June 17, 2025 • 21 mins
I spent a great weekend in Richmond, Virginia. It was the summer of 2019. My wife and I went down for a wedding and ended up having a blast. And we had some random incidents that made the trip one that we will never forget. I tell the story in my conversation today. I’m laughing about it right now just thinking about it.
Richmond is one of those cities that I think gets overlooked. It’s a couple hours south of Washington DC and right on interstate 95. For a lot of folks on the east coast, Richmond is a city they drive through as they’re going down to Florida, or one of the Carolina beaches. But I’m here to let you know that it’s a region that you need spend some time in.
We can start with the history of the region. Major events in the creation of this country took place in, and around Richmond. It’s got a vibrant city experience in Richmond, tons of parks and outdoor spaces all around, a world class theme park in Kings Dominion, and an adorable pygmy hippo. That’s right, Poppy the Pygmy Hippo that took over the world earlier this year lives at the Metro Richmond Zoo.
So, let’s make our way to Richmond. This week I’m speaking with Tom Loftus. He’s the vice president of marketing for Richmond Region Tourism.
Richmond is one of those cities that I think gets overlooked. It’s a couple hours south of Washington DC and right on interstate 95. For a lot of folks on the east coast, Richmond is a city they drive through as they’re going down to Florida, or one of the Carolina beaches. But I’m here to let you know that it’s a region that you need spend some time in.
We can start with the history of the region. Major events in the creation of this country took place in, and around Richmond. It’s got a vibrant city experience in Richmond, tons of parks and outdoor spaces all around, a world class theme park in Kings Dominion, and an adorable pygmy hippo. That’s right, Poppy the Pygmy Hippo that took over the world earlier this year lives at the Metro Richmond Zoo.
So, let’s make our way to Richmond. This week I’m speaking with Tom Loftus. He’s the vice president of marketing for Richmond Region Tourism.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, what's up everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Welcome to you, Delightful Destinations. My name is Jeff Saint Pierre.
This is episode thirty four of the show Wow thirty four.
If it's your first time checking out the program, I
appreciate your time. Delightful Destinations. It's a show that I
created so I could talk to representatives from different locations
around the country and learn more about these beautiful places that.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Are all around us.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm always looking for an excuse to get away from
home and try something new, and I hope this show
will help inspire you the next time you're looking to
escape the daily grind. So I spent a great weekend
in Richmond, Virginia. It was the summer of twenty nineteen.
My wife and I went down for a wedding and
ended up just having an absolute blast in that city.
We had some random incidents that made the trip one
(00:44):
that we will never forget. I tell some of that
story and the conversation you're about to hear, so you'll
get it there. I honestly like on the inside, I'm
laughing about it right now just thinking about it. It
was the most absurd situation that I think I will
ever experience in a hotel for the rest of my life.
Listen and you'll hear some of it. Richmond is one
of those cities that I do think gets overlooked. It's
a couple hours south of Washington, d C. Right on
(01:07):
Interstate ninety five, and for a lot of folks on
the East Coast, Richmond is a city they drive through
as they're going down to Florida or maybe one of
the Carolina beaches. But I'm here to let you know
it's a region you need to spend some time in.
We can start with the history of the Richmond region.
Major events and the creation of this country took place
in and around Richmond. It's got a vibrant city experience. There,
(01:28):
tons of parks and outdoor spaces all around, a world
class theme park in King's Dominion just a short drive away,
and an adorable pigmy hippo. That's right, Poppy, the pigmy
hippo that took over the world earlier this year, lives
at the Metro Richmond Zoo. Wouldn't you want to go
see Poppy in person? So let's make our way to
Richmond today and we'll learn more about this area.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
This week.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I'm speaking with Tom Loftus. He's the vice president of
marketing for Richmond Region Tourism. Let's get into this.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Hey, great to meet me too, Thanks for having us on, Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I spent three wonderful days in Richmond back in twenty nineteen.
A friend of mine was getting married at the Jefferson Hotel.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
That's great?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Okay, Yes, what a beautiful place that is. I mean
you talk about kind of being blast into the past
with this just elegance of historical America. I felt like
there but also still just having a wonderful current event
in that space.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yeah, that's that's our oldest hotel by far and very historic.
And the next time you come down, you're to try
Sunday brunch. It is fabulous, but we have a lot
of great hotels in the Richmond region for travelers to experience.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
We did actually have Sunday brunch at the Jefferson when
I was there, and I think a lot of people
were not really feeling up to Sunday brunch after the
Saturday night wedding, but we were there.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, next time you come you got to add on
to Richmond region. The Mimosa Trail he just created last
year and it's the only of its kind in the country.
So we're really excited about fifty restaurant and bars participate.
So the Richmond region Mimosa Trail try it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, we'll talk about that in a second. I do
have to tell you one more story about my time
in Richmond. So we were staying at the Linden Row Inn,
which another historical, you know place.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
There.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
We had this beautiful room that was in like the hotel.
Was interesting for anybody listening. It was like you have
your inside normal hotel rooms, then you had a couple
that were outside too that was kind of interesting, and
we had one of those. But when we got back
from the rehearsal dinner, we couldn't get into our room.
The door lock was broken and there were all these issues.
