A Civil War RV Vacation Itinerary
What greater way to spend a vacation studying Civil War sites than in the comfort of an RV rental? Whether you plan to visit Antietam, Bull Run or Atlanta, history buffs will soon be engrossed in the drama of the War. Plot your course for the places made famous by the War Between the States, and make your base camp a luxurious motorhome. Here’s an overview of the historic sites you’ll want to visit.
Civil War Sites North of the Mason Dixon
What better place to start your Civil War RV Vacation than in Pennsylvania, where the largest battle of the War Between the States was fought in Gettysburg? Gettysburg National Military Park commemorates the significant places that were part of this momentous three-day battle. In nearby New Oxford, PA, take the time to take part in one of the historic walking tours, where townspeople re-enact the daily lives of Gettysburg citizens during the Civil War.
Don’t miss the National Civil War History Museum at Harrisburg before leaving Pennsylvania. It gives an excellent overview of the conflict from start to finish. These are only a few of the dozens of historic Civil War locations to be found on the Pennsylvania leg of your RV vacation.
Next door in Delaware, you’ll find Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island, in the middle of the Delaware River. Tour the prison, where thirty thousand Confederate soldiers were held prisoner during the War. Fort Delaware has an excellent living history program your entire family will enjoy.
Before leaving the Northern States, be sure to visit Grant’s Tomb in New York City. Along the Hudson River in Manhattan, this National Parks Site is North America’s largest tomb.
Civil War Sites South of the Mason Dixon
Turn your RV south to Virginia and make a stop at Appomattox Courthouse, where the Civil War came to an end. Maintained by the National Parks Site, Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Site is filled with displays, living history presentations and walking tours that will fascinate Civil War enthusiasts.
One of the many other important historical sites in Virginia is the Confederate Section of Arlington National Cemetery. Walk among the almost five hundred graves of Confederate soldiers and learn the fascinating history of the Confederate Memorial at their center.
Virginia also hosts dozens of historic battlefields. Manassas, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Courthouse, just to name a few, were scene to thousands of Union and Confederate casualties and now give a solemn glance into Civil War military strategy.
As your RV rolls down the road to North Carolina, stop at Fort Fisher, site of one of the last strategic losses for the South. You’ll also find important battlefields at Averasborough and Bentonville, NC.
If you hope to dig further into Confederate history, you must include Georgia on your Civil War RV Vacation. Chickamauga, Jonesborough and, of course, Sherman’s deadly march through Atlanta are all memorialized by Georgia historians.
There’s so much more to say about Civil War history that can be learned from the comfort of an RV. Visit Mississippi, home to Vicksburg, where one of the War’s most brilliant military strategies unfolded. As you pass through Alabama, stop to study about the fierce battle of Mobile Bay.
Farther north in Tennessee, Shiloh Battlefield marks the place where more than twenty thousand lost their lives in two short days. Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina and West Virginia each are home to battlefields and monuments worth visiting.
You may find yourself scheduling several RV vacations in order to study completely the War that divided the US. Choose your starting point for your first trip, book a luxurious RV rental and get started! The history of the Civil War may just become a lifetime passion.
