James River and Kanawha Canal — Canal Walk

Richmond's Canal Walk follows the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal, conceived by George Washington as a way to connect the Tidewater with the trans-Appalachian interior. Washington's interest in western navigation was inseparable from his Revolutionary-era vision of American expansion. The 1.25-mile walk along the historic canal basin passes bronze medallions interpreting Richmond history and offers views of the James River falls that defined Richmond's location as the fall line city where ocean navigation ended and river travel began. The canal infrastructure was built after the Revolution but reflects Washington's wartime-era thinking about the new nation's economic geography.