Ed 164: National Ice Cream Day, Mead Slushies, Free WIne Tasting
Hey, y’all! 👋
We’ve been loving the process of researching for our new “Richmonder to Know” section of The Weekly Insider — our city is full of talented people with truly amazing stories. Do you know someone we should consider? Shoot us an email so we can add ‘em to our growing list!
WEATHER
Wednesday: Mostly sunny; high of 93°, low of 72°
Thursday: Partly cloudy; high of 94°, low of 75°
Friday: Partly cloudy; high of 94°, low of 74°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 7 - 10 pm: Sunset Salsa at Kabana Rooftop
Thursday, 6 pm: Pay-What-You-Can Yoga at the VA War Memorial
Friday, 6:35 pm: Richmond 34 Legacy Weekend & Friday Happy Hour at The Diamond
CITY GUIDES
1. Get Outta Town: 15 Day Trips Within 1.5 Hours of Richmond
2. Richmond's 10 Best Tried-and-True Hangover Remedies
3. 15 of the Best Bar & Restaurant Patios in Richmond
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Patrick Griffin: Founder and owner of RVA Paddlesports. Back in April 2014, Patrick actually started RVA Paddlesports with just six kayaks that he stored in the back of his apartment. In the seven years since, he has added dozens of kayaks, rafts, canoes, paddleboards, and even climbing equipment to his inventory, in addition to building a growing team of 50+ staff members with decades upon decades of paddling experience.
If you’re looking to get out on the river, he’s your go-to guy. He also has an awesome mustache.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including where and when you can snag free scoops for National Ice Cream Day this Sunday, the delicious honeywine now available for purchase in support of a local queer family’s fertility fund, where you can go find mead slushies (in fun and mouthwatering flavors) to beat the heat, and more.
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
Three words: Free wine tasting. Richmond Wine Station in Scott’s Addition is taking it from “Sunday” to “fun-day” with a free wine tasting event this Sunday, July 18 from 3:30 - 5:30 pm. This particular tasting is celebrating what they call "patio pounders," including great summer whites and one rosé wine that are delightfully refreshing even in the muggiest of Richmond weather.
Find them at 2930 W Broad St, next to Three Notch’d RVA Collab House and the new (and delicious) Red Goat Pizza!
AND free ice cream! Sunday, July 18 also happens to be National Ice Cream Day, which means that Gelati Celesti is giving away free ice cream from 12:01 am - 1 am at all locations as the perfect midnight snack. Each location will close shop after the midnight madness ends, then will reopen on Sunday at noon with normal prices and sweet prizes all day long to celebrate the holiday. Find a location near you here!
Honeywine for a good cause. Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery in Carytown recently announced a special project that we immediately knew we wanted to bring attention to. Garden Grove just released a white peach and hibiscus honeywine called "Honey & I" (7% ABV and gluten-free, for those curious) in support of Nic and Rachel Brown, a queer family here in Richmond raising money for their Fertility Fund called A Baby to Bee. A portion of proceeds from draft pours and to go-cans of Honey & I will be donated directly to the Browns’ Fertility Fund to help the couple build a family — and you can donate directly here, too.
Mead slushies? Say no more. Richmond is usually all about craft beer, but in a fun twist of events it appears we’ve got two pieces of honeywine news this week — the second being that the folks at Black Heath Meadery just announced that they’ve added mead slushies to their drink menu! These deliciously chilly honeywine concoctions can be found in two flavors for the time being: Strawberry Lemonade and Cherry Limeade. Sip ‘em in Black Heath’s cool and cozy taproom or out in the sunshine on their patio in Scott’s Addition.
Man, we missed dive bars. So, we were thrilled to see that local writer Rich Griset set out to find the area’s best dive bars in the cover story of the latest edition of Style Weekly.
Major contenders include Lakeside Tavern, The Locker Room, and Thirsty's Bar & Grill — but you’ll have to take a peek at the original article to find out the other nine spots to add to your RVA dive bar bucket list!
