We loved this little nature gem in the city of Richmond! Had a little bit of time between doctor appointments and decided to go out to Belle Isle. I will say it is a lot of walking from where we parked and idk if that's generally where visitors usually park but it was definitely worth it! I loved all the history, the historic buildings (some of which from the 1800s), we learned about the civil war era and how this island served as a prison camp for union soldiers, we saw an old granite mine site, another building from the early 1900s (if not mistaken), and an old hydroelectric power plant. I also loved the bridge over the James in which we got to see a blue herein bird and several different species of ducks. We live in a rural area of Virginia that is surrounded by mountains and nature so it was nice to get to see both nature and all that history right in the middle of Richmond, somewhat made Richmond feel more like home! This is probably going to be one of our go to spots when traveling to Richmond, as we there at least every 3 months. I HIGHLY recommend adding this island as a must see when visiting Richmond!