Museums & Historic Sites »
| Name | Contact Info | More Info |
|---|---|---|
| Arlington National Cemetery |
Memorial Drive
Southern end of Memorial Bridge Arlington, Va. 703-607-8000 | Major attractions include the Tomb of the Unknowns, where a formal changing of the guard ceremony happens every half-hour in the summer and on the hour the rest of the year. The tomb contains the remains of unidentified U.S. service members from world wars I and II and the Korean War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment, and the medals, as well as the flags that covered their caskets, are displayed inside the Memorial Amphitheater, to the rear of the tomb. The tomb is guarded at all times by the Army's Old Guard. Changing of the guard occurs on the hour Oct. 1-March-- and every half-hour March 15-Sept. 30. The Women's Memorial, dedicated in 1997, pays tribute to all servicewomen in the U.S. armed forces. It is at the ceremonial entrance to the cemetery. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily April 1-Sept. 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. the rest of the year. Closed on Christmas. |
| Ben Lomond Historic Site |
10321 Sudley Manor Dr. Manassas, Va. Off-season: 571-641-0079 On-site: 703-367-7872 mriley@pwcgov.org | Built in 1832 by Benjamin Tasker Chinn, this farmhouse was used as a field hospital during the Civil War. Graffiti left by Union soldiers can be seen on the inside walls. The property, with one of the largest public rose gardens in the country, is open April 1-Oct. 31. Tours are available by appointment. Hours: weekends in April; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, May-October. |
| Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre |
12229 Bristow Rd. Brentsville, Va. 703-365-7895 | The center dates from the 1820s, when the county seat was established there. Today, Brentsville is the county's oldest surviving courthouse. The site also contains a jail, a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin and the Brentsville Union Church. The jail and the log cabin are closed for renovations. The 24-acre grounds, which include hiking trails and a picnic area, are open from sunrise to sunset daily. |
| Calvert Marine Museum |
14200 Solomons Island Rd.
P.O. Box 97 Solomons, Md. 410-326-2042 Fax: 410-326-6691 information@calvertmarinemuseum.com | This public, nonprofit museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research and interpretation of the culture and natural history of Southern Maryland. Its mission is to interpret three maritime themes: regional Miocene paleontology, estuarine life on the tidal Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, and the maritime histories of these waters. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Adults, $7; seniors, $6; ages 5-12, $2; 4 and younger, free; members, free. |
| Cannon Branch Fort |
10509 Wakeman Dr. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 | This is one of two remaining Civil War earthworks fortifications in Manassas. Historians think they were built by Union troops in 1863 and 1864 as part of a series of forts meant to defend supply lines along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The fort is under renovation. |
| Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory |
9419 Battle St. Manassas, Va. 703-330-ARTS (2787) info@center-for-the-arts.org | The 1908 Hopkins Candy Factory was restored in 2001 and 2002 and a variety of arts programs. |
| Chapman's/Beverley Mill |
Beverley Mill Dr. Broad Run, Va. 540-253-5888 mill@chapmansmill.org | This gristmill, built in the 1740s, was used as a meat-curing warehouse and distribution center by Confederate forces during the Civil War. The battle of Thoroughfare Gap was fought in and around the mill on Aug. 28, 1862. The structure is considered a ruin. The mill was set afire in 1757, 1842, 1861 and 1998. It was rebuilt in 1876. Its walls are being stabilized, and it is closed to the public. The tallest stone building in the United States, the mill can be viewed from Route 55 west, Interstate 66 in Broad Run and a trail above the highway within the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy. |
| Charles Carroll House |
107 Duke of Gloucester St. Annapolis, Md. 410-269-1737 | Three generations of Carrolls, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived here. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays, May-October. Group and school tours by appointment. |
| Chase-Lloyd House |
22 Maryland Ave. Annapolis, Md. 410-263-2723 | Built by Samuel Chase, an 18th-century lawyer and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, this Georgian-style townhouse is known for its interior detail. Hours: 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2-4 p.m. most Saturdays (call first), March-December. Admission: $2. |
| Civil War Trails |
Prince William,
Va.
