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    Stratford Hall

    4.4 (35 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Stratford Hall Photos

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    Melissa B.

    I had previously went here with my kids about 15 years ago and since Tony and I were in the area I decided to stop again. It was very easy to find close to Colonial Beach VA in the same area where other famous people were born and lived Stratford Hall is the birthplace and Childhood home of Robert E Lee in 1807 and his siblings. I am a history major and my dream job was to be a history teacher but I never made it. So, when my kids and nieces & nephew was growing up I dragged them on field trips back in time and they actually LOVED it!!!! As adults now, they tell me it's some of their favorite childhood memories. Stratford Hall is a gorgeous working (still today) Plantation. There is a gorgeous Great House, tons of out buildings and barns. Built in 1730 by Thomas Lee, its still one of the greatest homes ever built in American History. Over 2000 acres spread out along the banks of the Potomac River. Lee Family had various notable descendants born and raised here. Including 2 Signers of the Declaration of Independence : Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee. Also American Revolution War Hero "Light Horse Harry" Lee father of Robert E Lee. The Grounds Pass for $8 per adult and $5 per child gives you access to the property for the hiking trails, public grounds, beach area access and gardens BUT not to the Great House or other buildings. General adult admission tickets for the Driving Tour that is audio to 28 stops is $12 each and $5 per child. This is the one we chose to do today. Currently due to Covid-19 the Great Hall and Buildings are closed. If in the area, I highly recommend you to check it out. Amazing how in 9 years, it will be 300 yrs old!!

    Stephanie G.

    Luckily this house already was set with an audio tour, so you can show up, scan your device at markers, and hear the audio descriptions at your own pace and own space. At the visitor's center, there is a museum exhibition, then you cross over a bridge to the next building (a gift shop and the restaurant) and passed that you get to the house. Everything is pretty scenic, and I saw a family with a dog and picnic tables near the house, so this makes for a great park. Even before you get inside the house, there are side storage buildings, kitchen, garden, carriage house, etc. that each have audio bits to explain how the house worked. Once inside, each room is filled with period-accurate items and there are descriptions of how the house was researched and what is original You can only go on 2 levels of the house, but there is a lot of things to listen to. There are cottage rentals on site as well and up the road is a grist mill and beach access next to hiking trails. Going to the house site takes a couple of hours, but in nice weather, coming to the property to enjoy nature is great too. Plenty of free parking. I learned a lot here, and the site itself has a lot to offer.

    lauren s.

    Came for thr wine and oyster festival and it was amazing. Lines were long after 1pm but everything was worth the price of the ticket. You got wine tastings, tours of the houses, and access to food vendors which the oysters that were grilled with jalepeno, bacon, onions, and cheese Everything was fun and delicious

    James M.

    Stratford Hall is a historic house museum in the northern neck of Virginia. It was the plantation house of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia (later with descendants expanding to Maryland and other states). It was the boyhood home of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee(1732-1794), and Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797), and it was the birthplace of Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870), who was a longtime military officer in the Corps of Engineers in the United States Army, and later General-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army and commanded its Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, under the care of the National Park Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior. This is not a place you stumble upon by accident; the northern neck of Virginia is not on the way to anywhere. So, you have to come here on purpose. But you can make a day of it and visit other interesting sites such as Washington's birthplace and the spot where union troops caught and killed John Wilkes Booth. The house is open to the public and tickets run about $14. You pay at the gate and then drive to a visitor center, where you can arrange a guided tour or a self-guided version. There is a gift shop featuring all the usual colonial era Knick Knacks but also some interesting books. A small inn and guest cabins are also located on site as well as a small "grab n go" food operation. The main house and grounds are impressive, located about a mile from the river (to avoid ship fired cannonballs of the day). Many outbuildings and slave quarters can also be toured. The guided tour lasts about an hour. Afterwards, drive down to the beach and see the grist mill and cliffs on the Potomac. Be aware that on weekdays you will see and hear many loud groups of kids on school field trips.

