Richmond to New York road trip: 24 stops worth the detour

Michelin-starred Wharf restaurant showcasing live-fire Levantine cooking and mezze. Order: Whole grilled fish.

Cindy Wolf's refined Low Country tasting-menu flagship, a perennial James Beard finalist with a Beard-medaled wine program. Order: Chef's tasting menu.

A national museum devoted entirely to self-taught 'outsider' artists -- whirligigs, a giant whirligig sculpture garden, and a mirrored mosaic facade that makes it the single quirkiest museum stop in the state.

Housed in the 1884 Mount Clare roundhouse -- birthplace of American railroading, where the B&O's first stone was laid in 1828 -- with the country's oldest and most comprehensive collection of historic locomotives under one roof.

Quirky Fells Point brunch institution known for over-the-top morning plates and long weekend lines. Order: Cap'n Crunch French toast.

The last city-owned public market standing in DC, rebuilt board-by-board after a 2007 fire — Saturday mornings mean blue-corn pancakes inside and a flea market of five continents' worth of dealers spilling onto the sidewalk outside.

Upscale beach-shack oyster destination now on three floors with a rooftop bar, pouring its proprietary Salty Wolfe oysters. Order: Oysters.

DC's largest wooded park east of the river hides a Civil War fort that never fired a shot in anger — and today its 10 miles of unpaved trail (the Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail) is the wildest, least-crowded hiking in the city, linking six Civil War forts along a forgotten green ring around the capital.

The Hope Diamond, a live insect zoo, and a T. rex locked in combat with a Triceratops — free walk-in admission means you can duck in for twenty minutes or lose an entire afternoon, no ticket math required.

Two-Michelin-star, dozen-seat counter delivering a whimsical avant-garde tasting experience. Order: Chef's tasting menu.

Ryan Ratino's two-star, 14-seat counter layering wagyu, uni, and truffle with Japanese precision. Order: Wagyu course.

Tucked in a quiet grove behind the National Academy of Sciences, this 12-foot bronze Einstein holds a tablet inscribed with three of his own equations — and at his feet is a star map of the sky on the exact night the memorial was dedicated in 1979, accurate down to the planets. Almost nobody detours the 200 feet off the Mall to find it.

Chef Alfredo Solis's homage to his mother's cooking, roaming regional Mexican specialties. Order: Queso fundido.

Cult-favorite counter serving inventive Asian-Ethiopian steamed buns and rice bowls, ranked among Yelp's Top 100 US restaurants. Order: Neighborhood Bird tempura chicken bun.

A 17-foot bronze Teddy Roosevelt stands alone in a forest clearing ringed by four stone tablets of his own words and two fountains — reachable only by footbridge, on an island with no roads, no cars, and no cell signal to speak of. It's the one DC memorial you have to leave the car behind for, a genuine hike-to landmark in the middle of the Potomac.

Built around illustrator Howard Pyle and his student N.C. Wyeth (godfather of the Brandywine School of American illustration), plus the largest Pre-Raphaelite art collection outside the UK -- a surprising, story-rich stop that most road-trippers wouldn't expect to find in Wilmington.