Richmond, Fredericksburg and the Northern Neck Hotels

Keep in the mind that hotel rooms can be hard to come by during Richmond's NASCAR Nextel Cup races, held over two weekends in May and September. The downtown Broad Street corridor is also crowded during the college school year, since the Virginia Commonwealth University campus is located here. Richmond has a wide variety of restaurants, from Southern comfort food to fine dining, and anything from Thai and Mexican to Dominican and French. Dress is casual at most restaurants; reservations are recommended for most fine dining or during special events. Downtown hotels may be a bit more expensive, but keep in mind that if you stay in an area outside the core, you'll have to pay for parking in the city.