You may just find your Muse in the Museum District.

The district, which includes 22 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, became the Commonwealth’s third largest historic district in 1993, and was added in its entirety to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This area of Richmond is specifically located west of the Fan and north of Carytown.

Brick row houses, detached townhouses, apartment buildings, small commercial structures, churches, a synagogue and schools are scattered throughout this historic area. The dense population of the Museum District/West of the Boulevard, its close proximity to the Carytown shopping district, and its various gas street lamps and tree-lined streets help define the area as a flourishing pedestrian environment.

The Museum District has the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Historical Society within its boundaries. The Children’s Museum, Science Museum, and the Virginia Center for Architecture are just blocks away.

For local celebrations there is nothing better than the restaurants and cafes that have sprung up on Sheppard Street and Franklin and Cleveland Streets. Within the past few years, The Franklin Inn, Cleveland Market, and Viceroy have been keeping customers and residents happy with quality food and a great atmosphere. Other unique local restaurants like Zeus Gallery Cafe and Chiocca’s, help create the area’s culture and feel. A famous restaurant located in this attractive area is Caliente which was seen on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food for their spicy wing challenge.