So here we are, like one o'clock in the morning,
(03:29):
trying to get into our room, and the staff has
no idea what to do. They had no one, and
it ended up just becoming comical at how wild the
whole thing. We woke up at six am to people
slamming on the door with like a battering ram to
get the door open because it was completely broken.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I love that story. That's a hotel. I say that
when I first came to Richmond and when on the
outside you're looking at it and you think, that's what
I imagine Richmond to be, very historical. I'm sorry didn't
get in your room, but I hope that didn't ruin
your trip. But it's a great hotel. A lot of
people stay there, entertain a lot of media people there
to give them the feel of Richmond.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I would agree with you, Like I think when we
drove into Richmond and we were parking our car and
getting ready to go to the hotels, like this is
exactly what I expect, Like this has that sort of
colonial vibe, like it's got the historical sense to it.
I was very impressed with the whole situation in that area.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Well great, and you're a perfect traveler for us. You
stayed more than two nights. We love that because when
people come in for a business strip we wanted to
tag on a Monday or Saturday stay. So thank you
for that business.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know, we said to ourselves on the way back,
We're like, Wow, Richmond is awesome. We need to make
this drive again. As I said, that was twenty nineteen,
so then pandemic happens. Then we have a baby during
the pandemic, and life has kind of taken some twists
and turns. But Richmond is still on our list because
it really we have such fond memories of that three
to four days that we were in that city, and
I feel like a lot of people sleep on Richmond
(04:53):
in this area.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
They do. We hear from a lot of people. Yeah,
we heard about Richmond and we saw it when we
were passing on the way to Florida. But now that's changing.
The awareness campaign is helping with that. We're a major
drive market, especially for people in Baltimore and DC and Pittsburgh,
and the research is showing that while people are coming
back on longer vacations or longer trips, they're staying close
(05:17):
to home this summer. So it's right in our wheelhouse.
We're right on ninety five and sixty four. So we're
hoping to draw more and more visitors down and we're
running a campaign called get here on tank of gas
or less, so again, I can get to Pittsburgh, I
can get to Cleveland on a tank of gas. I
know I can get to New York. So we want
more and more people come down. But Thanks for mentioning that.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, at the time that we're recording this interview, we're
just coming out of Memorial Day weekend, and I remember
seeing all the stories about the record setting travel that
was expected for driving. As you just mentioned, it just
seems like people maybe they're not buying the expensive plane
ticket to go somewhere, but they are trying to get.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Away from home.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
So they're looking at places to me anyway, to places
like Richmond that are just far enough away where it's like, Okay,
I feel like I went some where. I feel like
I left my house, I left my area, I went
to try something new, and I got away, but I
could still drive home pretty quick.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Well, yeah, I appreciate. One message we're trying to drive
home is that we're a region. We're not just one city.
We're four counties, two cities in one town. So that's
seven times the amount of experiences and attractions and excursions.
And that's what we're trying to educate people about. When
you come down to Richmond, you have a whole region
to experience so exciting stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Let's go back to what you just said, because I've
talked to a lot of people doing this podcast and
it seems like everyone has a beer trail or a
wine trail, but you have a Mimosa trail. So I
want to learn a little bit more about this Mimosa trail.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, I'll have them that. I came up with the
idea when I was having a Mimosa downtown Richmond one
Saturday morning. I'm thinking, I've heard about all these trails,
and we have a great beer trail as well. I'm thinking,
I'm going to google this and see if there's a
Mimosa trail. Not one in the country, not a single one.
So I got my team on at that next week
before I read about someone else. But but now we
(07:00):
have about fifty restaurants participating and it's just a great
extra activity. You know, you can check it out. I'm
Mimosa and seven of our localities. We don't want you
to drive, that's why ride share is available. But it's
definitely drawing different groups of people down there to just
try them. Mimosa trails so still the one of that's
(07:21):
kind in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So it's so interesting and I love that you had
this idea, and I feel like when I go to places,
Mimosa might not be the top thing on my mind.
But when I do go visit cities, there's something else
I look for, and that's coffee shops. And Richmond has
got some amazing coffee shops. I remember Lamplighter Coffee was
one that we stopped at and I still remember that name,
just getting one cup of coffee. It was so good
(07:43):
that I know it's not on our list of things
it's started to talk about today, but like your coffee
shops in the Richmond area are also incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
And only share this with you and nobody else please,
uh yeah, but we're in the process of putting together
of coffee trail, as you said, just for that, just
for that reason.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, yeah, I expect a little bit of royalties on that,
just so you know, because I put that idea in
your head.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Clearly, we'll give you the first coffee on the trail.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Thank you, Thank you very much. All right.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So I remember reading about Poppy, the pygmy hippo, and
I want to learn a little bit more about because
I'm sure people are coming into the area to see
a little bit more about Poppy.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
You know, sometimes stories just fall in your lap, and
Poppy is a pygmy hippo. They're in endangered speace species.
There's only twenty five hundred left in the world. And
Poppy was born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in December.
They held a social media contest to name Poppy and
then it just took off worldwide. People were calling about Poppy.
(08:40):
Poppy has great visitation at the zoo. Poppy group is
growing very fast. He's now about ninety pounds and growing.
But I mean, it is just a major attraction for
us now, and that's I mean, I know other cities
have major zoos, but no one has Poppy right now.
