Top Six Places to Workout in Richmond Al Fresco
By Kristen Secor of Boho Core
Temperatures are starting to drop, and pumpkin spice is in the air – fall is creeping up on us! This is the perfect time to take advantage of cooler weather, and get your sweat on outside. Lucky for us, Richmond offers a great variety of outdoor spaces to get moving. Here are six spots to workout in Richmond al fresco:
Libby Hill Park
Located in Church Hill, this park offers a beautiful overlook of downtown and the James River. A large grassy area provides plenty of space to crank out some squats, pushups, and mountain-climbers, but any outdoor fitness buff will tell you the real work happens here on the stairs. If you want to feel a booty-burn like no other, take a few turns up and down the steps that go from East Main Street up to the statue at the top of the park.
VMFA
It’s not just a hot spot for happy hour on Friday nights! This gorgeous museum offers a lush field for running and stair-work. It also bears host for a few of the city’s favorite workout communities, including bootcamp-style workouts on Wednesday mornings by the November Project, and the Project Yoga Richmond yogis and getting their flow on during the weekends.
Flood Walk & T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge
If you want to take in the sights and sounds of the James during an outdoor run or walk, head down to the Manchester Flood Walk. It begins at the south end of the 14th street bridge, and you can follow the path all the way under the 9th street bridge where it connects to the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. Take the T-pot to Brown’s Island and you’ll clock about a mile and a half. Turn around and head back for the perfect 5k!
Buttermilk Trail
We may be a city, and we may be an hour from the mountains, but Richmond still has a strong hiking game! Head just south of the river for this 4.5 mile round-trip trail on the Buttermilk Trail. Hikers, trail runners, and DOGS are welcome on Buttermilk, so there’s something for everyone.
Capital Trail
Running just isn’t your thing? No problem. Ditch your sneakers and head out on two wheels instead. The Capital Trail begins at Great Shiplock Park and offers 51.7 miles of road for cycling all the way to the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Virginia. There are plenty of local eateries along the way, so take a pit-stop and make a day of touring Virginia by bike.
Monument Avenue
It may be a few months until the annual Monument Avenue 10K, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use tree lined boulevard for your workouts this fall. As the leaves start to change, this easily becomes one of the most scenic running routes in the city. You can run on the sidewalk and take in the sights of the beautiful homes or run right in the grassy median under all of those fall colors. The median also offers a great space for bodyweight strength exercises and agility drills.
Want more at home workout ideas?
Read this blog post with a blend of 15 free, paid, local, and national options.
