The Richmond region’s insurance landscape has fractured in the nation’s financial earthquake, but many significant players remain sound. On the minus side:

No one imagined a year ago that Wachovia Corp., one of the largest employers in the Richmond area, or Washington Mutual, a $300 billion thrift, would vanish from the banking scene. It was inconceivable that lending among banks would halt, freezing credit lines and causing havoc in the global financial markets. Nor was anyone talking about the federal government providing liquidity to the banking system through multibillion-dollar investments.

The economy is contracting, but one part of it locally is expanding in a major way. In the coming months, two new movie theaters will open with 33 screens. And an existing screen at another theater is set to become much, much bigger. By the end of February, Movieland at Boulevard Square is scheduled to open, becoming the first new theater in Richmond in 15 years, since the short-lived art house Grace Street Cinemas.

The Richmond region will welcome its newest regional shopping center in less than two months with the scheduled opening of Westchester Commons, a retail component of the 640-acre Watkins Centre multiuse project off Midlothian Turnpike and state Route 288 in Chesterfield County. It will feature Target, Petco, Regal Cinemas and Hilton Garden Inn.

If small business is your game, you’ll find the playing field a popular one in Virginia. As the recession continues and companies continue to look for ways to cut costs, employees who have been axed or feel they may be in danger of being laid off are looking at self-employment as an option. Perhaps they start their own small business. Maybe they purchase an existing franchise or a business that’s on the market.

When the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts completes its renovation and addition in about a year, it will add 165,000 square feet of space, places to hang about 2,800 new pieces of art, a restaurant, a bar, a sculpture garden and much more. The new wing’s impact on the neighborhood nearby should not be as dramatic. But it might be noticeable.

When Carol Lunceford got out of the hospital in September 2007, she knew she was going to need help to get around the house. Lunceford, 62, has lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years, and one day she fell when her shower chair collapsed. She said she couldn’t find the strength to pull herself up from the bathtub and stayed there until relatives found her two days later.

National Parks: http://www.nps.gov Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site The home of the first black woman in the United States to charter a bank and become its president. 110½ E. Leigh St., Richmond; 771-2017 ext. 23 Petersburg National Battlefield Park Commemorates the siege of Petersburg from June 1864-April 1865, with battlefield and visitor centers located in Dinwiddie, Hopewell and Prince George Counties. 732-3531 ext. 200 Richmond National Battlefield Park Commemorates four major Civil War actions with battlefield sites and visitor centers in Richmond and Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield counties. 226-1981 ext. 23 Virginia State Parks: (800) 933-7275; http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks Bear Creek Lake State Park - fishing, boat rentals, swimming, camping and hiking. Cumberland; 492-4410. Pocahontas State Park Virginia’s largest state park offers bike, hiking and horse trails, camping and swimming. Chesterfield; 796-4255. Highland Bridge Trail State Park - Ongoing 33.5 mile rail-to-trail conversion for hiking, biking and horseback riding in Cumberland, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. First segment opened August 2008. (434) 315-0457. Sailor’s Creek Battlefield State Park Overton-Hillsman House, used as a field hospital during the Civil War battle, is open to visitors June through August. Picnic facilities; no water or toilets. Amelia County; (434) 315-0349.

Manufacturing jobs make up only 7 percent of Virginia’s work force. But when it comes to investment, the economic impact is significant. The Richmond area has its share of manufacturing firms and wants more, with ongoing efforts to recruit advanced manufacturing companies. Last year, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership announced 44 deals with companies to expand or locate in the Richmond area.

Finding a place to get fit is no sweat in Richmond. From boutique personal training salons to sports-specific facilities to warehouse-sized mega-gyms, the metro region is home to a host of fitness businesses and nonprofit organizations catering to a wide range of exercise interests among all ages. Richmond’s fitness kick has hit its stride with the aging of health-conscious baby boomers, increased focused on sports team training, and greater awareness of the importance of promoting exercise among American children.

