Artistic designs decorate a tunnel portion of the Canal Walk in Downtown. This section near Virginia and 14th streets is part of the James River and Kanawha Canal that dates to 1785. George Washington envisioned and surveyed the canal that tracks the James River and enabled goods to flow into and out of the city. In the 1990s, Richmond began improvements to the canal system, including the separate Haxall Canal, that had long been in disrepair. The result: A 1.25-mile walk that is open 24/7. The Canal Walk connects from around Brown’s Island to the west to Shockoe Bottom and the Virginia Capital Trail to the east.