And I'm telling you they're saying there's feedback and visitors
(09:03):
coming from across the world now to see Poppy. The
pygmy hippopotamus put that in a song. You might make
even more money there. But yeah, we're happy. And sometimes
hippos have faces only a mother can love. But we
all love Poppy. She's really doing great for us.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
There was a period of time you couldn't go anywhere
on social media without seeing pop I mean every time
I scrolled, Poppy was popping up in one way or another.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah, it has a great name and a great face
and just it's a great story, especially again because it's
an endangerous species. So the zoo's really doing their part
and extending that the number of hippos pygmy hippos in
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I love that, love that.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I love the conservation Here in Baltimore, I live like
our zoo is big on that, just trying to make
sure they're working with these animals who try to keep
them around and keep them alive in the environment. So
I love that you're zoo down there. The Richmond Metro
Zoo is also doing that with the pigmy hippos and everything.
That's fantastic. I know the Richmond area, the Richmond Metro area,
it also has some made up holidays and these sound
(10:03):
really fun, So I want to learn a little bit
more about these made up holidays.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, and I didn't come up with those after I
went on the Mimosa Trail. It was definitely during the week.
We all destinations have realized that people like to tie
their vacations to holidays, and we have all the normal
holidays and we're just thinking, why not come up with
extra holidays that people can tie their vacations around. So
(10:27):
we came up with the four of them, Seniors Skip Day,
we're trying to track the seniors on a day off
or a day off from watching the grandchildren. Come down midweek,
experience all the attractions that experiences. The Feasts of the
Seven Beers you probably would like or some of your
We have seven jurisdictions, of course, so come on down.
(10:48):
It's a takeoff of the famous Feasts of the Seven Fish, sure,
but come down and have a beer in each of
our jurisdiction. Again, strongly encourage ride share, get a grip.
We have so many biking trails here, especially along the
James River. If you've never been down here, that should
be your number one spot. Your stop is the James River.
(11:09):
And then got your Dog Day. During COVID, so many
people adopted dogs and we started hearing stories when they
went back to work, a lot of people returning their
dogs and we don't. Yeah, we were sad to hear that.
So we created a holiday bring your dog down here
because the Richmond Regent is over the top pet friendly,
so dogs out of the run the place in many
(11:30):
of our hotels. That is great.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I do love to see that.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
So when you talk about these being holidays here in
your region, what does that mean for you?
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Like when when do these happen? What does the community
think about all this?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, they're really high on any time we can drive
more business here. They're just totally made out. Sure we
want you to consider and they each have their own
itinery on our website so people can use that throughout
the year. Just another reason to come down and celebrate Richmond.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
So, as you mentioned it, let's hit that website.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
So people listening right now, if they're looking to start
planning their trip, find out more information.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Where do they go?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, very easy, visit Richmond DA dot com.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Let's talk about this new theater that you have on
the Amphitheater, I should say on the Riverfront. I want
I love that places are opening up, these new amphitheaters
right now because I just feel like live music is
what the audience is craving.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
People are loving live music.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
They are as you know, music tourism is growing. It
was growing even before the Taylor Swift and Beyonce tours,
although those drove dramatic numbers across the countries, so we
thank them for that. But Richmond's always been a music city.
But now the Alliance Amphitheater on the Riverfront is opening
(12:40):
up the backdrop is the James River. It's adjoining to
the Civil War Museum, seventy five hundred seats, open air seats.
It's going to be fantastic. It's a who who's list
of people that are coming. Dave Matthews is one of
them that's leading it off. But I can go through
a voice and man Brad Daisley all the way down.
(13:02):
Alison Krause. I love the name Red Clay Strays. I
don't know their music, but where there's a real mix
of music coming in Glass Animals, Lamb of God. So
it's definitely go drive music tourisms here to stay, thankfully,
because people are driving hours to follow their favorite band
of musicians and flying in. So it's not just Richmond
(13:25):
experiencing that that's here to stay music tourism and we're
on top of it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
I love a city like Richmond when it comes to
music because you're going to get artists that are gonna
come play this venue that holds about seventy five hundred
people that maybe they're playing like up by us the
DC Baltimore area for a venue that holds twenty thousand,
but because of where Richmond is situated in between other
places they're gonna come play there. So you actually get
a chance to travel to Richmond to see your favorite
artists at a more intimate venue. And I think that's
(13:52):
something really special about what Richmond can offer.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, and not only musicians, there's gonna be comedians there.
Sure September. September, we're going to Steve Martin and Martin Shore.
They should go by Martin. They should go by Martin
and Martin. I should recommend that. But that's go draw
a different crowd obviously, But again that's the variety of
acts or they're booking into there.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I'm looking at the list right now. Actually we're talking.
I mean you really do weird Al's coming in September.
You have a wide range of people, and I think
that's awesome. I think that's great to have such a
variety of folks to be able to come swing through
the area.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, sitting in people could drive there from a lot
of locations, but we want them to stay over night,
enjoy the weekend, enjoy a couple of nights in Richmond
because there's so much more to do, and then can
go to some of our music venues of course too.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
So there's an incredible amount of history by the Richmond
area as well, that whole region. I mean it's whenever
I talk to anybody that represents a particular area here
in the mid Atlantic or up the East Coast, I mean,
this is where the country started. So Richmond has so much,
I mean, from all the different aspects of history.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
We don't need to go into a history lesson.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
But I know we're coming up on the two hundred
and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of this country here,
and I'm sure you've got some things planned for that.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Oh absolutely. And we're going to piggyback on Virginia two
fifty because the state has all that history as well. Yeah,
but when we focus on the Richmond region, so many
things to offer. You know, the Balentine Museum was the
first museum here. They talk a lot about Revolutionary War.
