I visited the eastern front of the Petersburg National Battlefield last month while traveling back…read morefrom a Toyota dealership in the area. The battlefield has several sites in the Petersburg Virginia area including a western front, union and confederate forces encampment sites, remains of makeshift forts, storage depots and landing sites. The battlefield as a whole encompasses many miles in a circular pattern and you can either do a guided or self guided tour. It is well marked and mapped. The site as a whole was the longest siege of the American Civil War. Union forces began the siege in 1864 and it lasted nine months with many battles that resulted in victories for both sides. Petersburg VA at the time was a major hub for Robert E Lee's army with extensive rail lines and supply depots. It was also pivotal in the defense of Richmond which was the Confederate capital during the war. The eastern front battlefield is well preserved and also serves as a park which is managed by the National Park Service. There are walking and hiking trails as well as bike lanes. There is parking at each of the eight sites on the eastern front. Each site is well maintained and marked and it is quite educational. You could spend a few hours here exploring. Just a note, bring bug spray with tick repellent. Several of the sites I had to swipe a tick off my legs. It was a bit wet and it was very humid so the bugs were out in force. Overall it was a great experience. On the next visit I'll check out the western front which is roughly eight miles away on the other side of town.

Often overlooked but a hidden gem national park…read more Our national parks and battlefields are some treasured areas. This park is often in the shadow of others, but had long and bloody trench warfare. The history and earthworks are simply incredible! Definitely read about it and look up closure times before coming. (8pm during the summer and sunset/sunrise throughout the year) 33-odd miles of trails, good to recreate and the tour road is perfect for cycling/running.

Stunning park with gorgeous views. They have a lovely walking trail that allows you to view the…read morewater or access multiple fishing docks. The parking lot is decently sized and can accommodate a lot of people. They have a nice overlook bluff with picnic tables which is great for enjoying nature and having a scenic view. The walking trail has multiple offshoots that allow you to explore, get closer to the water and has benches sprinkled throughout. I absolutely loved my time here getting to just sit and relax in such a beautiful, peaceful environment. They also offer history reenactments here as well, while I have not checked that out yet I am excited to.

Henricus Park Go back into the past where the first…read moresettlers lived. Take one of the paths around the Jane's River and listen to the sound of birds and woodpeckers while getting your steps in. Walk or bike. Bring your fishing rod and see what bites Take the dog along too. Pavilions along the way to stop and relax.

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.

The Malvern Hill Battlefield…read more The government shutdown blocked us from attending Petersburg National Park/Civil War Sites but Malvern Hill is owned by a private charitable trust. American Civil War 1861-65. This was the last of the Seven Days' Battles, which all came about from the Peninsular Campaign in which the Union, led by General McClellan, attempted to march toward Richmond to take the Confederate capital. Newsflash. It didn't work out for the Union. Most of the real battles were Union defeats and eventually the Union pulled back and Malvern Hill, with the Union gunboats and hill giving them an advantage. They had to win this or risk likely annihilation/capture. They won it. The Seven Days' Battles made or broke the fame of several leaders and even a brigade. The Irish Brigade made a big name for itself at Malvern. Overall, Robert E. Lee stood out for the first time and would go on to become a legend. Conversely, the Union would begin to doubt General McClellan and on the Confederacy a promising General Magruder was banished to a distant post for angering General Lee. Lesser-known soldier tales: Allegedly a sergeant from the Irish Brigade shot a Confederate officer and later found out it was his son. Likely a false but stirring story put together by a newspaper from the period. A lad of 17 named Phil Edwin Jemison took a cannon hit and died with an elite legacy. His photo made the front magazine page of And an unknown general with great promise, General Charles Sidney Winder, who rallied together five cobbled regiments and personally led them at an earlier battle of the Seven Days Battles. He died at the Battle of Cedar Mountain 39 days later. A novel about the Battle of Cedar Mountain followed by a movie made the place better known - Cold Mountain.

It's no Appomattox or Antietam, but if you're in the area, there is good signage about the battle…read morethat happened here and some cannons for reference. If you just like parks, there is plenty of parking and a path to walk along as well. It may not take up a lot of time, but it's still great this battlefield was preserved. The signage referred to a visitor center, but when we went to it there was some other establishment at that address. So it's just a park but a nice park.

