The Richmond area is chock full of Civil War sites. As the capital of the Confederacy and as the main city in the crosshairs of the armies, Richmond has both governmental and military historical sites to see as well as important sites in African-American history. I have visited almost all of the sites over my twenty years of living in Richmond, especially as I was writing my first novel (unpublished) about two sisters living here during the Civil War. So much happened here!
Richmond is a good starting place to bring your kids to introduce them to the Civil War and to discuss the horrors of slavery. Sometimes the Civil War is a difficult thing to talk about with kids, but walking in the footsteps of history and interacting with the staff at these sites will help your kids better understand this most challenging time in our nation’s history. I recommend this tour for kids ages 10 and up, and it would be a great supplement to Virginia’s 4th grade focus on the state’s history.
In three busy days, you can see most of the major sites in the area. I’ve put together jam-packed days so feel free to skip the lesser known sites (especially something that’s just a marker) and focus on the main historic sites like the museums, visitor centers, and battlefields. At the battlefields, pick just one or two of the walking tours to do. I’ve also listed options of non-Civil War related sites to add to your trip and restaurant recommendations.
There are many, many more area Civil War sites than the ones listed below, so be sure to pick up one of the books listed under “Guidebooks” to learn about even more sites of interest. Be sure to check out the Civil War Trails map and download this app for additional information.
April is a great time to visit as there are several important anniversaries of the war that are commemorated, including Civil War and Emancipation Day held in 2024 on Saturday, April 6th. I’m taking the NPS walking tour about Abraham Lincoln’s visit!
First Stop: Tredegar
Start your tour at the American Civil War Museum located at historic Tredegar (read my review here). Not only is this an amazing museum, it is located in the ruins of the Tredegar Iron Works which supplied the Confederacy with over half of its cannons. The museum tells the story of the Civil War with a focus not just on the soldiers but on the civilians, both enslaved and free, impacted by the war. It’s one of my favorite historic sites in all of Richmond! I can’t wait for its new exhibit, The Impending Crisis, to open at the end of April 2024. If you have older kids (middle school and up), purchase the multi-site pass and secure a time for a White House of the Confederacy tour.
After visiting the museum, go next door to the Richmond National Battlefield Park’s visitor center. You can pick up maps here for the battlefields you’ll visit tomorrow. Don’t forget to get a Junior Ranger booklet or download here! See my review of the visitor center here.
Walk across the street and across a bridge onto Brown’s Island. This is where a Confederate ordnance factory blew up in 1863, killing over 40 workers that were mostly young women and girls. A historical marker about this horrible disaster can be found at the intersection ahead. The island is also home to the newest Richmond statue, the Freedom monument that celebrates the end of slavery.
Second Stop: Capitol area
Drive to downtown Richmond (park in lots at Cary and 9th or 10th). Walk to the corner of Main and 10th where there is a historical marker about the Richmond Bread Riot of 1863 when the women of the city stormed the streets in protest over the lack of food and supplies.
Turn left and walk to 9th and Main where there is a historical marker to the Richmond evacuation fire. On April 2, 1865, the Confederates evacuated Richmond, setting fire to the tobacco warehouses so they wouldn’t fall into Union hands. The fire mixed with the alcohol running in streets from the destroyed liquor stocks and soon the entire commercial district was ablaze. The fire burned for hours until the Union troops arrived in the early morning of April 3rd and got it under control. Over 800 buildings and the main commercial blocks of Richmond were destroyed.
Walk up the hill to Capitol Square which was the main place people gathered to hear news throughout the war. The bell tower in front of you rang loudly to alert the citizens to the dozens of battles and raids that took place over the four years.
Wander the Capitol grounds, standing with your back to the Capitol as you look towards downtown. The building in front of you is now the US Court of Appeals, but in 1861, it was smaller (just the middle section) and housed the Confederate government’s offices, including Jefferson Davis’ office. It was one of the only buildings south of the Capitol to be spared by the evacuation fire.
Option: If you want to tour the Capitol, it’s definitely worth it! It was designed by Thomas Jefferson and was the first state capitol building in the newly formed United States. It was pivotal in the Civil War as well, serving as the home of both the Virginia and Confederate legislatures. The entrance to the visitor center is just below you. Read my review of the tour here.
To continue the Civil War tour, walk up the hill past the Virginia Indian and Women’s monuments (check out Elizabeth Keckly’s statue, a former enslaved woman who became Mary Lincoln’s dressmaker).