We have Saint John's Church. I'll tell you, next time
you come down here, go in there and see a
live re enactment of Patrick Henry's speech, give me liberty
(15:27):
or give me death. You actually sit among the delegates
as they argue whether to go to war or accept
the taxes. The Museum of Natural History is doing exhibitions
throughout the year, a lot of things tied to the
Revolutionary Warriors. So we're really excited about that. We're going
to be promoting that. And even the Virginia Capital at
(15:49):
State House, that's the oldest capitol building, one of the
oldest still standing and still operational. And well I mentioned
that the Hanover Tavern is still the only continuous Revolutionary
War time tavern still open, still serving food and beverages
in Hannover. A great, great place to visit. So a
lot of history here for sure, as you.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Know, oh yeah, I mean just driving through the streets,
as we talked about at the beginning of this conversation,
just driving through the streets of say Richmond, you can
feel it, you can feel the history there. It reminded
me of like driving through again going back to our area,
like Annapolis, or even going up further. I grew up
in New Hampshire. If you drive through like Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
you feel the history of this country and the way
(16:29):
that it was founded. There's still so much of it
in the buildings and the streets and the areas around
and the Richmond region. I feel like they've held on
to so much of it at the same time, as
you know, updating and being current, they've still held on
to so much of that history they have.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And I can tell you, as any marketing executive knows,
when you take a new position, before you can start
promoting that product or service, sometimes you have to develop it.
But when I got here, my product and service was
developing for over four hundred years of history. So we
date back to sixteen eleven. In Henryk's Historical Park, it's
a living museum, but it takes you through that time period.
(17:06):
So you're right, that Revolutionary War, Civil War, civil rights,
we have all that history.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Everything kind of comes right up through this region of
the country. I mean, it's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Again.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
We don't need to go to doo a history lesson
right now, but you just say, if you are a
history buff Richmond and the Richmond region, that is a
great spot to go and pay a visit. You know,
you mentioned earlier the bike trail along the river, and
I remember driving through that area and just feeling like
there is such a big impact from nature in that area.
So I'm sure people come to experience the outdoors as well.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah, outdoor adventure is one of our major marketing efforts
because it's natural here. We have those bike trails that
go miles and miles on the Capitol Trail, the James
River ties it all together, ties our whole region together.
If you have been never been down here, you got
to go Whitewater rafting. We're the own urban setting with
(18:01):
Class three and four rapids in the country. So you literally,
I want to film a commercial, You get off the
raft with your briefcase and walk into work in downtown Richmond.
That's how close it is.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
So tell me a little bit more about the people
you're trying to attract. And know we touched on this earlier,
but tell me a little bit more about who you're
trying to attract to Richmond right now. Who's the core
audience And you're like, Hey, come be here in this
area with us.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I really say, it's just a drive audience for this
summer because we have attractions and experiences for all ages.
You know, we have those family fun adventures like King's Dominion.
We have for families. Totally, it's a great place to
come and experience all of our family attraction. When I
say all ages, we're trying to attract all ages, families, couples,
(18:48):
bachelor parties, or guys weekends. Come on down here, try
our breweries and our golf courses all across the board.
That's one of the advantages of having a regional effort.
We can touch on every demographics for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I was just thinking to myself actually as we were talking,
I was like, I know, when we went down we
drove past King's Dominion, but how far away. I mean,
it's like twenty five minutes from the center of Richmond,
thirty minutes from the center of Richmond. So you can
go down there and spend some time there in the region,
hit up a theme park and make the kids happy,
but then also go to some tours and see. I mean,
there's really you've got a little bit of everything in
this particular region.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's kind of fascinating.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
I'll tell you when you're coming down ninety five of
the first place to stop in our region is the
town of Ashland. Okay, what it's known for. I'll tell you.
They just dedicated a statue of a memorial to Secretariat.
Do you remember.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Yeah, I'm actually looking at it right now.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And Secretariat the Fello was born in the area and
they obviously it won the Triple Crown. But this past
Kentucky Derby. Every horse in the Kentucky Derby was a
descendant of Secretariat. And some people consider Secretary of the
most famous athlete in Virginia's.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
History, which is a lot because you've had some pretty
big athletes come through or come out of Virginia.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yes, we have. Bruce Smith was one that comes to
mind from the Buffalo Dales Hall of Famers. So yeah,
a lot of athletes.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Here, Tom, It's so interesting. I don't know if you
remember your dreams very often, but the other night I
was dreaming about the movie Secretariat for some reason. I
have no idea why, and I just watched that movie yesterday,
and now we're talking about Secretariat in this conversation. I
feel like there's something in my life that must be
tied to Secretariat.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I don't know what it is yet.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You want to come back as a jockey, Probably.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That must be it.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
I'm a little too tall, but maybe, yeah, maybe that's
my next life when I come back. Well, listen, Tom,
this has been a great conversation. There is so much
going on in the Richmond region, and really, as we
just talked about, I mean, I'm even learning more about
how much there is for literally everybody in the family
there and food there too. By the way, when I
was down there for a weekend, we aated a few
different restaurants names that will escape me right now, but
(20:49):
the food was delicious. You have some amazing opportunities to
get some great restaurants. I mean, I think we ated
a Cuban restaurant that was phenomenal. I mean really just amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Stuff othern food. My first month, I gained ten pounds,
so I will tell you a lot. I'm not surprised now.