Caroline County Stonewall Jackson Shrine The office building where General Jackson spent the final six days of his life. 633-6076; http://www.nps.gov/frsp/planyourvisit/directshrine.htm Charles City County Renwood Fields Farm Museum - A rare collection of tractors, farm implements, trade signs and feed store display cases dating from the 1860s to 1960s. Open by appointment. 370-9201 or 829-5399; http://www.renwoodfields.com Chesterfield County Chesterfield County Museum - Reproduction of the colonial courthouse with collections that tell the county’s history from prehistoric times through the 20th century. 796-1479 or 777-9663; http://www.chesterfieldhistory.com Henricus Historical Park - The second successful English city in the New World, Henricus offers an interactive experience through costumed interpreters. (804) 706-1341; Henricus.org Colonial Heights Violet Bank Museum Built in 1810, Violet Bank served as General Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters for six months in 1864. Artifacts include guns, furniture, swords, glass and ceramics. 520-9395; http://www.colonial-heights.com Goochland County Goochland County Courthouse The 1846 courthouse is located near other historical buildings including a stone jail (1837) that is home to the county historical museum. 556-5300; co.goochland.va.us Henrico County Meadow Farm Museum - One of the last remaining 19th-century farms in the county, Meadow Farm is an 1860 living history farm focusing on middle-class rural life before the Civil War. 501-5520; http://www.co.henrico.va.us/rec Virginia Aviation Museum - 30 historic aircraft, exhibits and theater. 236-3622; vam.smv.org Wilton House Built in 1753, Wilton is home to a collection of 18th and early 19th century furnishings, portraits, silver, ceramics and textiles. 282-5936; http://www.wiltonhousemuseum.org Hopewell City Point Early History Museum - Features china manufactured by the Hopewell China factory from 1920-1945. (804) 458-2564; http://www.historichopewell.org City Point Open Air Museum - Self-guided walking tour includes 25 points of interest, most focusing on the Civil War. Tour begins at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Brochure available at the Hopewell Visitor Center. 541-2461; http://www.hopewellva.gov Women’s Army Museum - Dedicated to Army women serving from the Revolutionary War to the present. 734-4327; http://www.awm.lee.army.mil King William County Pamunkey Indian Museum - Located on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation, the museum displays tools, pottery and clothing representing the Ice Age to the present. 843-4792; http://www.baylink.org/Pamunkey Louisa County Sargeant Museum-Louisa County Historical Society Tells the county’s history through six permanent displays. (540) 967-5975; http://www.louisahistory.org Petersburg: Centre Hill Museum - Built in 1823 as the home of a prominent Petersburg family, a tour of the house provides a glimpse into the life of nineteenth-century Virginia aristocracy. 733-2400; http://www.petersburg-va.org/tourism/cntrhill.htm Seige Museum Located in the Exchange Building, built in 1839 as a commodities market, the museum tells the story of how the people of Petersburg lived before, during and immediately after the Civil War. 733-2400; http://www.petersburg-va.org/tourism/siege.htm Powhatan County Powhatan County Historical Society Museum dedicated to county history; open by appointment. 598-1139; http://www.powhatanhistoricalsociety.org Prince George County U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum More than 23,000 artifacts relating to the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps from 1775 to the present. 734-4203; http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil Richmond Agecroft Hall A pre-Elizabethan manor house that was dismantled and brought to Virginia and reconstructed on 23 acres of lawns and gardens overlooking the James River. 353-4241; http://www.agecrofthall.com American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar Once the heart of Confederate war production, the Center is now home to the main visitor center of Richmond National Battlefield Park. 780-1865; http://www.tredegar.org Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives Collections relating to the history and culture of Richmond’s Jewish community. 353-2668; http://www.bethahabah.org/bama/index.htm Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia A collection of nearly 5,000 artifacts and documents relating to African-American life in Virginia from Jamestown in 1619 until today. 780-9093; http://www.blackhistorymuseum.org Chimborazo Medical Museum The largest of five hospitals constructed in Richmond during the Civil War, the museum houses a collection of equipment used by the doctors and nurses who tended to Confederate soldiers. 226-1981; http://www.nps.gov/rich Drewry’s Bluff Exhibits along a self-guiding trail tell the history of the fort, which deterred Union naval forays and served as the Confederate Naval Academy and Marine Corps Camp of Instruction during the Civil War. 226-1981; http://www.nps.gov/rich/ Fort Harrison - The strongest point on the Confederate line of defenses until it fell in 1864. 226-1981; http://www.nps.gov/archive/rich/home.htm John Marshall House Built in 1790 by John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the house is an outstanding example of Federal architecture and contains a collection of family-owned furnishings and Marshall memorabilia. 648-7998; http://www.apva.org/marshall/ Maggie Walker National Historic Site Home of the first African-American woman in the U.S. to found and serve as president of a bank, the site is restored to its 1930’s appearance with original Walker family pieces. 771-2017; http://www.nps.gov/malw/home.htm Maymont Tours are available of the Victorian mansion set on 100 acres of gardens and animal exhibits. 358-7166; http://www.maymont.org Edgar Allan Poe Museum Collection of Poe artifacts housed in the Old Stone House, Richmond’s oldest standing structure. 648-5523; http://www.poemuseum.org. Museum and White House of the Confederacy - Collection of artifacts, manuscripts and images associated with domestic, military and political life during the Confederacy, including personal effects of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Guided tours of the White House of the Confederacy. 649-1861; http://www.moc.org Sixth Mount Zion Methodist Church - The John Jasper Memorial Room has a collection of materials documenting the church’s history since it was organized in 1867 by the Rev. John Jasper, a renowned African-American preacher. 648-7511; http://www.smzbc.org Valentine Richmond History Center - The 1812 Wickham House features a diverse collection relating to Richmond history. 649-0711; http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com Virginia Center for Architecture - Located in a 1919 27,000-square-foot Tudor Revival mansion, the Center is devoted to the building arts and design. 644-3041; http://www.virginiaarchitecture.org Virginia Governor’s Mansion - The nation’s oldest, continuously occupied governor’s residence, this Federal-style structure has in use since 1813. Call for tour availability. (804) 371-8687; http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=12866 Virginia Historical Society - “The Story of Virginia, an American Experience,“ an exhibition covering Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present, is at the center of a collection of Virginiana. 358-4901; http://www.vahistorical.org Virginia Holocaust Museum Collection focuses on Europe from 1933 to 1945 as seen through the experiences of the Ipp family, Holocaust survivors. 257-5400; http://www.va-holocaust.com Virginia House - A 12th-century European home transported in 1925 from Warwickshire, England to Richmond where it was redesigned and rebuilt among gardens designed by Charles Gillette. 353-4251; http://www.vahistorical.org/ Virginia War Memorial - Built to honor all veterans and particularly those Virginians killed in World War II and subsequent wars. 786-2060; http://www.vawarmemorial.org SOURCE: http://www.virginia.org

