Editing Richmond, Virginia (section)

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:botanicalgarden.jpg|thumb|[[Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden]]]]

The city operates one of the country's oldest municipal park systems. In 1851, the City Council voted to acquire {{cvt|7.5|acre|m2}}, now known as [[Monroe Park]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Woodson |first1=Charles |title=An Unfortunate Addition to Richmond's Monroe Park |url=https://www.tclf.org/unfortunate-addition-richmonds-monroe-park |website=The Cultural Landscape Foundtaion |access-date=January 22, 2023 |date=July 13, 2018}}</ref> Monroe Park is adjacent to the [[Virginia Commonwealth University]] campus, and is one of over 40 parks totaling more than {{cvt|1500|acre|ha}}.

[[File:MaymontPark JapaneseGarden.jpg|thumb|Japanese Garden at [[Maymont]]]]

Other city parks include [[Joseph Bryan Park Azalea Garden]], Forest Hill Park (former site of the Forest Hill Amusement Park), and [[Chimborazo Park]] (site of the National Battlefield Headquarters).

=== James River ===<!-- It is unclear from the minor research that I did which parks are part of JRPS and which are not.  -->

Several of the city's parks are along the James River, many of which are a part of the James River Parks System, which offers bike trails, hiking and nature trails, and many scenic overlooks.<ref>{{cite web |title=James River Park System Mountain Biking Trails |url=https://www.trailforks.com/region/james-river-park-system/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922002242/https://www.trailforks.com/region/james-river-park-system/ |archive-date=September 22, 2017 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |website=Trailforks}}</ref> The trails are used for the Xterra East Championship running and mountain biking courses of the off-road triathlon.<ref>{{cite web |author=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=June 13, 2015 |title=XTERRA East Championship |url=http://www.richmond.com/news/collection_3ecf827a-1206-11e5-a0d2-5fdcb6ba3682.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923213653/http://www.richmond.com/news/collection_3ecf827a-1206-11e5-a0d2-5fdcb6ba3682.html |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

Parks exist on two major islands in the James River, [[Belle Isle (Virginia)|Belle Isle]] and [[Brown's Island]]. Belle Isle, a former Powhatan fishing village, colonial-era horse race track, and Civil War prison camp, is the larger of the two. It contains many bike trails and a small cliff used for [[rock climbing]] instruction. The island still has many remnants of the Civil War prison camp, including an arms storage room and a gun emplacement used to quell prisoner riots. Brown's Island is smaller and a popular venue for many spring and summer free outdoor concerts and festivals, such as the weekly Friday Cheers concert series and the James River Beer and Seafood Festival.

Richmond is the only city in the United States with [[International scale of river difficulty|Class IV rapids]] running through it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=James River Park System {{!}} Richmond |url=https://www.rva.gov/parks-recreation/james-river-park-system |access-date=December 10, 2024 |website=rva.gov}}</ref>

Two other major city parks along the river are [[Byrd Park]] and [[Maymont]], located near the Fan District. Byrd Park features a {{cvt|1|mi|spell=in|adj=on}} running track, with exercise stops, a public [[dog park]], and a number of small lakes for small boats, as well as two monuments, Buddha house and an amphitheater. The [[Carillon|World War I Memorial Carillon]], built in 1926, features prominently in the park. Maymont, adjacent to Byrd Park, is a {{cvt|100|acre|ha|adj=on}} [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] estate with a museum, formal gardens, native wildlife exhibits, nature center, [[carriage]] collection, and [[Children's Farm|children's farm]].