I started every day with ten thousand steps, but yeah,
really great food and more and more restaurants are opening
up every day.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Tom loftis the president and the vice president of marketing
for Richmond Region Tourism. One more time, Where do people
go if they want to find out more information or
if they want to start planning their trip.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Sure www dot visit RICHMONDDA dot com and we expect
to see you here this summer. There's a lot to
do in the fall.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
So thank you very much, big thank you to Tom
loftus for his time. Again, if you're interested in planning
a trip to the Richmond area you can check out
visit Richmond, VA dot com. And thank you to all
of you for listening to delightful destinations today. I appreciate
your time. Until next time, be well,
Hey, what's up everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Welcome to you, Delightful Destinations. My name is Jeff Saint Pierre.
This is episode thirty four of the show Wow thirty four.
If it's your first time checking out the program, I
appreciate your time. Delightful Destinations. It's a show that I
created so I could talk to representatives from different locations
around the country and learn more about these beautiful places that.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Are all around us.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I'm always looking for an excuse to get away from
home and try something new, and I hope this show
will help inspire you the next time you're looking to
escape the daily grind. So I spent a great weekend
in Richmond, Virginia. It was the summer of twenty nineteen.
My wife and I went down for a wedding and
ended up just having an absolute blast in that city.
We had some random incidents that made the trip one
(00:44):
that we will never forget. I tell some of that
story and the conversation you're about to hear, so you'll
get it there. I honestly like on the inside, I'm
laughing about it right now just thinking about it. It
was the most absurd situation that I think I will
ever experience in a hotel for the rest of my life.
Listen and you'll hear some of it. Richmond is one
of those cities that I do think gets overlooked. It's
a couple hours south of Washington, d C. Right on
(01:07):
Interstate ninety five, and for a lot of folks on
the East Coast, Richmond is a city they drive through
as they're going down to Florida or maybe one of
the Carolina beaches. But I'm here to let you know
it's a region you need to spend some time in.
We can start with the history of the Richmond region.
Major events and the creation of this country took place
in and around Richmond. It's got a vibrant city experience. There,
(01:28):
tons of parks and outdoor spaces all around, a world
class theme park in King's Dominion just a short drive away,
and an adorable pigmy hippo. That's right, Poppy, the pigmy
hippo that took over the world earlier this year, lives
at the Metro Richmond Zoo. Wouldn't you want to go
see Poppy in person? So let's make our way to
Richmond today and we'll learn more about this area.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
This week.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I'm speaking with Tom Loftus. He's the vice president of
marketing for Richmond Region Tourism. Let's get into this.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Hey, great to meet me too, Thanks for having us on, Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I spent three wonderful days in Richmond back in twenty nineteen.
A friend of mine was getting married at the Jefferson Hotel.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
That's great?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Okay, Yes, what a beautiful place that is. I mean
you talk about kind of being blast into the past
with this just elegance of historical America. I felt like
there but also still just having a wonderful current event
in that space.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Yeah, that's that's our oldest hotel by far and very historic.
And the next time you come down, you're to try
Sunday brunch. It is fabulous, but we have a lot
of great hotels in the Richmond region for travelers to experience.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
We did actually have Sunday brunch at the Jefferson when
I was there, and I think a lot of people
were not really feeling up to Sunday brunch after the
Saturday night wedding, but we were there.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, next time you come you got to add on
to Richmond region. The Mimosa Trail he just created last
year and it's the only of its kind in the country.
So we're really excited about fifty restaurant and bars participate.
So the Richmond region Mimosa Trail try it.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, we'll talk about that in a second. I do
have to tell you one more story about my time
in Richmond. So we were staying at the Linden Row Inn,
which another historical, you know place.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
There.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
We had this beautiful room that was in like the hotel.
Was interesting for anybody listening. It was like you have
your inside normal hotel rooms, then you had a couple
that were outside too that was kind of interesting, and
we had one of those. But when we got back
from the rehearsal dinner, we couldn't get into our room.
The door lock was broken and there were all these issues.
So here we are, like one o'clock in the morning,
(03:29):
trying to get into our room, and the staff has
no idea what to do. They had no one, and
it ended up just becoming comical at how wild the
whole thing. We woke up at six am to people
slamming on the door with like a battering ram to
get the door open because it was completely broken.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I love that story. That's a hotel. I say that
when I first came to Richmond and when on the
outside you're looking at it and you think, that's what
I imagine Richmond to be, very historical. I'm sorry didn't
get in your room, but I hope that didn't ruin
your trip. But it's a great hotel. A lot of
people stay there, entertain a lot of media people there
to give them the feel of Richmond.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I would agree with you, Like I think when we
drove into Richmond and we were parking our car and
getting ready to go to the hotels, like this is
exactly what I expect, Like this has that sort of
colonial vibe, like it's got the historical sense to it.