Since the late 1990s demise of the Flood Zone, Richmonders had one choice to hear major-name club bands: Drive. But with the arrival of Toad’s Place at the Canal Walk in 2007 and last year’s opening of the majestic movie-house-turned-music-club downtown, The National, it’s no longer necessary to truck to Washington or Norfolk to see such acts as Willie Nelson, Jason Mraz, Rob Zombie, The Black Crowes and Wu-Tang Clan.

The troubled economy has pushed many people close to the edge. For those who lose their footing, area charities help soften a rocky landing with an array of free programs and services. But what happens if the lifeline becomes overextended? At a time when unemployment, foreclosures, food prices and bank collapses are on the rise, will donations to nonprofits dry up?

Richmonders can swirl, sniff and sip away economic uncertainty thanks to the bevy of wine bars across town. The area has enjoyed its share of restaurants with lengthy bottle lists, but as wine becomes more popular, so do spots catering to its admirers. Barrel Thief wine shop and café started pouring in Short Pump in 2007 and recently opened a location near Patterson and Libbie avenues. That plants it just blocks from Café Caturra’s latest location, on Grove Avenue near Libbie.

The U.S. Army’s expansion of Fort Lee is helping Virginia weather the financial storms. “The entire economy of Southside Virginia rests on the back of Fort Lee,“ said James McNeer, a former Colonial Heights mayor and president of Richard Bland College near Petersburg. In less than three years, Fort Lee will double its population and facilities.