Richmond, VA Exit 74C: Built in 1895, we think this is the most impressive hotel on I-95. After you pull up to an enormous circular columned staging area, Thomas Jefferson himself greets you as a life-size marble statue under the 25’ dome. The turn of the century Beaux Arts grandeur with Tiffany stained glassed windows still features its famous red grand staircase (said to the model for the one Rhett swept Scarlett up on in Gone with the Wind) which became the iconic logo for the hotel.
They used to have alligators in a marble pool in the Palm Court, so now the gators have become a motif for a treasure hunt – find the metal ones, 8’ models, wee ones on the wait staff ties and barstool upholstery, and you can buy them in the gift shop. You may want to check out the display of hotel memorabilia tucked into the curve of the grand staircase.
Twelve of the most recent Presidents (minus Clinton) have slept here, and so have Elvis Presley, Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, Jerry Seinfeld, Venus Williams, Mikhail Gorbachev, Charles Chaplin and 100 other famous names.
Their Champagne Sunday brunches in the lobby are popular, and you can have a fine dinner in Lemaire.
Location: The Jefferson –101 West Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23220
Tel: 800-424-8014 or 804-788-8000
www.jeffersonhotel.com