I was very impressed with the whole situation in that area.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Well great, and you're a perfect traveler for us. You
stayed more than two nights. We love that because when
people come in for a business strip we wanted to
tag on a Monday or Saturday stay. So thank you
for that business.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know, we said to ourselves on the way back,
We're like, Wow, Richmond is awesome. We need to make
this drive again. As I said, that was twenty nineteen,
so then pandemic happens. Then we have a baby during
the pandemic, and life has kind of taken some twists
and turns. But Richmond is still on our list because
it really we have such fond memories of that three
to four days that we were in that city, and
I feel like a lot of people sleep on Richmond
(04:53):
in this area.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
They do. We hear from a lot of people. Yeah,
we heard about Richmond and we saw it when we
were passing on the way to Florida. But now that's changing.
The awareness campaign is helping with that. We're a major
drive market, especially for people in Baltimore and DC and Pittsburgh,
and the research is showing that while people are coming
back on longer vacations or longer trips, they're staying close
(05:17):
to home this summer. So it's right in our wheelhouse.
We're right on ninety five and sixty four. So we're
hoping to draw more and more visitors down and we're
running a campaign called get here on tank of gas
or less, so again, I can get to Pittsburgh, I
can get to Cleveland on a tank of gas. I
know I can get to New York. So we want
more and more people come down. But Thanks for mentioning that.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, at the time that we're recording this interview, we're
just coming out of Memorial Day weekend, and I remember
seeing all the stories about the record setting travel that
was expected for driving. As you just mentioned, it just
seems like people maybe they're not buying the expensive plane
ticket to go somewhere, but they are trying to get.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Away from home.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
So they're looking at places to me anyway, to places
like Richmond that are just far enough away where it's like, Okay,
I feel like I went some where. I feel like
I left my house, I left my area, I went
to try something new, and I got away, but I
could still drive home pretty quick.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Well, yeah, I appreciate. One message we're trying to drive
home is that we're a region. We're not just one city.
We're four counties, two cities in one town. So that's
seven times the amount of experiences and attractions and excursions.
And that's what we're trying to educate people about. When
you come down to Richmond, you have a whole region
to experience so exciting stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Let's go back to what you just said, because I've
talked to a lot of people doing this podcast and
it seems like everyone has a beer trail or a
wine trail, but you have a Mimosa trail. So I
want to learn a little bit more about this Mimosa trail.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, I'll have them that. I came up with the
idea when I was having a Mimosa downtown Richmond one
Saturday morning. I'm thinking, I've heard about all these trails,
and we have a great beer trail as well. I'm thinking,
I'm going to google this and see if there's a
Mimosa trail. Not one in the country, not a single one.
So I got my team on at that next week
before I read about someone else. But but now we
(07:00):
have about fifty restaurants participating and it's just a great
extra activity. You know, you can check it out. I'm
Mimosa and seven of our localities. We don't want you
to drive, that's why ride share is available. But it's
definitely drawing different groups of people down there to just
try them. Mimosa trails so still the one of that's
(07:21):
kind in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
So it's so interesting and I love that you had
this idea, and I feel like when I go to places,
Mimosa might not be the top thing on my mind.
But when I do go visit cities, there's something else
I look for, and that's coffee shops. And Richmond has
got some amazing coffee shops. I remember Lamplighter Coffee was
one that we stopped at and I still remember that name,
just getting one cup of coffee. It was so good
(07:43):
that I know it's not on our list of things
it's started to talk about today, but like your coffee
shops in the Richmond area are also incredible.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
And only share this with you and nobody else please,
uh yeah, but we're in the process of putting together
of coffee trail, as you said, just for that, just
for that reason.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, yeah, I expect a little bit of royalties on that,
just so you know, because I put that idea in
your head.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Clearly, we'll give you the first coffee on the trail.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Thank you, Thank you very much. All right.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
So I remember reading about Poppy, the pygmy hippo, and
I want to learn a little bit more about because
I'm sure people are coming into the area to see
a little bit more about Poppy.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
You know, sometimes stories just fall in your lap, and
Poppy is a pygmy hippo. They're in endangered speace species.
There's only twenty five hundred left in the world. And
Poppy was born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in December.
They held a social media contest to name Poppy and
then it just took off worldwide. People were calling about Poppy.
(08:40):
Poppy has great visitation at the zoo. Poppy group is
growing very fast. He's now about ninety pounds and growing.
But I mean, it is just a major attraction for
us now, and that's I mean, I know other cities
have major zoos, but no one has Poppy right now.
And I'm telling you they're saying there's feedback and visitors
(09:03):
coming from across the world now to see Poppy. The
pygmy hippopotamus put that in a song. You might make
even more money there. But yeah, we're happy. And sometimes
hippos have faces only a mother can love. But we
all love Poppy. She's really doing great for us.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
There was a period of time you couldn't go anywhere
on social media without seeing pop I mean every time
I scrolled, Poppy was popping up in one way or another.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah, it has a great name and a great face
and just it's a great story, especially again because it's
an endangerous species. So the zoo's really doing their part
and extending that the number of hippos pygmy hippos in
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I love that, love that.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I love the conservation Here in Baltimore, I live like
our zoo is big on that, just trying to make
sure they're working with these animals who try to keep
them around and keep them alive in the environment. So
I love that you're zoo down there. The Richmond Metro
Zoo is also doing that with the pigmy hippos and everything.
That's fantastic. I know the Richmond area, the Richmond Metro area,
it also has some made up holidays and these sound
(10:03):
really fun, So I want to learn a little bit
more about these made up holidays.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, and I didn't come up with those after I
went on the Mimosa Trail. It was definitely during the week.