    Parlor
    Kayla J.

    Amazing! We went early on a Sunday morning, the staff were very helpful and informative: giving us all the info we needed to successfully enjoy the self guided audio tour! The grounds were very well maintained. This is a trip we will not forget!

    Through the weeping willows on the property.
    Danny V.

    Six Washingtonians embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of our nation's history. The boyhood home of General Lee is unfamiliar territory to this "Yank" and has possibly been overshadowed by his more famous mansion in Arlington or his boyhood home in Old Town Alexandria. I live on Lee Highway and up the hill from Washington Lee High School. We know a lot about Lee before and after the Civil War and I was hoping to find out more about the Robert E. Lee, the child. Little did I know, nobody knows much about Lee in his childhood and he never spoke much about it. Actually, I wouldn't find out much about Robert E. Lee at all here. Touted as "Home of the Lees of Virginia & Birthplace of Robert E. Lee" you'd think that you'd learn more about what made Robert into the man that we'd come to know. Granted, Lee only lived in the house for the first four years of his life, I suppose it's difficult to deduct clues about how it contributed to his development. The house tour was worth the $10 and the young lady that assisted us was knowledgeable, friendly and witty. The only drawback to the house tour was the lack of a cohesive storyline. The tour felt disjointed because we jumped back and forth between different generations and it was hard to get a sense of what life was like for one specific family or a specific person. Our group felt similarly in regards to the tour and we had trouble connecting to the house. The grounds to the house are well kept and I enjoyed strolling through the property on an sunny autumn day. The gift shop was what you'd typically expect of a colonial inspired theme, although they do sell edible treats, honey (?) and jams that are made on the property, too. "I ain't afraid of no ghosts." - Ray Parker, Jr. Ghostbusters I have a tendency to straggle. As the tour was ending, it took a minute to realize that people were heading downstairs. As I walked down the hallway towards the parlor, I saw a man in the parlor heading towards the fireplace. We had previously been in the room and I thought that one of my friends was either planning on scaring me or seeing something that I had missed. I peeked behind the door only to find the room empty. Apparently this ghostly scenario has been played out before. The tour guide herself told our group that she had heard footsteps in the house before and has been told of several reports of people seeing someone in the parlor. She says that people on the property believe that Light-horse Harry Lee continues to take up residence here. She also informed me that psychics have scoured the place and have reported "activities." A little digging yielded plenty of information. Verdict: Come prepared with a little research of you own to better understand any questions you may have about Robert E. Lee. Looking for ghostly activities? Ask the spirits for guidance. WoooOOOOooo. Do stroll the grounds and drive down towards the water! Not to be missed. Jeers: No Photography. Someone should tell them that photography without a flash doesn't harm the house. Ask the Italians, they've been doing this type of stuff for centuries. Interesting Info: Check out Google Street view for a self guided tour of the house. You can't take pictures, but you can tour the house via Google? Hypocrites.

    Lee Family Insignia on Tack
    Joye P.

    Great! The main house is fairly well-kept, and the hour-long, docent-led tour was well worth the $10 admission. There was lots to see, and I learned a lot about Civil War-era life for Virginians. The extensive grounds are well maintained, with lots to see. Do not miss if you are in the area. MUCH better than Washington's birth place (which was a total dud because it is not historically accurate).

    view of the main house from the driveway

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    Review Highlights - Stratford Hall

    It was the plantation house of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia (later with descendants expanding to Maryland and other states).