And did you see? Richmond’s professional cook-turned-writer Stephanie Ganz published an article for Eater DC entitled 22 Essential Restaurants in Richmond, Virginia outlining highlights from our city’s impressive and ever-growing restaurant scene — which, in Stephanie’s words, “includes everything from classic soul food to birria tacos, Afghan dumplings, Jewish deli fare, and more.” The interactive map feature adds an additional layer of convenience, so you can easily transition from reading about these restaurants to eating at them in one fell swoop. Hungry yet?
COMING SOON
First “Crave,” now “The Dive.” The Shockoe Bottom building that was briefly home to Latin American concept Crave has, according to Jack Jacobs at Richmond BizSense, reopened this past month as a nightclub called The Dive.
Located at 1800 E Main St, this new spot offers brunch, lunch, and dinner during the daytime with a menu of American bar food ranging from burgers to wings and beyond. After dark, though, the space transforms into a club scene, with music from local DJs on the weekends.
Looking ahead, The Dive owner John Malanka is in the process of revamping The Dive's second floor to open it as a hookah lounge this August. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can swing by the first floor for happy hour Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5 - 8 pm for $4 rail drinks, $3 beers, $2 off all drinks, and more.
BrewHaHa is back! August is Virginia Craft Beer Month, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture is celebrating by hosting the fourth annual BrewHaHa craft beer festival. This event will take place on Saturday, August 7 offering guests access to live music, food truck fare, and beer samples from a wide variety of Virginia breweries from across the commonwealth, including Big Ugly Brewing (Chesapeake), 6 Bears & A Goat Brewing Company (Fredericksburg), Wasserhund Brewing Company (Virginia Beach), Coastal Fermentory (Newport News), Capstan Bar Brewing Company (Hampton), Brothers Craft Brewing (Harrisonburg), Elation Brewing Company (Norfolk), Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. (Hampton), Blue Toad Hard Cider (Roseland), and more!
Members of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture can get their tickets now; non-members will have to wait until they go on pre-sale this Thursday, July 15.
Weekly Giveaway
TASTE
What is it about warm weather that has us craving a good sandwich? Whatever it is, it’s what made us think to purchase a gift card from TASTE in Westhampton for this week’s giveaway!
So, here’s your chance to snag a gift card for something tasty off of their menu of small-batch, from-scratch, housemade foods — crafted with local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible, as well as all-natural meats (poultry, baked ham, and roast beef) and gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options available!
To enter to win: Tell us your preferred side when ordering a sandwich! Are you all about the fries? Side salad? Chips? Pickle? Inquiring minds need to know.
Last week: Congratulations to Sammy H. for winning our Handley Watches giveaway!
Member Perks
Sweetest Stitch
If you’re on the prowl for stylish items to help you keep it cool when the weather is this hot, look no further than Sweetest Stitch.
This locally-owned brick-and-mortar boutique was originally established online in 2015, then later joined the local shopping scene in the Near West End in November 2016. The boutique is known for its collection of women's clothing, shoes, and accessories carefully curated for comfort and style to suit an on-the-go lifestyle.
When you shop at Sweetest Stitch, you can expect to walk into a bright and open space with rack after rack of on-trend items begging to be added to your wardrobe. Their weekly new merchandise drops will have you going back again and again!
RVAx members can use code RVAX20 for a 20% off every purchase from Sweetest Stitch — or mention The Richmond Experience at checkout if you’re shopping in-store. Shop now!
new + trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 37 new members this week: Katie C., Fallon P., Jenn D., Lynne E., Brett H., Laurie F., Vanessa R., Alana M., Kristen B., Emily Z., Sarah B., Rachel H., Eva P., Kimberly L., Sara P., Isabella K., Kassidy S., Alisa L., Meg D., Vasudha T., Timothy A., Marta T., Joy H., Leis L., Tom G., Janete J., Andrew B., Madison C., Caroline T., Aaron W., Carisa R., Katie B., Selina M., Nancy S., Elizabeth N., and Maisie S., we're so glad you're here!
It takes a village, so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 164 of The Weekly Insider.
Have an awesome week & weekend!
- The Richmond Experience
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