If you like historical places you will love violet bank and I can't say enough about the niceness…read moreof the staff. Great place to visit!

Shirley Plantation has the distinction of being the oldest Virginia plantation in the Old Dominion…read moredating to 1623. The estate set prominently off the James River. The 11th generation Carter-Hill family own and continue to reside in the home. Shirley Plantation has been in the Hill Family since 1660. Shirley is dominated by the three story Dutch-style mansion set off the James River. The structure that we all know as the mansion is but one of what was a vast complex. Other structures included two three story guest homes situated perpendicular to the main house. John Carter, oldest son to Robert King Carter married the heiress Elizabeth Hill in the 1723 and probably built at least the pair of facing buildings. After King Carters will was settled in 1738 John built the large home we all think of when visiting Shirley. The village like appearance is enhanced by less formal buildings including a large brick stable, a cylindrical dovecote, dairy and smoke house. Since the home has continually been in the Carter-Hill family with its vast furnishings and portraits it, offers one of the most memorable pictures of continuity in Virginia plantation history. No interior photos are permitted inside the mansion when visiting. A gift store is available. Tours are currently suspended due to COVID-19 until at least June 10th. Looking for a road trip this Summer? Consider not only Shirley Plantation, but others like Berkeley along the James River on highway 5 NW of Williamsburg.

This place is definitely down on its own path and out of the way in the country, but it's…read moreinteresting to hear and see a house and business that's been around 400 years and the oldest family-owned business in the country. The descendants still live here, so only the first floor is tourable. The tour guide was knowledgeable and touched on all aspects of the house's history, so it felt like an all-encompassing informational about the owners of the house and the enslaved people who lived and worked there including photographs to give faces to the names. She went over room highlights and answered any questions that people wanted to better understand. It includes a lot of very old artifacts and paintings of the Hills and Carters who lived there. The view of the river is beautiful, and there are a few outer buildings but most don't have anything to see in them. The gift shop is decent. The price is high for a historic tour, but it is a significant enough house to see to understand more the history of Virginia.

I love visiting historic sites! It's one of my favorite pastimes. Westover Plantation has been on…read moremy list of must sees, and we finally got to go! This is a phenomenal venue... once you head down the long winding road off Rt. 5, you'll find a small parking area. We were pleased to see it wasn't crowded at all. Walking through the wrought iron gates onto the property, a gorgeous green lawn sprawls out over the rolling hills. The view of the James River is spectacular! The elegant, Georgian mansion sits majestically on the sloped hill facing the water. We walked through another imposing gate to the farm area where we saw chickens, horses, and several out buildings as well as a large bamboo grove which led out to the river. Circling back to the mansion, we noted the Colonial architecture and read all the posted historical plaques. Tours inside are by appointment. Around the back of this stately edifice, was a path leading into the incredible formal garden. It was breathtaking. We meandered through the manicured garden which is one of the finest features of this estate. Roses, irises, lilies, peonies, and other lovely flowers, trees, shrubs and bushes will brighten you day as you stroll through the grounds. We admired the massive monument, the tombstone of William Byrd, the focal point of the garden, as well as the statues, the sundial and the natural wood arbor overflowing with wisteria. We were truly awed by the beauty of Westover Plantation and amazed by all the attention to detail by the groundskeepers. This grand home is a landmark worth visiting! Typically there's a donation box by the entrance, but when we toured the plantation on Sunday, Mother's Day, during the Covid issue, no box was to be found. Perhaps they opened to the public (free) because they knew we all needed to get out of the house and get a brief glimpse of history and nature or it was removed. Either way, it was a delightful way to spend a few hours, soaking up Virginia's beauty and culture.

Westover is certainly one of the most beautiful colonial plantations on the James River. It was…read morebuilt in the mid-18th century by the Byrd family. I especially like the brick that was used in the construction. The house is simply elegant and has perfect proportions. Take special note of the steepness of the roof, the tall chimneys in pairs at both ends of the main house, and the elaborate doorway, which continues to be recognized as "the Westover doorway." The house is not opened for tours except for special occasions. Westover's grounds and outbuildings are open to the public every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They do ask for a small donation starting at $5.00 to tour the grounds; an honor box is located at the entry gate near the parking lot.

I came in with a homeschooling group from the base and we had a great experience. The facility was…read morevery clean and well organized. Staff was very friendly, informative, and interactive. We had a great experience and highly recommend.

Very well laid out, probably little known museum dedicated to all the women who have served in the…read moreUnited States Army. The museum is located on Fort Lee Army Post and I'm guessing that might limit access. I did see tour busses dropping visitors off at the door so there must be a way for those without a DoD ID Card to visit. Maybe the base gives out visitor passes. Can't hurt to check at the entrance gate. The museum is free and accepts donations which helps with upkeep and additions to exhibits. Very informative and covers the complete history of women in the Army. In the early days, females were not issued weapons. I image some trying to do their jobs, being in harm's way and not able to defend themselves. Good thing that changed over time. And another tidbit, when they said they needed transportation, the Army issued them bicycles. The exhibits are very well done and some give you a sense of being in that space and time. The folks that put this together did an excellent job. Self paced and if you read everything you could spend a couple of hours here. Air conditioned- thank goodness.

This is different…read more Glendale is one of the National Cemeteries laid out in a circle with a flagpole at the hub. For that reason, it doesn't have the same impact of the straight lines of white markers. At least at first glance. If you look closely, however, there's still some symmetry. It forces the viewer to leave behind the orderly analysis of rows and instead evaluate the circle and what it represents. The circle isn't perfect. I suppose it could be if those who laid it out had planned it. It's a disrupter. Because there are a lot of burials from the Civil War era, with the battlefield not far down the road, the unevenness of the circle is likely a testament to how unplanned things were at the time. It's a pretty setting, though. Not many homes, a lot of open space and old, large trees. The cannon, sitting with the flag at the center documents the burial numbers. Seeing that and then the circle of white markers and the map of the battle that started it all, is a must for anyone with an interest in history. It's an unusual setting

Tiny visitors center for the nearby battlefield of Malvern's Hill. The highlight is the terrain map…read morewith lights that show the flow of the battle. I met two very informative guides here, who ironically I would meet the next day at the Civil War visitors center at Tredegar. The visitors center also has a small museum of battlefield artifacts. I didn't examine the cemetery closely, but you can see the gravestones of soldiers who lost their lives at Malvern Hill.

This park is well maintained, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly! I enjoyed seeing animals…read morepart of history.

Beautifully kept war memorial with a small museum and movie to explain the history of the time…read more Worth a visit to learn more about our history and easy to get to from the highway.

WOW WOW WOW! This was a last-minute find on our road trip and we wished we had arrived before the…read morerestaurant & museum closed. There were many rooms and more tractors and vehicles than we had time to view. There was also a large selection of toy vehicles and soda bottles. The gift shop was great and a kids' paradise!

This afternoon we spent a few hours at the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum having lunch and…read moretouring the museum. What an amazing place!! Highly recommended!!

Got there within their posted hours. Church locked, visitor center ghostly. Driving the cemetery…read morewas nice but a 35 mile trip each way to see the church was wasted.

We had a great tour of the church and the churchyard portion of the cemetery. It is filled with…read morehistory pre-revolution through the Civil War. The 15 Tiffany windows are stunning and alone are worthy of a visit.