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.

Saw road signs when driving through the area. Well - we just had to stop! Nothing to see or visit…read moreon this rainy day, but we took a few minutes to go off the main road and drive down the lane, past the vineyards and see the buildings (even though from a distance). Would like to go back sometime to see if anything is open and visit what seems like a fun little historical site. Not sure - maybe it's just a destination venue. Wasn't clear in signage.

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.

This park is well maintained, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly! I enjoyed seeing animals…read morepart of history.

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.

"Walk a mile in their shoes......"…read more I decided to peer through the eyes of history and visit the Tuckahoe Plantation. I felt all the feels driving up the loooong drive to the plantation. I wondered how many slaves dreamed about what was on the "other side" of that long field. Many visitors pack in to see where Thomas Jefferson spent his childhood BUT I drove to see how the ancestors spent theirs (as this plantation tells the enslaved stories, as well). As I walked the curving path to see the schoolhouse, kitchen, enslaved quarters....I felt something (not the haunting that is said to be present) - i wondered about long sweltering summers in the field. I didn't need to peer inside the main house. I thought the archivists did a good job assembling historical facts about Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved. I didn't take the guided tour but I enjoyed what was open to see (people reside there - in both the main house and cabins - so not much to see).

Lovely spot to take a walk in their immaculate garden! This plantation, once the home of Thomas…read moreJefferson, is located off River Road, down a long, dirt driveway. You will pass a farm with chickens and gorgeous fields as you make you way to the stately Georgian styled home at the end of the road. There's a parking lot with an honor system box, $5 donation for the self- guided walking tour of the grounds. A map Is provided, and there are QR codes throughout this beautiful acreage. Should you want a guided tour of the main house and outbuildings, there are charges ranging from $5-$20, discounts for children, seniors and military. Call for reservations to be sure they are not hosting a private event. We were only interested in being outdoors! The plantation is open from 9-5 daily. This place is the perfect location for some fresh air therapy! We were enthralled by the various garden areas, the statuary, the arched groves, the arbors, the colonial design, and most of all, the spring flowers and trees in full bloom! We meandered through the rows of tulips, daffodils, poppies, hyacinths, snowdrops, candytuft, bluebells, and other colorful flowers, shrubs, bushes and plants. This not so secret garden was full of birds, with bird houses placed strategically at various spots. Flowering vines and trees were trained to make gorgeous arches. The maintenance of this amazing, historic estate is obviously painstakingly meticulous. We were completely enthralled with its beauty and understated grandeur. They allow photo shoots for exorbitant fees and by appointment only. You might want to try Maymont, etc. instead.

We went to the Berkeley plantation during the Thanksgiving festival. We were not planning to…read moreattend, but saw a road sign leading us to the event. They had a tremendous amount of activities for the children, including a petting zoo. The weather was great and the grounds were filled with beautiful trees, flowers, and it's right on the water. They were collecting food for FeedMore and there were a lot of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts there. The cost to get in is $25 per car, and $10 for a bike. It is right off of the capital trail, however, the trail does not extend to the plantation. Wish they had more kid friendly food items. But the nice food truck allowed us to buy a simple hotdog.

What a beautiful place with so much history! Peaceful, lovely location. Great tour of house…read more Gardens are not super impressive but the walk to the James River is nice. Go just for the history!

The Malvern Hill Battlefield…read more The government shutdown blocked us from attending Petersburg National Park/Civil War Sites but Malvern Hill is owned by a private charitable trust. American Civil War 1861-65. This was the last of the Seven Days' Battles, which all came about from the Peninsular Campaign in which the Union, led by General McClellan, attempted to march toward Richmond to take the Confederate capital. Newsflash. It didn't work out for the Union. Most of the real battles were Union defeats and eventually the Union pulled back and Malvern Hill, with the Union gunboats and hill giving them an advantage. They had to win this or risk likely annihilation/capture. They won it. The Seven Days' Battles made or broke the fame of several leaders and even a brigade. The Irish Brigade made a big name for itself at Malvern. Overall, Robert E. Lee stood out for the first time and would go on to become a legend. Conversely, the Union would begin to doubt General McClellan and on the Confederacy a promising General Magruder was banished to a distant post for angering General Lee. Lesser-known soldier tales: Allegedly a sergeant from the Irish Brigade shot a Confederate officer and later found out it was his son. Likely a false but stirring story put together by a newspaper from the period. A lad of 17 named Phil Edwin Jemison took a cannon hit and died with an elite legacy. His photo made the front magazine page of And an unknown general with great promise, General Charles Sidney Winder, who rallied together five cobbled regiments and personally led them at an earlier battle of the Seven Days Battles. He died at the Battle of Cedar Mountain 39 days later. A novel about the Battle of Cedar Mountain followed by a movie made the place better known - Cold Mountain.

It's no Appomattox or Antietam, but if you're in the area, there is good signage about the battle…read morethat happened here and some cannons for reference. If you just like parks, there is plenty of parking and a path to walk along as well. It may not take up a lot of time, but it's still great this battlefield was preserved. The signage referred to a visitor center, but when we went to it there was some other establishment at that address. So it's just a park but a nice park.

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.

Such a cool place. I mean, who's ever heard of a Sunken Garden before!? Great place to meet…read morefriends for a game of soccer or frisbee. My kids LOVED coming here on a visit so they could work their way into a game with students. It's also just beautiful, surrounded by boxwood and stately brick buildings.

At the heart of the College of William and Mary's old campus lies this gorgeous lawn. A remaining…read moreproject from the work relief programs from the Great Depression it lies several feet lower than the campus around it. Free for anyone to visit it is intended for students and community members to come and relax. It exists to beautify the campus and remind those who visit of the strength our country had coming out of the Great Depression, it serves both of these purposes well. Having visited earlier this week I could not imagine giving the Gardens any lower of a rating. It ties the campus together and is an integral part of the William and Mary that exists today.