We all destinations have realized that people like to tie
their vacations to holidays, and we have all the normal
holidays and we're just thinking, why not come up with
extra holidays that people can tie their vacations around. So
(10:27):
we came up with the four of them, Seniors Skip Day,
we're trying to track the seniors on a day off
or a day off from watching the grandchildren. Come down midweek,
experience all the attractions that experiences. The Feasts of the
Seven Beers you probably would like or some of your
We have seven jurisdictions, of course, so come on down.
(10:48):
It's a takeoff of the famous Feasts of the Seven Fish, sure,
but come down and have a beer in each of
our jurisdiction. Again, strongly encourage ride share, get a grip.
We have so many biking trails here, especially along the
James River. If you've never been down here, that should
be your number one spot. Your stop is the James River.
(11:09):
And then got your Dog Day. During COVID, so many
people adopted dogs and we started hearing stories when they
went back to work, a lot of people returning their
dogs and we don't. Yeah, we were sad to hear that.
So we created a holiday bring your dog down here
because the Richmond Regent is over the top pet friendly,
so dogs out of the run the place in many
(11:30):
of our hotels. That is great.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I do love to see that.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
So when you talk about these being holidays here in
your region, what does that mean for you?
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Like when when do these happen? What does the community
think about all this?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, they're really high on any time we can drive
more business here. They're just totally made out. Sure we
want you to consider and they each have their own
itinery on our website so people can use that throughout
the year. Just another reason to come down and celebrate Richmond.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
So, as you mentioned it, let's hit that website.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
So people listening right now, if they're looking to start
planning their trip, find out more information.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Where do they go?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, very easy, visit Richmond DA dot com.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Let's talk about this new theater that you have on
the Amphitheater, I should say on the Riverfront. I want
I love that places are opening up, these new amphitheaters
right now because I just feel like live music is
what the audience is craving.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
People are loving live music.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
They are as you know, music tourism is growing. It
was growing even before the Taylor Swift and Beyonce tours,
although those drove dramatic numbers across the countries, so we
thank them for that. But Richmond's always been a music city.
But now the Alliance Amphitheater on the Riverfront is opening
(12:40):
up the backdrop is the James River. It's adjoining to
the Civil War Museum, seventy five hundred seats, open air seats.
It's going to be fantastic. It's a who who's list
of people that are coming. Dave Matthews is one of
them that's leading it off. But I can go through
a voice and man Brad Daisley all the way down.
(13:02):
Alison Krause. I love the name Red Clay Strays. I
don't know their music, but where there's a real mix
of music coming in Glass Animals, Lamb of God. So
it's definitely go drive music tourisms here to stay, thankfully,
because people are driving hours to follow their favorite band
of musicians and flying in. So it's not just Richmond
(13:25):
experiencing that that's here to stay music tourism and we're
on top of it.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
I love a city like Richmond when it comes to
music because you're going to get artists that are gonna
come play this venue that holds about seventy five hundred
people that maybe they're playing like up by us the
DC Baltimore area for a venue that holds twenty thousand,
but because of where Richmond is situated in between other
places they're gonna come play there. So you actually get
a chance to travel to Richmond to see your favorite
artists at a more intimate venue. And I think that's
(13:52):
something really special about what Richmond can offer.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, and not only musicians, there's gonna be comedians there.
Sure September. September, we're going to Steve Martin and Martin Shore.
They should go by Martin. They should go by Martin
and Martin. I should recommend that. But that's go draw
a different crowd obviously, But again that's the variety of
acts or they're booking into there.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I'm looking at the list right now. Actually we're talking.
I mean you really do weird Al's coming in September.
You have a wide range of people, and I think
that's awesome. I think that's great to have such a
variety of folks to be able to come swing through
the area.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, sitting in people could drive there from a lot
of locations, but we want them to stay over night,
enjoy the weekend, enjoy a couple of nights in Richmond
because there's so much more to do, and then can
go to some of our music venues of course too.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
So there's an incredible amount of history by the Richmond
area as well, that whole region. I mean it's whenever
I talk to anybody that represents a particular area here
in the mid Atlantic or up the East Coast, I mean,
this is where the country started. So Richmond has so much,
I mean, from all the different aspects of history.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
We don't need to go into a history lesson.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
But I know we're coming up on the two hundred
and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of this country here,
and I'm sure you've got some things planned for that.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Oh absolutely. And we're going to piggyback on Virginia two
fifty because the state has all that history as well. Yeah,
but when we focus on the Richmond region, so many
things to offer. You know, the Balentine Museum was the
first museum here. They talk a lot about Revolutionary War.