| Trail markers are found throughout Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. Two new signs, commemorating events in Haymarket, can be viewed at the Haymarket Museum. |
| Conner House |
Conner Drive near Euclid Avenue Manassas Park, Va. 703-335-8872 | This home once served as mapping headquarters for Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston after the First Battle of Manassas in 1861. Made of sandstone and built about 1820, it also was used as a headquarters for Union Col. L.B. Pierce and his troops and as a field hospital. The home is named for its last private owner, who operated a dairy farm there in the early 20th century. Currently being restored, it is not open to the public. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails. |
| Fort Washington Park |
13551 Fort Washington Rd. Fort Washington, Md. 301-763-4600 | This is one of the few seacoast forts in its original form. The 341-acre national park has hiking and biking trails and overlooks the Potomac River and Mount Vernon. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April-Oct. 26; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 27-April 5, 2009. Park grounds are open 8 a.m.-dark. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. $3 per individual, $5 per vehicle. |
| Freedom Museum |
Manassas Regional Airport
10400 Terminal Rd. 10400 Terminal Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-393-0660 freedommuseum7@aol.com | The museum honors veterans of recent wars. A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, it offers educational programs, including tours with veterans. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Free. |
| Glen Echo Park |
7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, Md. 301-634-2222 Fax: 301-634-2260 Recorded information: 301-320-2330 info@glenechopark.org | The site features a historic carousel and ballroom. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays. |
| Gunston Hall Plantation |
10709 Gunston Rd. Mason Neck, Va. 703-550-9220 Fax: 703-550-9480 | This was the plantation home of George Mason, a framer of the U.S. Constitution. The home, built about 1755, is on 550 acres and is open for tours. Many special events take place here throughout the year. Hours: 9:30 a.m-5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. |
| Haymarket Museum |
15025 Washington St. Haymarket, Va. 703-753-3712 haymarketmuseum@verizon.net | The museum is operated by the Haymarket Historical Commission in Haymarket's former town hall. Hours: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturdays, Fridays by appointment, April 5-Dec. 13. Free. |
| Historic London Town and Gardens |
839 Londontown Rd. Edgewater, Md. 410-222-1919 londontown@historiclondontown.org | This 23-acre park and historic site on the South River in Edgewater is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Created in 1683, the town became an important tobacco port and ferry crossing. Today, London Town features the state's largest ongoing archaeological excavation, the National Historic Landmark William Brown House and reconstructed buildings of the "lost town," including the Lord Mayor's Tenement and Carpenter Shop. The site showcases several historic gardens and an eight-acre woodland garden. The foundation offers special events and educational programs throughout the year. Hours: April-December, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays. House tours are given hourly, with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. January-March, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission: Guided historic area and self-guided garden tour, $12; seniors, $10; youths 7-18, $5; age 6 and younger, free. Self-guided historic area and garden tour, $8; seniors, $6; youths 7-18, $3; age 6 and younger, free. Reservations required for group tours of 10 or more. Free to members of the London Town Foundation. |
| Historic St. Mary's City |
18751 Hogaboom Lane,
off Rosecroft Road St. Mary's City, Md. 240-895-4990 800-762-1634 hsmc@smcm.edu | This outdoor living history museum and archaeological park documents the life of Maryland's first permanent colony and the first Colonial capital (1634-95), Godiah Spray Plantation, Woodland Indian Hamlet, 1676 State House, historic town center and the Dove, a replica of one of the two vessels that brought the original colonists. Exhibitions are open from mid-March through November, with special events on weekends through December. Adults, $10; seniors, $8; college students and students, 13-18, $6; children 6-12, $3.50; and children 5 and younger, free. |
| Jennie Dean Grave Site |
Greater Mount Calvary Christian Church
4949 Sudley Rd. 4949 Sudley Rd. Catharpin, Va. 703-368-9987 | In 1893, Jennie Dean founded the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth, the only school in Northern Virginia at the time to provide vocational and academic training for blacks. Dean was buried in 1913 in the graveyard of the Greater Mount Calvary Christian Church, a national historic site. She is said to have founded a church earlier on the site, in addition to Dean Divers Baptist Church in Manassas in 1909 and Prosperity Baptist Church in Loudoun County in 1899. |
