Carytown

Nine blocks of West Cary Street lined almost entirely with independent shops — no national chains to speak of, which in an American city of this size is close to remarkable. Vintage clothing, record stores, bookshops, a long-running curiosities and gift shop, plus a dense run of restaurants, coffee bars and ice cream counters.

The anchor is the Byrd Theatre, a 1928 movie palace with a chandelier, a Wurlitzer organ that still plays before Saturday evening shows, and ticket prices that have stayed stubbornly low. The street is flat, walkable and busiest in the late afternoon.

A useful stop if you want a meal and a wander rather than another historic house, and it sits between the museum district and Maymont on the western side of the city.