Carytown, Richmond, Virginia

Carytown is an urban retail district lining Cary Street at the southern end of the Museum District in Richmond, Virginia. The district includes over 250 shops, restaurants, and offices. Located near The Fan District, the district is known for having a bohemian flair. The area has become a center for high-end, independent retail shops and boutiques, and is also home to one of the city's beloved institutions, the Byrd Theatre, a restored movie palace that has operated continuously since 1928 and shows second-run films for a $1.99 ticket price. Carytown is also home to the annual Carytown Watermelon Festival, which is the biggest in the United States.

Some Carytown shops are open seven days a week, but most are opened from 10:00 am to 6:00pm Monday through Saturday.

History

Many of the shops in Carytown are located in historical buildings.

The Cary Street Park and Shop Center was built in the 1930s and opened for business in 1938.^[1] It was Richmond's first strip shopping center and took hold of the people of Central Virginia very quickly. This group of stores was especially popular due to the "park and shop" nature it had. As more shops developed on the surrounding property, the entire area became bustling with customers and even tourists. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources gives recognition to the Cary Court shopping district for its major influence in Virginia's commercial development in the Twentieth Century. This gives Carytown an older feel to it , and it also shows preservation of history. The buildings are in constant need of repair and restoration, after decades of damaging time. The inhabitants of Carytown pride themselves especially with a gracious appreciation of the homosexual community, unlike their neighbors in Henrico.

Events

Month-long sale events take place in different stores in Carytown throughout the year. Certain seasons bring annual sales or festivals. Other events are monthly such as the Knit Night at the Yarn Lounge! from 6:00 to 8:30 on the last Tuesday of every month. As for seasonal sales, Fashion First goes on from February until June on every first Thursday of the month. Alongside Fashion First there is a Reggae and Ska event on those same Thursdays at night. Other events are listed below. One is the Virginia Commonwealth University French film festival.

May

Carytown 10k Run/Walk

August

Watermelon Festival

This is the event Carytown is most known for. In 2014 Carytown had its 31st Watermelon Festival.

October

Wine Festival

December

New Year's Eve Event

In 2006, 2007 and 2008, the merchants association held a New Year's event, much like Times Square in New York, except a ball would rise from the Byrd Theatre, as opposed to falling. In 2009, the association decided it was too expensive to continue for a fourth year.^[2]

References

External links

Neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia

Downtown	Arts District Banking District Biotech and MCV Central Office District City Center Court End Financial District French Garden Hill Gambles Hill Jackson Ward Monroe Ward Riverside District Shockoe Bottom Shockoe Slip Upper Shockoe Valley

East End	Allen Heights Alton Heights Ashley Oaks Belmont Bolton and Taliaferrol Bowling Green Brauers Briels Cardinal Court Chimborazo Chimborazo Village Church Hill Creighton Eastlawn Eastview Fairfield Fairmount Fulton Hill Geffert Place Glenwood Guildts Estates Habitat Hills Harrison Place Howard's Grove Kuhn Libby Hill Linsville Mechaniscville Gardens Montrose Heights Mosby Mount Erin Montibello National Heights Navy Hill North Church Hill Oakwood Overhill Place Payne Square Peter Paul Powhatan Rainbow Village Rico Robinson Heights Rockett's Landing Rutherford Tract Shedtown Silver Crest Tobacco Row Tuxedo Park Union Hill Witcomb Court Wynwood

North Side	Barton Heights Bellevue Brookland Park Chamberlayne Industrial Center Edgewood Gilpin Ginter Park Green Park Hermitage Road Highland Park Highland Terrace Laburnum Park Magnolia Industrial Center North Highland Park Pine Camp Providence Park Rosedale Sherwood Park Southern Barton Heights Three Corners Virginia Union University Washington Park

Southside	Ancarrow's Landing Ann's Acres Bellemeade Belmont Woods Blackwell Brandermill Broad Rock Brookbury Brookside Buck Hill Cedarhurst Cherry Gardens Chippenham Forest Claremont Cofer Cotrell Farms Forest Hill Gravel Hill Hickory Hill Hillside Court Hioaks Holmes Heights Huguenot Jahnke Manchester Mason Park Maury McGuire Newell Newtown South Northrop Oak Grove Old Town Manchester Oxford Piney Knolls Pocosham Park Purcell's Addition Robertson & Bradley's Addition Saint John's Woods South Richmond Southampton Stoney Point Stratford Hills Swansboro Thurston & Taylor's Addition Walmsley Warwick Westlake Hills Westover Court Windsor Woodhaven Woodland Heights Woolfolk Worthington

West End	Bays Meade Byrd Park Carillon Carver Carytown Chinatown Club View Colonial Place Dahlia Farms Duntreath The Fan Garrett Manor Greek Row Hampton Gardens Hampton Hills Harvey Henry Place Lee Mac Leonard Heights Lockgreen Malvern Gardens Malven Manor Mapleshade Maymont Monument Heights Monument Hills Museum District Nash Plan Near West End Newtowne West Oregon Hill Patterson Place Portland Place Randolph Rio Vista Rhoadmiller Roselawn Rothesay Scott's Addition Stadium Stonehurst Court Stonewall Court Sunnyside Sydney Sydnor's Point Texas Beach Three Chopt Tuckahoe Terrace Virginia Commonwealth University West of the Boulevard Westhampton Willow Lawn Wilton Windemere Windsor Farms Windsor Hills

Nearby Neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia

	North West of the Boulevard Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
West Near West End	Carytown	East Fan District
Southwest Windsor Farms	South Stadium	Southeast Byrd Park

Coordinates: 37°33′7.3″N 77°28′48.8″W / 37.552028°N 77.480222°W / 37.552028; -77.480222