This headquarters is connected to the Petersburg battle, but it's about 10 minutes away from the…read morebattlefield site. It's worth the drive over if you're already visiting the battlefield. It's a small house where you have to ring the doorbell to so the one employee knows to let you in, and then it's a tour on demand as it's not a high traffic site. The tour covers the history of the people who owned the house, the war and making the city a major port for goods, and how it was used by General Grant. There is a great map of the battlefield and some highly realistic and creepy mannequins to better illustrate the site. It's free, no gift shop, but an enthusiastic and informative tour guide. It's also got a nice view of the water.

When you get there, you'll watch a short film and then you can explore the small exhibit inside the…read morehouse. It's definitely worth visiting after you visit the battlefield.

This building is breathtaking, outside as well as inside! While in Richmond, I couldn't miss the…read moreopportunity to visit. The architecture is so ornate and gives you the feeling of stepping back in time. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything on site to learn about the building's history, and you are limited to only the first floor. However, it's worth the visit just to take in the beauty and detail of this space.

Old City Hall in Richmond is a stunning architectural gem. The intricate Gothic design and towering…read morearches are truly breathtaking!

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.

What a lovely off the beaten track, manor home, so glad we stopped by!…read moreBuilt in 1789, the home is well cared for and thankfully, not modernized. Original heart of pine floors with string and tar, built in the shop builders style. A wonderful staircase with a beautiful hand worked banister rail. Furnishings, while not original to the home, are of the period, and everything was well maintained and preserved. The view to the river from the home leaves you without question as to why the location was picked all those years ago. Our guide Laurie(Lori?) was sweet, kind, patient and clearly liked her job. Always a perk, finding someone who enjoys what they do! She told us that Briana would be able to answer even more of my questions, as she was extremely well versed in the Manor. We shall have to return! The best $8 you'll spend. Don't miss the basement.

Wow! What an incredible tour. Our guide was funny, relatable, and made history so easy and fun to…read morelearn. She kept our attention the whole time and welcomed any questions. She was SO knowledgeable!!!!! I highly recommend going here.

To set expectations, Yorktown Battlefield, like many battlefields in the U.S., is essentially a…read morefield. There isn't much to see, BUT the signs located throughout are helpful. They also have cannons and other items to help bring it to life. For me, the beauty of this battlefield is in the little museum in the visitor's center and the Nelson and Moore Houses. The Nelson House is a historic home that was struck by cannons during the siege. The Moore House is where the end of the war was largely negotiated. Once you arrive at the visitor's center, pay $15 for a pass that's good for a few days. It also gives you access to Historic Jamestown. Staff will give you maps and more info on the self-driving tour.

We had an incredible time exploring the battlefield and driving from location to location. My…read morehusband is a veteran so we got free admission which pleasantly surprised us that I also qualified as his wife. The staff was so nice and explained everything. We took the map and went to each site, read the plaques and paid our respect to those lost. The weather was perfect and everything was clearly labeled and well taken care of. We had a great time learning all about the battle and touring the grounds.

This place is pretty amazing even if you're not a history buff. Kids enjoyed the place. There's…read moreunmark parking available. Picnic tables available for a luncheon. They have a visitor center for all your questions. They offer ghost tours as well! If you're in the area definitely stop by and check it out!

Built in the 1600's. At one time the largest private dwelling in colonial America. One of 3 large…read moreplantations. 17 fireplaces, 33 bedrooms! Burned down in 1916. This house has been through a lot over the past centuries. A nice stop to see an interesting architectural feat. Stop by the visitor's center for admission and information about this mansions previous grandeur and storied history.

We were on a Virginia tour of history which included stops at many presidential homes, libraries…read moreand sites (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Wilson) and our planning revealed two such sites tucked away in the rural area of Charles City--Berkeley Plantation (William Henry Harrison, among many other historical claims to fame) and this one, Sherwood Forest--former home of John Tyler. If you're coming to Berkeley, you should definitely plan a stop here as well. Note--it's still privately owned by the family, so if you wish to tour inside of the home you must call a week in advance and pay (I think) $35 per person. This is pricier than most such sites (which are much bigger) and my guess is that since it's privately owned, the family wants to drastically limit such visits. That's their prerogative and I can't fault them for that--it's great they allow self-guided tours of the grounds most of the time. From the parking lot you can place your honor system ($10 per person) dues in the box and grab a map which will detail each of the 20+ marked spots along the grounds. Plan to spend about 45 minutes-hour here if you're doing the self-guided tour. Well worth a stop if you also plan to visit Berkeley.