| Liberia House |
8601 Portner Ave. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 | This is the largest plantation house in Manassas to have survived the Civil War. Built in 1825, it was used as a headquarters by Union and Confederate armies. President Abraham Lincoln visited the site, and historians think Jefferson Davis did, too. The building is under renovation but is open for programs and special events. Tours and lectures related to the property are available through the Manassas Museum by appointment. |
| Manassas Industrial School/Jennie Dean Memorial |
9601 Wellington Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 | The memorial commemorates Jennie Dean, a slave born in Prince William County in 1852, and the school she founded for blacks in 1893. The site offers a scale model of the school grounds and an audio tour of the historic Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth. The memorial is open sunrise to sunset daily. |
| Manassas Museum |
9101 Prince William St. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 manassasmuseum@ci.manassas.va.us | The museum showcases Manassas, Civil War and Northern Virginia Piedmont history. It has videos and a gift shop. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Admission: $4; seniors and youths 6-17, $3; 5 and younger, free. Discounts for members, children and groups. |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park |
6511 Sudley Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-361-1339 | The park was established in 1940 to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles, including the first major engagement of the war. The 5,000-acre park includes such historic landmarks as the Stone Bridge, Stone House, Henry Hill, L. Dogan House, Groveton Confederate Cemetery, Brawner Farm and the Stonewall Jackson monument. Markers point out sites of historic interest throughout the property; self-guided walking and driving tours are available. Hours: Visitors center is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. year-round, park is open sunrise to sunset daily. |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park |
6511 Sudley Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-361-1339 | The 5,000-acre park was established in 1940 to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles, including the first major engagement of the war in 1861. Visitors center hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. |
| Manassas Railroad Depot |
9431 West St. Manassas, Va. 703-361-6599 | The depot was rebuilt in 1914 and used as a station on the Southern Railway. The track is on the original site of the 1852 Orange and Alexandria Railroad right of way. Renovated in 1997 and now part of the Manassas Museum System, the depot serves as the visitor center for Old Town Manassas and as the headquarters of Historic Manassas Inc. It houses the James and Marion Payne Railroad Heritage Gallery. The station is a passenger depot for Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express. A gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The waiting room is open for scheduled trains. |
| Mayfield Fort |
8401 Quarry Rd. Manassas, Va. 703-368-1873 | The fort is one of two remaining Civil War earthwork fortifications in Manassas. First occupied by Native Americans as early as 3700 B.C., the site was used in modern times as a home by the Hooe family until 1861, when Confederate troops built a fort on the site as part of their defense of the railroad lines at Manassas Junction. Today the site features eight Civil War Trail interpretive markers; the stone markers for the foundation of the Hooe homesite, Mayfield; the earthen remainder of the Civil War fort; and a reproduction cannon. The site is a part of Virginia Civil War Trails. Summer camps, Civil War reenactments and other events take place here. The park is open from dawn to dusk. |
| Mill House Museum |
413 Mill St. Occoquan, Va. 703-491-7525 | Occoquan's Mill House Museum is the site of the first fully automated gristmill in the country. The mill was built in the 1750s and operated until it was destroyed by a fire in 1924. The part that remains, the miller's office, is a museum. Hours: 11 a.m-4 p.m. daily. Free. |
| Mormon Temple |
9900 Stoneybrook Dr. Kensington, Md. 301-587-0144 301-588-0650 | The world's third-largest Mormon temple is on 57 acres near the Capital Beltway. Visitors center hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except in December, when it is open nightly until 10. |
| Mount Vernon |
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. Mount Vernon, Va. 703-780-2000 | The estate of George Washington is open daily, year-round. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February. |
| Mount Vernon |
