Local Adventures

This year’s Summer Reading theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” and we couldn’t agree more! HCPL is the perfect place to plan your next adventure. There are plenty of fun places to explore in Richmond, throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the greater Mid-Atlantic region. Read on for recommendations and learn more about resources to help you plan your next local adventure.

• A People’s Guide to Richmond and Central Virginia by Melissa Ooten and Jason Sawyer
  • The People’s Guide is not your typical guidebook. Instead of focusing on tourist landmarks, Ooten and Sawyer highlight neighborhoods, communities, places of interest, and the social challenges surrounding them. It functions as both a guidebook and a history lesson.

• Guidebook to Virginia’s African American Historical Markers by Colita Nichols Fairfax
  • This guidebook lists more than 300 historical highway markers commemorating people, places, and events in Virginia’s African-American history. This one-of-a-kind guide takes you around the state that possesses the nation’s longest history of African-American culture.

• Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler's Guide to the People, Places, and Events that Made the Movement by Deborah D. Douglas
  • This comprehensive guide takes you along the Civil Rights trail from Charleston, South Carolina, through Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. In addition to discussing history, this guide provides suggested itineraries, maps, driving directions, and ways to support local communities along your journey.

• On the Backroads Again: More People, Places, and Pie around Virginia by Bill Lohmann
  • Bill Lohmann returns with a second volume of his popular book and showcases the variety of people, places, and stories to be found in the Commonwealth, including places where you can get some really tasty pie!

• Walk Ride Paddle: A Life Outside by Timothy Kaine
  • Virginia Senator and former Governor of Virginia Tim Kaine recounts his journey across Virginia. Beginning in 2019, Senator Kaine hiked the Appalachian Trail from Harper’s Ferry to the Tennessee border, cycled the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and paddled the entire length of the James River. This compelling memoir offers reflections on his love for the wild and wonderful places in Virginia as well as his observations on the events happening during this period of time.

• Strange Tales from Virginia’s Foothills to the Coast: The Richmond Vampire, the Witch of Pungo, the Dismal Swamp Monster & More by Denver Michaels
  • Virginia is full of the unexplained. Delve into ghost towns, vampires, swamp monsters, and more in this exploration of Virginia legends. Learn about all the weirdness our region has to offer!

More titles to guide you on your next great adventure!

• 60 Hikes within 60 miles: Richmond by Phil Riggan
• Beach to Bluegrass: Places to Brake On Virginia’s Longest Road by Joe Tennis
• Bicycling the Blue Ridge: A Guide to Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway by Elizabeth Skinner
• Insider’s Guide to Williamsburg and Virginia’s Historic Triangle by Sue Corbett
• The Kid's Guide to Washington D.C. by Eileen Ogintz
• Lost Communities of Virginia by Terri L. Fisher
• Rail Trails Mid-Atlantic: The Definitive Guide to Multiuse Trails in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
• Walking Washington D.C.: 30 Treks to Discover the Newly Revitalized Capital's Cultural Icons, Natural Spectacles, Urban Treasures, and Hidden Gems by Barbara J. Saffir
• Weird Virginia: Your Travel Guide to Virginia’s Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Jeff Behr
• Women Writers Buried in Virginia by Sharon Pajka

 Falcon Guides offer the best in outdoor adventure. Check out these guides specific to Virginia:

• Hiking Coastal Trails of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia: Waterfront Hikes from the Delmarva Peninsula to Virginia’s Tidewater Region by Erin Gifford
• Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway: The Ultimate Travel Guide to America’s Most Popular Scenic Roadway by Randy Johnson
• Hiking through History Virginia: Exploring the Old Dominion’s Past by Trail by Johnny Molloy
• Hiking With Kids Virginia: 52 Great Hikes for Families by Erin Gifford
• Hiking Shenandoah National Park: A Guide to the Park’s Greatest Hiking Adventures by Robert C. Gildart
• Hiking Virginia: A Guide to the Area’s Greatest Hiking Adventures by Bill Burnham
• Hiking Waterfalls Virginia: A Guide to the State’s Best Waterfall Hikes by Andy Thompson
• Nature Guide to Shenandoah National Park by Ann Simpson