Turn west on Grace Street to see St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. If the doors are open, go inside and see the sanctuary. This is where Jefferson Davis was on the morning of April 2nd when he got a note that Richmond could no longer be protected. He rose from his seat here and left to order the government to flee. My favorite story about the church is when it served as a hospital after the Seven Days’ battles. Prayer cushions were used for the soldiers and some today are still stained with blood under the covers!
Eat: Downtown has many great lunch spots including a fast lunch at Chick-fil-a on Cary between 10th and 11th and Jo-Jo’s Pizza. One of our favorite restaurants downtown is Casa del Barco on the Canal Walk.
Third Stop: Court End
Walk back to your car and drive to the White House of the Confederacy for your tour (if you bought tickets at the ACWM). Park at the VCU medical center parking garage just past the house. The interior tour is best for older kids (middle school and up) and delves into the lives of the Davises and the enslaved who worked here, including a Union spy named Mary Bowser (although historians aren’t sure it happened, it’s a neat story!). President Lincoln visited the house when he toured Richmond just days after its fall. Even if you don’t tour the house, you can see the outside including the railing where five-year-old Joseph Davis fell to his death in 1864.
Option: Visit The Valentine museum (read my review here) which tells the history of Richmond, including the Civil War. A new exhibit has opened about the Lost Cause sculptures.
Fourth Stop: Chimborazo
The next stop on the tour is the Chimborazo Hospital site that is part of Richmond National Battlefield Park. The little museum has a great model of the hospital during the war, which was the largest hospital complex in the south. Stand on its lawn and look to the east, imagining large balloons in the distance as both armies used hydrogen balloons (with a telegraph wire!) to see the enemy’s advancement. Residents of Richmond often came to this hill to see the battles to the east.
Fifth Stop: Church HIll
From Chimborazo, drive to the intersection of North 24th and East Grace streets to see the Elizabeth Van Lew memorial. Van Lew was a wealthy Southern woman who was a staunch Unionist and anti-slavery advocate. She led a Union spy ring in Richmond and passed along vital secrets to Gen. Benjamin Butler stationed at Fort Monroe (some of the intel came from her former servant, Mary Bowser, in the Confederate White House who gets her own plaque here as well!). She was so important that Union General Grant made a point to visit her after the war, and he named her as postmistress of Richmond during his presidency. The Richmond citizens didn’t take too kindly to her pro-Union sentiment and were more than happy to raze her home after her death to build a school.
Option: Across the street is Van Lew’s church, the Historic St. John’s Church which was the site of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech (read my review of the site here). If there is a reenactment during your visit, it’s a must-see!
Sixth Stop: Libby Prison
Drive to 20th and East Cary where you’ll find a historical marker to Libby prison, the place where Union prisoners were held. You kids will be fascinated to learn about the 1864 breakout where the prisoners dug a tunnel under the jail to freedom (check out several books below that detail this escape!). Van Lew helped many of the soldiers who escaped over the years, and while the building is gone, a window is displayed at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
Option: The Virginia Holocaust Museum is across the street and is a moving museum. Read my review here.
Seventh Stop: Shockoe
End your day in the heart of Shockoe Bottom, which was the epicenter of the Richmond slave trade (see my review of the Richmond Slave Trail). Park at the lot on Cary across from Main Street Station and visit the Reconciliation Statue before walking to the solemn Lumpkin’s jail site, often referred to as the “Devil’s Half Acre.” One can only imagine the horrors that took place here, horrors that it took the Civil War to end.
Eat: Have dinner at our favorite pizza place in Richmond, Bottom’s Up – ask for a view of the train tracks! Before or after dinner, walk across the street to the beginning of the Virginia Capital Trail where you can walk in Lincoln’s footsteps from his visit to Richmond (see below). Or get fantastic burgers at nearby Station 2.
Today you’ll walk in the bloody footsteps of the thousands of soldiers who fought and died on the battlefields around Richmond. Read my review of the battlefields to get an overview of the trip and use this map. Note the opening days and hours of the visitor centers and plan accordingly. If you have your family’s bikes, several of the tour roads are bikeable.
The tour route is helpfully marked by highway signs so be sure to be on the lookout for those!