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. Mount Vernon, Va. 703-780-2000 | The estate, home and burial place of George Washington is eight miles south of the city of Alexandria. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily April-August; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March, September and October; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. November-February. Adults, $13; seniors, $12; ages 6-11, $6; 5 and younger, free. |
| NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center |
Soil Conservation Road and Explorer Drive Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-9041 Fax: 301-286-1781 gsfc-pao@listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov | The hub of all NASA tracking activities, Goddard is also responsible for the development of unmanned scientific spacecraft and research in space and earth sciences, including NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Collections include space flight artifacts and photographs. Visitors center hours: September-June, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; noon-4 p.m. weekends; closed Mondays. July-August, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, noon-4 p.m., Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Closed on all federal holidays. Free. |
| National Colonial Farm at the Accokeek Foundation |
3400 Bryan Point Rd. Accokeek, Md. 301-283-2113, Ext. 15 Fax: 301-283-2049 programs@accokeek.org | The farm, an agricultural-historical museum project of the Accokeek Foundation, has exhibitions and demonstrations of the agricultural methods, crops and livestock of a modest Tidewater farm of the mid-18th century. Open throughout the school year for guided tours scheduled in advance. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, mid-March through mid-December; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, mid-December through mid-March. Guided tours available at 1 p.m. on weekends. $2; 50 cents, ages 4 to 11. |
| National Museum of the Marine Corps |
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Triangle, Va. 877-653-1775 info@usmcmuseum.org | The museum was completed in 2006 on a 135-acre site adjacent to the Marine Corps base in Quantico. Interactive exhibits using artifacts and innovative technology are designed to immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of Marines in action. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Christmas. Free. |
| Oatlands Plantation |
20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane Leesburg, Va. 703-777-3174 Fax: 703-777-4427 | Oatlands, owned and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers guided tours of its antebellum plantation, including a 22-room mansion built in 1804 by George Carter, great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter, who in the early 1700s was said to be the richest man in the English colonies. Afternoon tea is served in the carriage house Thursday through Saturday until the end of June and again after Labor Day. Candlelight tours are conducted at Christmastime. |
| Old Manassas Courthouse |
9248 Lee Ave. Manassas, Va. 703-792-5546 | The Old Manassas Courthouse was the fifth Prince William County courthouse. The county seat was moved from Brentsville to this red-brick building in 1897. The building was the county courthouse until 1982. The site is available to rent for receptions and other events. |
| Old Town Manassas |
9431 West St. Manassas, Va. 703-361-6599 | There are 18th- and 19th-century structures in the six-square-block historic district, including stores and businesses along Center, Battle, West, Main and Church streets and homes along Grant Avenue north of Church Street and over to Sudley Road. Old Town was named a Great American Main Street in 2003 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. |
| Point Lookout State Park |
11175 Point Lookout Rd. Route 5 Scotland, Md. 301-872-5688 Fax: 301-872-5084 | The Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay join here. The area served as a watch post to warn of British ships during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. During the Civil War, it was a Union military district in which the federal government established a hospital and prisoner-of-war camp. Hours: sunrise-sunset year-round. The park is open to night fishing with a valid license. |
| Rippon Lodge |
15500 Blackburn Rd. Woodbridge, Va. 703-499-9812 703-792-4754 kspears@pwcgov.org | This home, built in 1747, is being restored. It was built by Richard Blackburn, a carpenter and landowner. His son, Thomas Blackburn, was a friend and aide to George Washington. The property was later owned by Bushrod Washington, the heir to Mount Vernon. The house, which overlooks the Potomac River, is open by appointment for tours and special events. |
| Signal Hill |
9300 Signal View Dr. Manassas Park, Va. 703-335-8872 | Signal Hill was used by Confederate troops as a signal station. It marked the first time a signal message was used during a military engagement. The earthwork has survived, and cannon placements are evident. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is open from 8 a.m. until dusk. |