So, I'm a HUGE presidential history "nerd"; my lady love and I recently wrapped up a week long trip…read moreto Virginia during which we visited many different sites. I'm going to be honest here - I'm torn writing this review. First, I almost gave two (2) stars, but I realize I should focus on the fact that this is a PRIVATE RESIDENCE (still owned by the Tyler family), and that as historians, we are lucky to have access to the house/grounds at all. However, the Sherwood Forest Foundation request a weeks notice and WAY TOO MUCH MONEY to tour inside the home. A tour of this home (by appointment only) costs more than a day pass at Jefferson's Monticello. Come on...John Tyler - is no Jefferson. On our visit, it wasn't until we drove into the "parking lot" that we found out we couldn't go inside the home without a weeks notice and an appointment. Drag. But no worries - we were happy to walk the grounds. As pointed out by another reviewer - a walk of the grounds is an "honor system" thing. You pick up a map of the grounds at the self-serve kiosk - where they "request" $10.00/person to walk the grounds (which, is also a ridiculous price, in my opinion). I'm sure they request $10.00 just hoping to get nominal donations..... Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed walking the grounds - it's a beautiful home and the grounds are beautifully manicured. The provided map is well organized and features a lot of good information. But $10.00/person - just for the GROUNDS around the home? Overall, I'm glad I visited Sherwood Forest - would have loved to see the inside of the house, but NO WAY at that price point. I feel safe saying only the BIGGEST presidential history will land at Sherwood Forest. If that's accurate, I think they'll agree with my assessment of the pricing. Lastly, I feel compelled to say: I'm not a jerk. Yes, I think $10.00/person is way too much just to walk around the grounds - but the Sherwood Forest Foundation DID get a donation from us...and it WAS a FACTOR of 10.

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.

Just a load of, well, nonsense? According to the men who built it back in the 1790s it was, but…read moretoday, it's a nice walk in the park when the sun is shining - a far cry from what it was actually built for, right? This fortified hilltop was built in 1777 by George Washington's Army, mainly to function as an observation and alarm post watching over Morristown and surrounding areas, it also doubled as a place of retreat for guards stationed in the town. The British never made an attack on Morristown... but it's 2018 and here I am - oh my gosh, i'm just kidding!!! The park is well kept, there's a great place to sit and have a bite to eat (just bring some food with you) and I should probably mention to watch out for the mozzies (mosquitos...) - oh they'll getcha good out here!

Nice place for a short walk to enjoy local history. Also has picnic tables you can eat lunch at!read more

Being a historical buff, thanks Dad, this is a MUST See!~ The employees take it to the next level…read moreof education, which can be seen throughout the location! This includes amazing, informative presentations and exhibits! ~ You can tell that the employee's love is what they do with speaking to them and watching them present to the public, the history. Don't miss this exceptional place during your visit to Jamestown, VA!!!![Especially around the Native American artifacts and presentation!!!]

I'm glad we decided to visit Historic Jamestowne because the NPS staff inspired my husband to…read morefinally get his veteran ID and claim his free America the Beautiful Lifetime Pass. Something a bit unusual here is that part of the site is managed by the National Park Service (Colonial National Historical Park) and part of it is managed by Preservation Virginia (Jamestown Rediscovery), a private non-profit. Everyone needs the NPS ticket (or NPS pass) and people can also add on the additional ticket to tour the Preservation Virginia space. You can buy them together or wait until you reach the PV entrance to decide. There are also Historic Triangle and other bundle tickets so that's worth looking into if everyone in the group is old enough to truly enjoy the historic sites (or young enough to just sleep through them). We were traveling with a 1.5 year old and it was very hot/humid when we were there so we decided to stick to the part fully covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. The little guy seems to like (or not mind?) the heat and humidity but it's hard to know when he'll get fussy or determined to explore/touch something he shouldn't so we currently try to stick to free and low cost places which we won't mind leaving suddenly. We enjoyed the indoor museum in the visitor center and the little guy loved the boardwalk outside. Once we reached the big monument he just wanted to walk circles around it so we eventually put him back in the stroller until it was time to hit the boardwalk again. The walk felt like a walk in the park so I think the visitor center museum was a great addition.