Nascar weekend advice- Richmond/Charlottesville, or both?

We are flying up for the race in Richmond on Sat May 1st:

Thu: Fly into D.C. - stay the night and do the D.C. thing Thu %26amp; Fri

Fri: Driving down to Charlottesville

Sat: Race is that evening, should we come back to Charlottesville or stay the night in Richmond? We aren%26#39;t worried about driving (we have a d/d), more interested in having fun! If we stay in Richmond what area would you recommend for restaurants, bars, etc. Any unique places to eat or drink?

We are two couples ranging in age of 34 to 42.

Thanks!

Nascar weekend advice- Richmond/Charlottesville, or both?

Have you checked for a place to stay in Richmond? Usually it%26#39;s hard to find a hotel vacancy during NASCAR weekends, but rooms may be available these days.

If you stay in Richmond head to Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom, the Fan District or Carytown. I%26#39;m not the best one for advice on places to eat and drink.

Nascar weekend advice- Richmond/Charlottesville, or both?

I recommend you stay in Richmond since it gives you far more options for things to do, but you%26#39;ll need to hurry up and find a hotel.

The Carytown area is where you will probably find more people in your age range as far as bars go. Popular bars in Carytown right now are Milennium and CanCan, although I also enjoy Betsy%26#39;s, which is a wine bar. All these and more are on Cary St between Nansemond St and the Boulevard. Bars in the Fan are more scattered, and parking is tougher. Shockoe Bottom is a younger crowd.

I can recommend places to eat if you tell me more about what you%26#39;re looking for...there%26#39;s just too many options.