Bacon and Veggies: The Hostess with the Most-est

I love being a hostess. Nothing makes me happier than channeling a little Martha Stewart along with my grandmother’s rules of Southern Hospitality to prepare the perfect weekend getaway for visiting friends. But what good is a perfectly arranged guest room, freshly prepared snacks and munchies and fully stocked bar without a vibrant, culturally rich and inviting city to compliment it all? Not a bit of good!

I’ll start by telling you that I’m blessed with some pretty amazing girlfriends. We’ve been friends since middle school and we definitely value our girl time. With my fiancée out of town for two weeks, my girlfriends deemed it the perfect opportunity to visit, which gave me the perfect opportunity to show them my truly amazing city.

Girlfriend Weekend # 1: Bacon Festival, June 9, 2013

First up: My friend Tara drove up from Durham, N.C., to spend the night and accompany me to the first annual Richmond Bacon Festival. Our Saturday consisted of some Carytown shopping, Mint Juleps and hummus at Water Grill and an absolutely fabulous dinner at La Grotta. But the crown jewel of the weekend was indeed the Bacon Festival.

The Bacon Festival confirmed something for me – I. Love. Bacon. I just do. The very smell of it makes me smile. (I once tried to be a vegetarian after a science lab dissection that I won’t get into, but it was the smell of bacon that brought about the swift and painless end to my three-month vegetarian campaign.) I was made to enjoy bacon and let me assure you, Richmond’s chefs know a thing or two about bacon.

Yes, it was crowded. Yes, it was hot. Yes, there were lines. But there was bacon! So much bacon! So, with my carnivorous companion by my side, we embarked on a deliciously porky journey. Here are just a FEW of the things that we tried:

• Bacon and Gruyere Pork Sausage
• Bacon Pecan Pie
• Bacon S’mores
• Bacon and Watermelon Salad
• Bacon Nachos

And everything was … amazing. (I have since dreamed about that Bacon and Watermelon salad.) Needless to say, Tara and I waddled back to the car and quickly proceeded back to my house for a much needed nap. Bacon Festival Weekend was a success – and possibly a new tradition!

Girlfriend Weekend #2: Vegetarian Festival, June 14, 2013

Okay, I should probably be honest about the real reason that my two friends Hillary and Kathryn drove down from New York City: My Bachelorette Party. I will spare you the details and keep this family-friendly, but let me take this moment to assure you, Richmond definitely has a thriving night life, even by New York City standards! So after a night of good food at Canal Bistro, lots of dancing at Off The Hookah and the late-night pillaging of my well-prepared hostess snacks, we decided to attend the Richmond Vegetarian Festival the next day.

The festival was held at Bryan Park (one of my favorite running spots) and Kathryn happens to be a vegetarian. She has been ever since she watched the movie Babe in third grade. It only seemed right to take my vegetarian friend to the Vegetarian Festival! Of course, Hillary and I also enjoy vegetables.

The setting was obviously quite different from the Bacon Festival’s 17^th Street Farmer’s Market location. There was ample shade, dogs and children, plenty of personal space, an assortment of animal/earth/vegan/vegetarian/green-friendly vendors, and of course, an absence of bacon. But believe it or not, I didn’t find myself missing the meat. Probably because the Vegetarian Festival featured some 26 local food vendors who were turning out some pretty amazing grub.

We started with India K’Raja’s vegetable korma and homemade naan bread, which was delicious. We also had some of the best spring rolls ever from Green Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant. We finished our vegetarian food sampling by picking up some piña colada and mango frozen dessert from Soul Ice before finding a shaded seat in front of the music stage where we listened to the Vulgar Bulgars, a local Klezmer band. (Not sure what Klezmer is? I wasn’t either, but it’s a bit like Fiddler on the Roof meets the 21^st Century.) The Vegetarian Festival ended up being a total a hit with my friends and the perfect activity for a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

From meat-loving masses to tempeh-toting vegans, my back-to-back festival weekends couldn’t have been more different. But isn’t that what we love about our fair Region? With every approaching weekend (heck – weekdays, too!), there’s always something fun and uniquely “Richmond” to do. Not to mention it gives me loads of activities to add to my most-est hostess repertoire. Take that, Martha Stewart.

Liz Stewart is the Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Richmond Region Tourism. Born in Nashville, TN, Liz moved to Richmond in 2011 with her fiancé, Frankie. They currently live in Lakeside and are looking forward to getting married in September! Liz enjoys cooking, crafting and exploring the Richmond food scene.

Go! Discover Richmond

It’s amazing what you can get done in less than two and a half hours in the City of Richmond. On a chilly Saturday morning last weekend, I saw the tomb of President James Monroe at Hollywood Cemetery, admired a Tiffany window at Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, sipped on basil-infused tea at The Jefferson Hotel and listened to Virginia Union University marching band members, all while participating in a 10K. Go! Discover Richmond wasn’t a race, though (thank goodness!). It was more like a walking tour, at your own pace, highlighting the amazing diversity of Richmond neighborhoods, attractions and businesses. I’m not sure if other cities do this, but they should. It’s an active, time-efficient way to explore city highlights whether you’ve lived in the area all your life or you’re just passing through for the weekend.

The event started and ended at the Virginia War Memorial, a graceful tribute to Virginia veterans. From there, we walked along a charming Oregon Hill street to Hollywood Cemetery, the picturesque resting place of presidents, governors and other significant historical figures. I could easily spend two hours or more just studying the monuments and mausoleums at the cemetery, but that will have to come another day. Our path led onward to magnificent churches – places I’d driven by a million times with barely a glance – where I stood in awe at the luminous stained glass windows, giant organ pipes, and soaring, artistically crafted ceilings. The course also took us past vibrant theaters and to historic sites in Jackson Ward, once called the “Black Wall Street of America” and “Harlem of the South.”

One of my favorite stops was the National Donor Memorial at UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing, a place I’d never think to visit on my own. This thoughtfully planned garden is full of meaning for organ donor family members and recipients, and it is also a peaceful and beautiful surprise amidst the concrete jungle of the city.

Along the Go! Discover Richmond course, we were greeted by costumed characters at the theaters and various attractions, and just like any other 10K, there were plenty of water stations to keep us hydrated. Friendly greeters at various locations gave out candy, kazoos and other goodies, including delicious chocolate chip cookies at the DoubleTree hotel’s Two Trees Café. I came home with a stack of tour brochures and performance schedules to inspire more Richmond outings with family and friends. And even though I didn’t break a sweat, I felt a sense of accomplishment from walking six miles and discovering and re-discovering some of the great treasures in my hometown.

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Carla Murray is a Richmond Region native who enjoys outings in RVA with her husband and daughters, lunches with friends at new restaurants, and promoting Maymont via social media. Her obsessions include turtles, Cirque du Soleil, Costa Rica, books and wine.