Richmond/West End

The West End is a district within, and west of, the city of Richmond, Virginia and includes both the West End (within city limits) and Far West End/Innsbrook area. It is the safest part of Richmond, especially around the county of Henrico. The mailing address is either Richmond or Glen Allen, even thought much of it is located in the counties of Henrico and/or Goochland, and not within the boundary of the city. Many major businesses headquartered in the "City of Richmond", like CarMax and Capital One, actually have their headquarters in this area of Virginia. It has become a very busy and vibrant area, with many high end shopping areas and hotels located here. Much of the state's central population comes to this area for its malls and restaurants.

Get in

From the north, the West End is easily reached by Interstate 295, which can be accessed in Northern Henrico County at Exit 84B off of Interstate 95. The city of Richmond is bypassed when using this route. The other way to reach the west end is to take I 95 south from Northern areas and follow it until it splits with Interstate 64 West in the city of Richmond. Exit 180 (Gaskins Road) is a good place to pick up what has become the "second city" in Richmond, with its high end shopping and dining around the Short Pump area. If you want to go into downtown Short Pump, take exit 180A (Broad Street Near Glen Allen - Short Pump).

See

• 1 Historic Tuckahoe (formerly Tuckahoe Plantation), 12601 River Road, ☏ +1 804-774-1614, tuckahoeplantationtours@gmail.com. 9AM–5PM daily, except when closed for private events. A well preserved colonial slave plantation, and the childhood home of Thomas Jefferson. A self-guided tour of the grounds is $5; tours of the house are $10 per person and only available Sundays 1PM–4PM (check the website in advance to confirm). (updated Oct 2021)

Do

• 1 Bogey's Sports, 1675 Ashland Road, ☏ +1 804 784-1554. Su-Th 9AM - 9PM, F - Sa 9AM-10PM. Driving range, batting cave, miniature golf 
• 2 Regal Short Pump, 11650 W. Broad Street, ☏ +1 804 326-3264. 14 movie theatres. 
• 3 Bowl America, 4400 Pouncey Tract Rd, ☏ +1 804 360-8222. 

Buy

• 1 Short Pump Town Center, 11800 West Broad St. An outdoor mall surrounded by waterfalls and beautiful lights and décor. It’s more of an upscale shopping center with restaurants like ‘The Cheesecake Factory’, or ‘Firebirds’. The shops range from ‘Nordstrom’s’ and ‘Gap’ to fine jewelry and boutique clothing.  
• 2 Crofton Green Shopping Center, 12375 Gayton Rd.. (updated Dec 2021)
• 3 Regency Square Mall (Located at Parham and Quioccasin Roads in Henrico County). (updated Dec 2021)

Eat

• 1 Melting Pot, 9704 Gayton Rd (in Gayton Crossing Shopping Center), ☏ +1 804 741-3120, fax: +1 804 741-2781. Su-Th 5-10PM, F Sa 5PM-midnight. This is fondue restaurant with a great wine list. The food prices are on the high end. On Thursday night there is a wine tasting in the bar area for $10 and you get to sample three different wines and meal purchase is not required. Meals $18-$50, fondue $13 plus $6.50 for each additional person. 
• 2 Pho Thien Phat, 6403 Rigsby Rd (near West End), ☏ +1 804-673-9940. Hands down the best beef phở in Richmond, and, according to many, rivals what you get in Saigon. Complete with packed crowds on the weekends and hurried servers, but still worth the wait. Order a durian bubble tea (off-menu) for dessert, and you'll feel like you're in Southeast Asia. 
• 3 UMI, 11645 W Broad Street, ☏ +1 804 360-3336. Best sushi in town! 
• 4 Glory Days Grill, 10466 Ridgefield Parkway, ☏ +1 804 754-3710. Glory Days Grill is a sports bar which includes a wide variety of foods at reasonable prices. This is a great family restaurant with an entertainment room in the back. There are many TVS - big and small - in the restaurant with volume controlled radios at each table. Glory Days serves lunch and dinner. Its casual dining. You can dine in or take out. 
• 5 Mekong Restaurant, 6004 W. Broad St. Great Vietnamese food, and an excellent beer selection. 

Drink

• 1 Capital Ale House, 4024-A Cox Rd, ☏ +1 804 780-2537, fax: +1 804 273-1058. M-F 11AM-1:30AM, Sa-Su 10AM-1:30AM. 75 Beers on draft and over 200 bottled beers. Beer prices can range from $2 to $50. 
• 2 Rare Olde Times Irish Pub, 10602 Patterson Avenue, ☏ +1 804 750-1346. Having a long tradition as a centerpiece in people's lives, public houses have acted as hardware stores, "spirit groceries", undertakers, and in many other capacities. But as a place for friends and community to gather in an informal setting, pubs have become less well known. Rare Olde Times is distinctly a Public House. You can find casual and regular acquaintances, friendly staff, a homely setting, and the personal touch that family ownership brings. Andy is a native of Dublin, Ireland and named the pub after a favorite song of his father’s. 

Sleep

• 1 Wingate, 13991 North Gayton Rd (by Wyndham Richmond Shortpump), ☏ +1 804 421-1600. 

Connect

• The area code is 804.
• Postal cities include Glen Allen, Short Pump, Tuckahoe, Wyndham, and Henrico.
• You can find free Wi-Fi at Panera Bread locations on Broad St, and at Stony Point and Willow Lawn and at the Capital Ale House on Cox Rd. You can also find Wi-Fi at the Twin Hickory YMCA or any McDonalds.