Free or cheap things to do on the weekend that aren't parks and museums? Vegan restaurants? Comic and manga shops?

Submitted by Material_Afternoon15 t3_1124od3 in rva

Coming back to RVA in April for work. What are some free or cheap things for 2-5 people to do on the weekend between 6 am and 1 pm? We've already gone to all of the museums and most of the parks. Seeing that it'll be allergy season I want to avoid the outdoors. Looking for things to do under $20 a person.

Any local vegan restaurants or restaurants with a decent vegan menu that's not just salad and fries? My co-worker is vegan.

Any places in the city with decently priced raw oysters? A co-worker mentioned them, thought we could grab dinner at a place with them one night.

What are the best comic shops? Most of us read comics or manga. Any shops that sell both?

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bettygreatwhite t1_j8hwp13 wrote

If you’re around the VCU area, 821 Cafe is my go to for a restaurant that has killer vegan offerings as well as stuff for omnivores, but Ipanema and Harrison Street cafe are both vegetarian/vegan establishments if everyone is down to eat plant-based. Then you can walk down to Velocity comics after you eat!

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pjbananaproteinshake t1_j8hx2wx wrote

821 cafe is my fav too! Also try Fresca on Addison. Great food. Tons of delicious fresh options. My husband is vegan and Richmond loves his options there.

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FattieBanton t1_j8hx6xt wrote

A Vegan Restaurant recently opened in Innsbrook Shopping centre, between Joey’s Hot Dogs and Firehouse Subs. I have no idea what it’s like but took note of it for when my sister visits.

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NoFanksYou t1_j8i1kz9 wrote

You could check out Crossroads Art Center off Staples Mill

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4lways4ward t1_j8i3apb wrote

Dawnstar video has a back room with different games you can play a lot of them are Japanese games but as someone who’s not super good it’s still really fun.

wax moon is their sister store nearby that has a lot of horror themed pinball. Both places are $10 for all you can play.

Small friends records and books has a bunch of records and used books, they have a ton of graphic novels, its where most of my collection comes from since they have great prices.

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liminalminerva t1_j8i65o2 wrote

Velocity Comics near VCU has a nice selection of comics and manga.

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coconut_sorbet t1_j8i8w3t wrote

Make sure your vegan coworker tries out Minglewood in Carytown!

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pressurecreates t1_j8iakjh wrote

Walk around West End Antiques Mall. It's huge and fun to walk around. It's like 50,000 sq ft

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balance07 t1_j8idobd wrote

Replying to FattieBanton (#1,806,712)

i tried it last year. as a non-vegan who appreciates veganism and is trying to eat more whole food plant based, it wasn't for me. it's very geared towards faux meat, so for actual vegans who have that craving, it might be great. also it's quite expensive.

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wiwtft t1_j8il76b wrote

Velocity Comics is on Broad Street Near VCU. It isn't spacious but it's a really good shop with really nice guys running it. You absolutely can head there and they'll welcome you.

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goodsam2 t1_j8irnde wrote

I'm a little confused on the $20 limit but also raw oysters. Maybe you might be decently well off going east and playing on a beach as that might not interfere with allergies and oysters are cheaper.

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jessy_butt t1_j8itgsf wrote

i'm a big fan of all the vegan options at Cobra Cabana. never had a bad meal there and the waitstaff and bartenders are rad. Fuzzy Cactus has some damn good vegan options, but check their hours. they also have three pinball machines you can play (Metallica, Stern's new Jurassic Park, and Dead Pool). i believe Lewis Ginter has a bonsai thing going on still. Wax Moon is pretty rad (although sometimes their pinball machines aren't in the greatest working order, but still fun - same with Dawnstar). i don't know how spendy that Hotel Greene place is, but i hear it's fun. oh, and it's on the southside but there's a gaming cafe you can check out too: https://unpluggedrva.com/

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Material_Afternoon15 OP t1_j8iu95y wrote

Replying to goodsam2 (#1,808,721)

Our company gives us a certain amount of money for food and play every time we travel. It's up to us to divide it up. My team and I always agree to do one luxury meal, one or two local places, and mostly fast food or gas station food. $20 is about what we have left over per day to go out and do things. Not sure we can make it to the beach this trip, but that's a good idea.

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dubious_unicorn t1_j8j30mq wrote

For affordable, delicious vegan food: Minglewood, Harrison Street Cafe. If you don't mind venturing to Henrico, Second and Charles has lots of comics and manga, and there's a great Thai place and a wonderful Iraqi bakery/lunch spot nearby, with vegan options like falafel, really good hummus, fresh stone-baked bread, etc. The Thai place is called Chadar and the Iraqi bakery is called Nineveh.

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allmimsyburogrove t1_j8j8in9 wrote

The James River trail system. Great exercise and lovely trails.

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notinmybeer t1_j8jdvt4 wrote

Paper Tiger off of Forest Hill Ave has a good amount of manga and comics. Cards and collectibles too if you're into that. As others have said, Velocity has a great selection.

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localheroism t1_j8jg483 wrote

I just moved here and follow a few comics series so I started a list with Velocity Comics. They're great, insane collection of back issues to dig through too and they stock a lot of comics I'd never have dreamed of seeing in a comic store in the small towns back home

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92eph t1_j8l6mqw wrote

Frisbee golf at Bryan Park or University of Richmond. It’s free, and a nice way to get outside.

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Daquiri_granola t1_j8ldgyd wrote

Blue Atlas for vegan food!!! Lots of options that are honestly just as good as the non-vegan dishes (coming from non-vegan)

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