Name: An Evening with Nathaniel Philbrick
Start: 2026-11-05
End: 2026-11-05

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society—a private, non-profit organization. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia, and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation. For use in its state history museum and its renowned research library, the historical society cares for a collection of nearly nine million items representing the ever-evolving story of Virginia.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC)

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture, headquartered in the Museum District in Richmond, is a history museum, research library, and educational facility all wrapped in one. The 184-year-old VHS features award-winning museum exhibitions about all kinds of Virginia-related topics. The Society is the only museum in the world with all of Virginia's history under one roof. The vast collections of the VHS includes 8 million manuscripts; 150,000 books; over 5,000 maps; 1,200 newspaper titles and 300 serials; more than 4,000 pieces of sheet music; more than 1,000 paintings; 200,000 photographs; and more than 25,000 museum objects including textiles, silver, furniture, weaponry, and more.

A hip place for south-of-the-border favorites and margaritas. Nightly events include poker, dancing and Sunday-night football. Brunch served Saturday and Sunday.

Bandito's Burrito Lounge

Floris’s robust rotating menu, steeped in inspirations from VMFA’s collections as well as various tea-centric regions, features globally inspired dishes, freshly baked breads, and curated Virginia teas. Take a mid-day escape and indulge in delightful pleasures for the palate, including expertly crafted blends from guest tea makers.

Floris at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 40,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit https://www.vmfa.museum/

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 40,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history. In 1944, only nine years after opening its doors, the VMFA acquired its first work by an African American artist. Since that time, the Museum has remained steadfast in building a collection reflective of the African American experience and expression. In 2015, the VMFA redoubled these efforts, launching an initiative to significantly deepen its holdings of African, African American and African Diasporic artists as a means to expand its connection to an ever growing diverse community. VMFA’s collection of African art, regarded as one of the most comprehensive in the United States, features figures, masks, textiles, regalia, and ritual objects from more than 100 cultures throughout the continent. The collection presents a coherent, broad-based view of the arts and cultural history in Africa from the first millennium BC to the present day. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit https://www.vmfa.museum/

The E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden is part of one of the top comprehensive art museums in the U.S. The VMFA takes art outside for a memorable experience in an environment of changing light, climate and seasons. The 3 ½-acre Garden is an organic and free flowing space inspired by Virginia's waterfalls and woodland paths. Garden secret: VMFA is one of only eight U.S. art museums to feature a permanent installation of work by artist Dale Chihuly.

Whether you’re a fan of the Made in Turkey or the Son of a Beast, trust us — get your sandwich grilled.

Chiocca's Downstairs Deli & Bar

Amuse is a fun place to dine and hang out with your friends (our bar is one of Richmond’s worst-kept secrets), but we take our food and drink seriously. Chef Greg Haley creates his dishes using only the best of what’s in season, with a focus on local ingredients. And just like the works of art in the museum and on the walls of Amuse, we introduce new masterpiece dishes and cocktails on a regular basis. We also offer a varied choice of vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Amuse

We’re a community of runners, hikers, bikers and ballplayers. We’re an outdoor playground, designed by Mother Nature, with class III and IV rapids running right through our downtown. A 52-mile bike trail runs along the James. The Richmond Marathon and Ukrop’s 10k are huge celebrations, and the whole region comes out to cheer on our local teams. In fact, we’re so sports-minded that the Washington Redskins have their training camp right in the center of the city. Add to that awesome hotels, beautiful venues, attractions, art, craft beer, more than 900 restaurants and a convenient location, and you’ve got a top choice for your next sports event. Welcome to RVA!

From indoor to outdoor facilities, the Richmond region has the fields, pitches, diamonds, venues and the dedicated staff to ensure your event is a huge success. 



Sports Richmond, VA

In January 1848, a carpenter spotted flecks of gold in a shallow stream at Sutter’s Mill in California—triggering the greatest voluntary migration in U.S. history and jolting a fragile republic already sliding toward crisis. In The Rush, Nathaniel Philbrick transforms the Gold Rush from a tale of sudden riches into the origin story of America’s modern contradictions: capital consolidated at dizzying speed, democracy in thrall to private power, xenophobia weaponized in the name of liberty—and a stubborn belief in the American experiment that refuses to die. This is the story of a nation tearing at the seams—a republic tested by its own ideals. From the feverish gold-mining camps of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the wharves and vigilance committees of San Francisco, Philbrick renders a combustible, all-world society. He follows the gold as it moves from riverbed to countinghouse to the halls of power, revealing how vigilantism hardened into law and how debates over slavery in the West tipped the balance in Washington. The result is a clear, human story of how a scramble for wealth reshaped ideas of freedom, labor, and belonging—and how California's rise helped push a fractured nation toward war. The Rush is alive with characters whose choices still reverberate: a searing, panoramic epic that captures both the fury and the promise of America.

Nathaniel Philbrick is the award-winning author of several bestselling books, including In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the National Book Award; Mayflower, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Valiant Ambition, winner of the George Washington Prize; Bunker Hill, winner of the New England Book Award; Travels with George; Sea of Glory; and The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World.

A book signing and light refreshments will follow the program.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

An Evening with Nathaniel Philbrick

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