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    Historic St Mary's City - Cordea's Hope

    Historic St Mary's City

    4.4(29 reviews)
    22.4 mi

    What an amazing experience! Beautiful land with knowledgeable historians throughout the property…read more I had a great afternoon exploring the Historic City. I was able to walk around the property on the paved pathways and not only see and read about the history of the buildings, but also hear from live historians and some of the locations. I arrived later in the afternoon and received my ticket at a discounted price ($3.50) compared to the $10 admission fee charged during the day for adults. I loved learning the history of this area while visiting from out of town. I highly recommend stopping if you can, but do give yourself minimum 2 hours (or more!!) to get through everything. I did miss out on viewing the plantation and a few of the smaller building

    St Mary's City was the first capital of Maryland and established as a place of religious freedom…read more We were in nearby Leonardtown MD visiting the giant Rubber Duck and lucked across this historic site. There are a number of reconstructed buildings and archeological digs on the site. The interpreters at the Ordinary (a pub/rooming house) and the print shop really connected us with the spirit of this historic town. The reconstruction of the old church with video explanation of the burials there also brought the town to life. The boat was docked out in the water so we couldn't board it but we were provided tickets to come back at a later date. Worth a visit if you are into history and don't mind walking a bit. Paths are mostly paved but a bit rough. Definitely wear sunscreen and a shade hat in summertime.

    Photos
    Historic St Mary's City - Inside of barn

    Inside of barn

    Historic St Mary's City - Historical church

    Historical church

    Historic St Mary's City

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    Smith Island Cruises-Tyler - Smith Island Cruises - Crisfield

    Smith Island Cruises-Tyler

    4.7(6 reviews)
    45.2 mi

    Bottom Line. Reliable and friendly transportation to Ewell on Smith Island…read more The brackish water of the Chesapeake Bay runs through my veins and I love the heritage and culture of the region. I've traveled the Eastern Shore and the Western Shore and I've now finally made it to the in between of Smith Island, in part thanks to Smith Island Cruises. My husband and I took the ferry from Crisfield to the village of Ewell on Smith Island. The ferry is a two-deck passenger ferry that probably holds around 100 people but on Labor Day weekend I think there were only about 30 aboard. Passengers are welcome to bring their luggage aboard including coolers. You can bring bikes too but there is a charge. Smith Island is dry so if you're hoping to have a drinky drink then discretely bring your own. The ferry trip is advertised to take about 45 minutes but depending on conditions, such as wind, it could take longer. During the cruise the captain pointed out some landmarks and provided a little history which was a nice touch. Overall the trip was scenic and I'm glad I had my birdnoculars in tow. The ferry is no frills. It offers a safe passage, friendly service and two bathrooms. Online ordering of tickets is easy. You can also reserve a golf cart and Smith Island cake at the same time. If departing from Crisfield then you pick up your tickets (wristband) at the Captain Tyler Motel before hand and then they'll direct you to free parking near the B pier at the marina. It was a very simple and organized process. Once on Smith Island we got a delicious lunch at the Bayside Inn and then went to the nearby Cultural center where we enjoyed the exhibits and got a walking tour map for the town. For our short 2.5 hours on the town we found waking, versus gold cart riding or biking, to be adequate. Shout out to the employee on board in the first mate/hospitality role - he was friendly and welcoming.

    Took this trip from Point Lookout Captain Jack was the best!…read moreHe gave a great tour as he narrated the trip to Smith Island and gave some education along the way. We Ebenezer had a little quiz on the way back on facts that we were given on the way over. Very entertaining . The mate was really good too... he passed out sliced watermelon on the way back. We were kind of hot and a little tired and that was so nice! The boat does have bathrooms. The online tickets are very easy.

    Photos
    Smith Island Cruises-Tyler - The ferry in Crisfield prior to boarding.

    The ferry in Crisfield prior to boarding.

    Smith Island Cruises-Tyler - In Crisfield tickets (wristband) can be picked up at the Captain Tyler Motel.

    In Crisfield tickets (wristband) can be picked up at the Captain Tyler Motel.

    Smith Island Cruises-Tyler - View from the ferry ride of an old hunting lodge that local birds now call home.

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    View from the ferry ride of an old hunting lodge that local birds now call home.

    Stratford Hall - historicaltours - Updated May 2026

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