First Stop: Cold Harbor
If you missed either of the two NPS stops from yesterday’s tour (Tredegar visitor center or Chimborazo), be sure to visit those first. Otherwise start your day at the Cold Harbor Visitor Center. It has a movie about the horrific Battle of Cold Harbor in the 1864 Overland campaign (over 6000 Union troops were wounded or killed in just one hour). There is also a one-mile tour road for cars or bikes and hiking trails where you can see the well-preserved trenches (see this map). Be sure to talk with the rangers and get your Junior Ranger booklet stamped!
After leaving the visitor center, take a left out of the parking lot to see the Garthright house (on your right). You can’t go inside but you can see the exterior of this home which served as a Union field hospital during the Battle of Cold Harbor. Its residents spent the battle in the basement where blood rained down on their heads.
Second Stop: Gaines’ Mill
Turn left out of the Garthright house parking lot and follow the trail signs to the Gaines’ Mill battlefield. The Battle of Gaines’ Mill was part of the Seven Days’ battles in the Peninsula campaign of 1862. Union Gen. McClellan came within seven miles of Richmond before being repulsed by the Confederate Army under its new commander, Gen Robert E. Lee. At Gaines’ Mill, the armies fought around a home still standing, the Watt house, and in the swampy marshes along a creek. You can see even more markers along a walking trail. Be sure to download the NPS Junior Ranger Seven Days’ expedition packet for your kids to complete.
Third Stop: Malvern Hill
Drive from Gaines’ Mill to Glendale (30 minutes) where there is a small cemetery, but it isn’t worth a stop with kids. Keep driving to Malvern Hill which is one of the most picturesque battlefields. The Battle of Malvern Hill was the last in the 1862 Seven Days’ battles after which McClellan and the Union Army retreated back to their headquarters on the James River and fled east. You can stand on the crest of the hill and just imagine the soldiers marching through the field towards you! There is a trail you can walk here.
Eat: Have a relaxing lunch along the James River at the nearby Upper Shirley Vineyards. Or bring a picnic lunch and have it at Wilcox Landing on the river where Gen. Grant constructed a pontoon bridge in July of 1864 to ferry his troops across in the middle of the night, surprising the Confederates and leading to the siege of Petersburg.
Option: Shirley Plantation is a great stop to learn about life here during the war when Union casualties from Malvern Hill littered the ground and the women living here served as nurses. Due to their compassion, Gen. McClellan issued a protection order for Shirley.
Fourth Stop: Berkeley
After lunch, drive on Route 5 to Berkeley, the childhood home of President William Henry Harrison and also the site of McClellan’s headquarters during the 1862 Peninsula campaign. It was here that President Lincoln twice visited McClellan, and it’s also the place where “Taps” was composed. You can even still see a Civil War cannonball lodged in the side of a building here! You can do an interior tour or just a walk around the grounds.
Option: Presidential enthusiasts will want to also visit Sherwood Forest just 15 minutes east of Berkeley. This is the home of President John Tyler and his young wife, Julia. Tyler is the only former US president to be buried under another flag as he was elected to the Confederate legislature before his death in 1862. The grounds tour is available but the interior tour must be arranged by appointment.
Fifth Stop: New Market Heights
Drive back west to Four Mile Creek Park where there is a marker about the Battle of New Market Heights which was one of the most important battles involving the US Colored Troops. This is the trailhead for the Virginia Capital Trail which takes you past the next battlefield. If your family has bikes, park here and bike the trail to the next stop!
Sixth Stop: Fort Harrison
The last battlefield to visit is Fort Harrison where there is a 6 mile driving/biking tour road with various stops. Depending on how your kids are faring, these aren’t necessary stops to make but it’s worthwhile to see. I do recommend stopping at the visitor center if open and walking around the fortifications there. This was the site of a key Union victory in 1864 and also was a place Clara Barton visited (see my Travel with Books video for more info).
As you drive back towards the city, you’ll go by the surrender site marker where Mayor Mayo met the Union troops and officially surrendered the city on April 3, 1865.
Eat: The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing is a great option. Rocketts Landing was important in the Civil War as it was the Confederate Navy Yard. Another more casual option here is Island Shrimp Company.
Today will take you south of Richmond to some very important places that ensured a Union victory.
First Stop: Petersburg
Start your day at Petersburg National Battlefield about 30 minutes south of Richmond (read my review here). It was here that Union Gen. Grant applied pressure on the Confederate forces as he dug into a nine month siege of this strategic city, eventually breaking them in April of 1865.
