Now a sprawling metropolitan area flanking the James River in the center of the state, Richmond has been Virginia's capital since 1780 and has been the stage for much history. It was in Richmond's St. John's Church that Patrick Henry concluded his address to the second Virginia Convention with the stirring words "Give me liberty, or give me death!" During the Revolution, turncoat Gen. Benedict Arnold led British troops down what is now Main Street in 1781 and set fire to many buildings, including tobacco warehouses -- in those days, the equivalent of banks. Cornwallis briefly occupied the town, and Lafayette came to the rescue.

But it was in the role as capital of the Confederate States of America that Richmond left an indelible mark on American history. Jefferson Davis lived in the Confederate White House here while presiding over the rebel government, and Robert E. Lee accepted command of the Army of Northern Virginia. For 4 years the Union army tried unsuccessfully to capture the city. Troops often battled on its outskirts, its tobacco warehouses overflowed with prisoners of war, its hospitals with the wounded, and its cemeteries with the dead. Richmond didn't fall into Union hands until Lee abandoned Petersburg -- an easy excursion to the south -- a week before surrendering at Appomattox.

The city has a host of other attractions, including fine old homes, an excellent fine arts museum, a hands-on science museum with state-of-the-art planetarium, and a botanical garden. But its prime attractions are the monuments, battlefields, and museums that recall the nation's bloodiest conflict. If you have any interest in the Civil War, Richmond is an essential stop.