| St. Paul's Church |
6735 Fayette St. Haymarket, Va. 703-754-7536 st.paulschurch@comcast.net | St. Paul's Church was built in 1801 as a courthouse for Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties. During the Civil War, it served as a hospital, and its grounds were used as a burial site by the Union and Confederate armies. In 1862, Union troops converted the building into a stable before setting fire to it. In 1867, the structure was rebuilt as a church. Sunday services are at 8, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. |
| The Barracks |
43 Pinkney St. Annapolis, Md. 410-267-7619 Fax: 410-267-6189 | Similar to the residences used to house troops during the Revolutionary War, the building has two main rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor. It is maintained by the Historic Annapolis Foundation. Hours: by appointment only as well as during Maryland Day celebrations in March. |
| Thomas Stone National Historic Site |
6655 Rose Hill Rd. Port Tobacco, Md. 301-392-1776 Fax: 301-934-8793 | This is the site of Haberdeventure, home of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stone and his wife, Margaret Brown, built the home in the early 1770s, and it remained the Stone family home until 1936. The National Park Service, which finished restoring the site in 1997, offers hiking and birding trails, as well as guided tours of the house. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Memorial Day-Labor Day; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, Labor Day-Memorial Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Free. |
| Town of Occoquan |
Occoquan,
Va.
703-491-1918 | There are several 18th- and 19th-century structures in Occoquan, including Rockledge, Town Hall, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Merchants Mill Museum. |
| U.S. Geological Survey |
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. Reston, Va. 703-648-4748 | A visitors center at the federal agency offers an introduction to such topics as volcanoes, earthquakes, disaster preparedness and flooding. Hours: self-guided tours 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; call ahead for guided tours. |
| U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial |
Just north of Arlington National Cemetery, at Route 50 and North Meade Street Arlington, Va. 703-289-2500 | The memorial honoring all fallen Marines depicts one of the most famous images of World War II: Marines raising the U.S. flag while fighting the Japanese on the West Pacific Ocean island of Iwo Jima. The memorial is also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. |
| U.S. Naval Academy |
Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center
52 King George St. Annapolis, Md. 410-293-8687 tourinfo@usna.edu | The academy was founded in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. The visitors center offers walking tours, including a visit to a sample midshipman's room, and exhibitions. Visitors center hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March-December, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. January-February. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day. Visitors older than 16 must have a valid photo ID. Adults, $8.50; older than 62, $7.50; students, $6.50; 5 and younger, free. |
| U.S. Patent and Trademark Museum |
600 Dulany St. Suite 0100 Alexandria, Va. 571-272-0095 | Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Closed all federal holidays. Free. |
| Weems-Botts Museum |
3944 Cameron St.
P.O. Box 26 PO Box 26 Dumfries, Va. 703-221-2218 weemsbotts@msn.com | The museum, in a house dating to the 1750s, is named for past owners Mason Locke Weems and the man to whom he sold the house in 1802, Benjamin Botts. Weems is known as the first biographer of George Washington; he popularized legends such as Washington chopping down the cherry tree. Botts is noted for being on Aaron Burr's legal defense team. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Admission: adults, $3; children 6-16 and seniors, $2; children younger than 6, free. |
| White's Ferry |
24801 White's Ferry Rd. Dickerson, Md. 301-349-5200 | This is the only regularly operating ferry on the Potomac River. Hours: 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, weather permitting. $4 one way, $6 round trip. |
| Woodlawn |
9000 Richmond Hwy. (Route 1) Alexandria, Va. 703-780-4000 | Woodlawn was built between 1800 and 1805 as a wedding gift from George Washington for Lawrence and Eleanor "Nelly" Custis Lewis (George Washington's nephew and Martha Washington's granddaughter) on acreage from the founding father's Mount Vernon estate. It is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Open March-December 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Fees: Adults $7.50, children $3, or $13 for adults and $5 for children to also visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House, which shares the location. The estate can be rented for events. |
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