked in the corner of 18th Street and Williamstown Avenue -- where Church Hill, Shockhoe Bottom and Downtown mix and mingle -- is a vibrant area where bars and restaurants dominate. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum and the Virginia Holocaust Museum also lie here.
Church Hill Real Estate
As you'd expect, the Church Hill neighborhood features plenty of historic properties, and neighborhood associations are actively encouraging buyers to restore and renovate historic residences here. Homes for sale in Church Hill, Virginia, are typically classic Southern row homes that feature clapboard or brick façades and duplexes with whitewashed porches and lots of potential. Historic homes are available for rent as well, at rates that are typically lower than in other downtown Richmond areas. Living in Church Hill offers the chance for residents to enjoy community gardens and the can-do spirit of a neighborhood seeking to revitalize itself.
Fun Facts About Church Hill
Beneath Church Hill runs a Reconstruction-era train tunnel that collapsed in 1925, trapping an entire locomotive. It's still there, but no one has, as yet, been able to excavate the area to find it. You can still see the bricked-in entrance to the defunct tunnel in an alley near 18th and Marshall streets.
