Richmond is a city that thrives on ingenuity and originality. Once the capital of the Confederate States, it was also the seat of America's first African-American governor and the site of the first commercial electric streetcar system. This progressive mood is evident in historic sites such as the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, a celebration of the gifted, if somewhat eccentric, author, and the home of Maggie L. Walker, one of the most innovative African-American entrepreneurs of the early 1900s. And it's apparent in modern happenings like the cutting-edge shows at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts and the pop art displays at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This exciting capital city, on the shores of the James River, offers visitors a wide array of historical, recreational and cultural attractions to choose from.