The Haltermans really needed to get out of town, just for a minute, for a change of scenery. Nothing "bad" to escape from--but the act of seeing somewhere different, teaching our kids about it, and meeting people who are passionate about a cultural institution is just refreshing to us. So, we headed out to the US Civil War battlefield at Chancellorsville, Virginia, relatively near Fredericksburg and part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. The drive from Roanoke will get you off the interstate and through roads of gentleman's farms and small towns, pleasant in its own right.
On an academic level, this National Park Service site will help you understand the run up to the Battle of Gettysburg. By featuring the Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson family's story, the site will also give you a heightened sense of the tragedy that was the war. Stonewall was mortally wounded by friendly fire here, shortly after meeting his only child that would survive to adulthood. The exhibits in the visitor's center are engaging and nicely displayed in a reasonably small space, providing an interesting view of both the "human side" of the battles as well as its military movements. If you frequent these type of cultural sites, it is difficult to find those that can leave the average visitor with a better appreciation of both the human impact and the military circumstances, and this is one that can do that. We mention the battles plural because this National Park is about multiple, separate battles in the region, close in time and clearly linked. The Chancellorsville Visitors Center is one of two visitors center sites in the park with information, and it offers an orientation film that is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and free for kids under ten. It's obviously worth it. The rest of the park is fee-free.
With the kids, we highly recommend the Junior Ranger program. It will be pretty doable for most kids six and older with assistance, eight and older with reasonably little assistance. And the reward patch? It's awesome! The kind visitors center staff even announced E's accomplishment during our trip! In just about any season, the brief, well-surfaced loop trail around the center will lead you to major Jackson-related monuments. The 10-stop driving tour from the center will also take you interesting places, including a landmark of the Lee-Jackson Bivouac there (their final such bivouac, or meeting) and Catherine Furnace, a battlefield landmark which is, well, just interesting to view. When we return outside of winter, we'd also be game to take one of the park's three relatively short hikes (translation: hiking for an hour or two, perfect with relatively inexperienced children hiking along).
If you go, plan to spend time exploring. One of K's current pet peeves is that the average visitor to National Park Sites only stays a very brief time, sometimes less than an hour. A less-than-an-hour visit does not give you any real time to appreciate the interpretation, so stay longer if you can. There's a small bookstore with some academic selections, and as we mentioned, we found a very welcoming, interested staff. The park is in a rural but well-trafficked area, but there are not a bunch of restaurants super close by. There is a strip mall down the road towards Charlottesville where you will find a local pizza place and similar places if you are interested, and Fredericksburg is not that far up the road. For those ambling north to Gettysburg, this park would be a great stop along your adventure. There is also a good compliment of seasonal programming, including a beautiful Memorial Day illumination event and some interesting presentations we saw advertised in honor of Black History Month, about which there are more details on the park Facebook page.