As great as Richmond is on foot or by bike, sometimes you've got to take a drive. Whether it's to clear your mind, listen to some tunes, or take in the beauty of the River City, there's nothing quite like a scenic cruise on four wheels.

The next time you've got a hankering to hit the road, we've got three suggestions for you.

Riverside Drive

If you're in the mood for, well, a riverside drive, we have an aptly named road for you. Just south of the James, Riverside Drive starts around the Huguenot Flatwater area and winds its way for over a dozen miles of beautiful views before ending in Manchester.

Along the way you'll find picturesque overlooks and architectural standouts. The shortest road on this list, you can knock out a leisurely cruise of Riverside Drive in less than half an hour.

City Editor David here: This is just my opinion, but I'm not sure Richmond gets any prettier than Riverside Drive in late October, when the fall foliage is at its peak.

Route 5

Starting around Rocketts Landing and then heading east via New Market Road, Route 5 will take you all the way to Williamsburg if you let it. The state highway runs parallel to the Virginia Capital Trail for almost the entire way.

Along the way you'll encounter beautiful scenery, river crossings, and towns so rustic that they've earned the name to prove it.

State Route 6 starts in the Museum District, but can take you all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. | Photo by Famartin

Route 6

If you want to go the other way, Route 6 — aka River Road West — runs through some of Goochland's most picturesque neighborhoods.

From where it starts — heading west on Patterson from Arthur Ashe Boulevard — to where it eventually merges with the James Madison Highway near Fork Union, Route 6 covers nearly 50 miles of Central VA scenery. If you're really in it for the long haul, it diverges again after a few miles and runs another 50 to Afton, where you can hop onto Skyline Drive.

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