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.

Saw road signs when driving through the area. Well - we just had to stop! Nothing to see or visit…read moreon this rainy day, but we took a few minutes to go off the main road and drive down the lane, past the vineyards and see the buildings (even though from a distance). Would like to go back sometime to see if anything is open and visit what seems like a fun little historical site. Not sure - maybe it's just a destination venue. Wasn't clear in signage.

Not much more than a soccer/football field with a couple of goals already set up on a large grassy…read morearea. It sits between a condo or apartment complex to the east and busy US-1 / US-301 to the west. One wrong kick and your soccer ball just landed in traffic. There is a walking path that circles the park and there are a dozen or so parking spaces. It's pretty dismal and while I have seen worse, I have definitely seen better. [Review 11964 overall, 1746 of 2019.]

I found no reviews for this park, so I decided to check it out, trying to figure out what was here…read more The "link" to the city site was a broken link, so we had no idea what was here. The review was removed, because it was not descriptive enough. Here is the removed one: "It's really just an open field. Neat history perspective, but not much to do." Apparently, that was not adequate, So here is more detail: It is an open field with a paved path, about 600 feet wide. No trees, no swings, no bathroom. There was grass, and it is up against a busy road. There was a parking lot, and some things to read. It is next to an apartment complex, and very close to the freeway, so easy access to 95. As the description said, it is the site of the first something or another. Cool history, I guess. It's was from the 1600's. That's pretty old for The States. When looking for a playground for the kids, very disappointing. When looking for some history, great find. Tip: if looking for a playground, Bensley park was a great find, and an A10 Warthog visible in the distance. Is that descriptive enough?

Well maintained and easily accessible. About a half mile if you walk the inside and outside. The…read moresignage gives you a clear understanding of how it fit into the battles. No review can be complete if you fail to mention Battlefield park road. If you can I suggest you take the road from Virginia-5 to the James. The road is lined on alternating sides by entrenchments.. well worth the extra 20min or so. And at the corner of Va-5 is Ronnie's BBQ.. so good!

So, these are not forts as you may think in the traditional sense. Basically what you see are…read moremounds of earth build up to give troops some fortification. Saying that, I think these forts were very interesting to visit. You have to drive from fort to fort. There are little areas to pull over and read some information about what happened there. About half were built but confederate soldiers and the others built union soldiers. At Fort Harrison which is in the middle there is a house to get information. Unfortunately when we went it was closed. The sign on the door said closed for the season. My nephew was doing a report for school about the war. So he was giving us some information as well as learning something new. There are a few cannons at some forts. There is a bathroom at Fort Harrison. But it was closed when we went. The last fort is on the river. You can do a good amount of walking at 2 of the forts. So bring some comfy shoes.

Went on the Historic African American Tour of Petersburg for our class reunion. The tour was very…read moreinformative.

From the owner: Historic Petersburg Foundation is a non profit preservation organization in Petersburg, Virginia…read morewith the mission to lead the preservation and restoration of Petersburg, Virginia's historic architecture, and neighborhoods and to tell their story. We own and market historic properties for sale that need to be restored. One of our popular fundraisers each December is the annual Christmas Homes Tour of beautifully restored historic homes decorated for the holidays. We hold programs on Petersburg's history and architecture. Peter Jones Trading Station - "Where Commerce Began" tourist attraction. We encourage tourism to Petersburg and work to save the 18th and 19th century architecture in Petersburg, Virginia.

Great place to take a short walk with historical significance. Just a short hop off of 95 between…read moreRichmond and Petersburg if you need to take a stop for your pup or to stretch your legs. Beautiful Riverview.

First time here. I'm a bit of a history nerd so I knew of it's history and existence but never…read moremade it here. It's pretty easy to get to. The fort is around a 1/4 mile walk from the parking "lot". Plenty of shade and very pleasant. Trip is about a mile or so..The fort itself is in pretty good shape given her age and that it's made of earth. There is an observation deck overlooking the exact spot on the James from the 1862 battle with the Monitor and others. My suggestion would be to cut the tops of the trees down that face the James from the platform. I think it would give a better idea of the forts commanding geographical position on the river. Good for kids making their first Civil War battlefield trips. No where really to run to. Very recommended