Begin your tour doing the Petersburg National Battlefield driving route where you can learn about the siege and the Confederate Army’s attempt to blow a hole in the Union lines by tunneling underneath them. The result is the Crater which you can still see today. Download this app so you can learn more about what you’re seeing.
Second Stop: City Point
Drive to City Point which was the site of Gen. Grant’s headquarters. It’s hard to imagine this peaceful stretch of the river being a bustling port with rows of buildings and thousands of troops and nurses swarming the grounds. If it’s open, be sure to see Grant’s cottage.
Eat: Have an amazing lunch along the water at The Boathouse at City Point. The views are amazing, and the food is excellent!
Third Stops: A few options
There are a few great options for your afternoon:
- For a fun afternoon adventure on a nice day, go to Point of Rocks at Dodd Park to walk the trails and learn more about Clara Barton, the “angel of the battlefield” who ran a Union hospital on this site. It’s a great place to see nature and play on the playground among history! See my Travel with Books video for more info.
- For even more information about the breakthrough, head to Pamplin Historical Park (note that it’s only open by appointment). It’s one of my favorite places to visit with lots of artifacts and homes related to the breakthrough by the Union on April 2, 1865. If you choose this option, reverse the two stops above (City Point and then Petersburg).
- Head back to Richmond to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture which has an extensive Civil War collection (including the Libby Prison window). You don’t want to miss the reinterpretation of the Hoffbauer murals which have been part of this building since its construction in 1921. Then visit Hollywood Cemetery to see the final resting place of so many of the war dead. As you stand on its hills, you can look over onto Belle Isle where many of the Union prisoners died.
Eat: If you have older kids and want to splurge, you can have a fantastic dinner at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse located in Belgrade Plantation which was one of Gen. AP Hill’s headquarters. Little kids will love the casual food at Tarrant’s Cafe downtown, located in a former turn-of-the-century pharmacy!
You’ve now seen most of the major Civil War sites in Richmond! Of course there are many, many more to see. You can’t walk on a sidewalk in downtown Richmond without stepping over a plaque or seeing another Civil War-related historical marker. Plus there are additional battlefields that I didn’t include. See my Richmond and Petersburg reviews for additional stops.
I hope this helps you plan a fun family-friendly visit to the River City. For other itinerary ideas, be sure to check out my Richmond in three days itinerary for non-Civil War related history!
Books to Read:
All links below are Amazon affiliate links (and I’ve read almost all of them!). Check out my shop on Bookshop.org and my Civil War book list to support independent bookstores and creators.
Guidebooks
- A History Lover’s Guide to Richmond
- Touring Virginia’s and West Virginia’s Civil War Sites
- National Geographic The Civil War: A Traveler’s Guide
- A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime: Antietam, Gettysburg, and Beyond
- Embattled Capital: A Guide to Richmond During the Civil War
Adult/Young Adult
- Nonfiction:
- Richmond: A Historic Walking Tour
- True Richmond Stories: Historic Tales from Virginia’s Capital
- The Confederate State of Richmond: A Biography of the Capital
- Rebel Richmond: Life and Death in the Confederate Capital
- Confederate Citadel: Richmond and Its People at War
- Civil War Richmond: The Last Citadel
- Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War
- To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign
- Hurricane from the Heavens: The Battle of Cold Harbor, May 26 – June 5, 1864
- Cold Harbor to the Crater: The End of the Overland Campaign: The Military Campaigns of the Civil War Series
- Fort Harrison and the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm: To Surprise and Capture Richmond
- The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword
- Escape!: The Story of the Confederacy’s Infamous Libby Prison and the Civil War’s Largest Jail Break
- Libby Prison Breakout: The Daring Escape from the Notorious Civil War Prison
- The Women of City Point, Virginia, 1864-1865: Stories of Life and Work in the Union Occupation Headquarters
- Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital
- Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy
- Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
- The Richmond Slave Trade: The Economic Backbone of the Old Dominion
- The Devil’s Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South’s Most Notorious Slave Jail
- The Life & Legacy of Enslaved Virginian Emily Winfree
- Fiction:
Middle Grade
Check out my Civil War book list for kids for more recommendations.
- Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: Mary Bowser
- Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring: A Spy on History Book
- Great Escapes #3: Civil War Breakout
- Brotherhood
- Civil War On Sunday (Magic Tree House #21)
Picture Books
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