We have Saint John's Church. I'll tell you, next time
you come down here, go in there and see a
live re enactment of Patrick Henry's speech, give me liberty
(15:27):
or give me death. You actually sit among the delegates
as they argue whether to go to war or accept
the taxes. The Museum of Natural History is doing exhibitions
throughout the year, a lot of things tied to the
Revolutionary Warriors. So we're really excited about that. We're going
to be promoting that. And even the Virginia Capital at
(15:49):
State House, that's the oldest capitol building, one of the
oldest still standing and still operational. And well I mentioned
that the Hanover Tavern is still the only continuous Revolutionary
War time tavern still open, still serving food and beverages
in Hannover. A great, great place to visit. So a
lot of history here for sure, as you.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Know, oh yeah, I mean just driving through the streets,
as we talked about at the beginning of this conversation,
just driving through the streets of say Richmond, you can
feel it, you can feel the history there. It reminded
me of like driving through again going back to our area,
like Annapolis, or even going up further. I grew up
in New Hampshire. If you drive through like Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
you feel the history of this country and the way
(16:29):
that it was founded. There's still so much of it
in the buildings and the streets and the areas around
and the Richmond region. I feel like they've held on
to so much of it at the same time, as
you know, updating and being current, they've still held on
to so much of that history they have.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
And I can tell you, as any marketing executive knows,
when you take a new position, before you can start
promoting that product or service, sometimes you have to develop it.
But when I got here, my product and service was
developing for over four hundred years of history. So we
date back to sixteen eleven. In Henryk's Historical Park, it's
a living museum, but it takes you through that time period.
(17:06):
So you're right, that Revolutionary War, Civil War, civil rights,
we have all that history.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Everything kind of comes right up through this region of
the country. I mean, it's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Again.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
We don't need to go to doo a history lesson
right now, but you just say, if you are a
history buff Richmond and the Richmond region, that is a
great spot to go and pay a visit. You know,
you mentioned earlier the bike trail along the river, and
I remember driving through that area and just feeling like
there is such a big impact from nature in that area.
So I'm sure people come to experience the outdoors as well.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah, outdoor adventure is one of our major marketing efforts
because it's natural here. We have those bike trails that
go miles and miles on the Capitol Trail, the James
River ties it all together, ties our whole region together.
If you have been never been down here, you got
to go Whitewater rafting. We're the own urban setting with
(18:01):
Class three and four rapids in the country. So you literally,
I want to film a commercial, You get off the
raft with your briefcase and walk into work in downtown Richmond.
That's how close it is.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
So I love that.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
So tell me a little bit more about the people
you're trying to attract. And know we touched on this earlier,
but tell me a little bit more about who you're
trying to attract to Richmond right now. Who's the core
audience And you're like, Hey, come be here in this
area with us.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I really say, it's just a drive audience for this
summer because we have attractions and experiences for all ages.
You know, we have those family fun adventures like King's Dominion.
We have for families. Totally, it's a great place to
come and experience all of our family attraction. When I
say all ages, we're trying to attract all ages, families, couples,
(18:48):
bachelor parties, or guys weekends. Come on down here, try
our breweries and our golf courses all across the board.
That's one of the advantages of having a regional effort.
We can touch on every demographics for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I was just thinking to myself actually as we were talking,
I was like, I know, when we went down we
drove past King's Dominion, but how far away. I mean,
it's like twenty five minutes from the center of Richmond,
thirty minutes from the center of Richmond. So you can
go down there and spend some time there in the region,
hit up a theme park and make the kids happy,
but then also go to some tours and see. I mean,
there's really you've got a little bit of everything in
this particular region.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's kind of fascinating.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
I'll tell you when you're coming down ninety five of
the first place to stop in our region is the
town of Ashland. Okay, what it's known for. I'll tell you.
They just dedicated a statue of a memorial to Secretariat.
Do you remember.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Yeah, I'm actually looking at it right now.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And Secretariat the Fello was born in the area and
they obviously it won the Triple Crown. But this past
Kentucky Derby. Every horse in the Kentucky Derby was a
descendant of Secretariat. And some people consider Secretary of the
most famous athlete in Virginia's.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
History, which is a lot because you've had some pretty
big athletes come through or come out of Virginia.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yes, we have. Bruce Smith was one that comes to
mind from the Buffalo Dales Hall of Famers. So yeah,
a lot of athletes.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Here, Tom, It's so interesting. I don't know if you
remember your dreams very often, but the other night I
was dreaming about the movie Secretariat for some reason. I
have no idea why, and I just watched that movie yesterday,
and now we're talking about Secretariat in this conversation. I
feel like there's something in my life that must be
tied to Secretariat.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
I don't know what it is yet.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
You want to come back as a jockey, Probably.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That must be it.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
I'm a little too tall, but maybe, yeah, maybe that's
my next life when I come back. Well, listen, Tom,
this has been a great conversation. There is so much
going on in the Richmond region, and really, as we
just talked about, I mean, I'm even learning more about
how much there is for literally everybody in the family
there and food there too. By the way, when I
was down there for a weekend, we aated a few
different restaurants names that will escape me right now, but
(20:49):
the food was delicious. You have some amazing opportunities to
get some great restaurants. I mean, I think we ated
a Cuban restaurant that was phenomenal. I mean really just amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Stuff othern food. My first month, I gained ten pounds,
so I will tell you a lot. I'm not surprised now.
I started every day with ten thousand steps, but yeah,
really great food and more and more restaurants are opening
up every day.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Tom loftis the president and the vice president of marketing
for Richmond Region Tourism. One more time, Where do people
go if they want to find out more information or
if they want to start planning their trip.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Sure www dot visit RICHMONDDA dot com and we expect
to see you here this summer. There's a lot to
do in the fall.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
So thank you very much, big thank you to Tom
loftus for his time. Again, if you're interested in planning
a trip to the Richmond area you can check out
visit Richmond, VA dot com. And thank you to all
of you for listening to delightful destinations today. I appreciate
your time. Until next time, be well,
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