Returning to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Napoleon and More

As our blog regulars are aware, Kim and kids E and G made a trip to see a special exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts this spring, taking in Terracotta Warriors.  While this exhibit has moved on, the VFMA is still a great day trip for anyone visiting Richmond or within driving distance to it. 

As part of our anniversary celebration, Kim and Justin took on the museum as adults with a highlight being the summer special exhibit Napoleon: Power and Splendor.  It closes September 3--so if you are still looking for something to do this weekend, here's a great idea!  It's headed to Kansas City, MO, next.  In Richmond, the exhibit is in an immersive space and will occupy serious museum goers as long as you'd like in multiple galleries.  There is plenty to ponder by way of the ways both wealth and visuals affect the way we perceive power, and you'll enjoy portraiture, sculpture, and decorative arts.  We were delighted to find teachers were admitted free to this special exhibit, a tradition continuing from Terracotta.

As always, the VFMA main galleries have free admission. Host to a large collection, the museum is definitely a place you can spend a day.  On this visit, we particularly appreciated opportunity to spend time in the area devoted to Russian art, including the Faberge Eggs.  The collection of older pieces, including items truly from the ancient world, is simply pretty amazing.  Their website features an interactive map that will help you focus on art from particular areas of the world if you wish.  You can also eat on site with two quality options.  We chose Best Cafe--a little stop with clear references to the former Best department stores.

If you go, allow time to be outside on the grounds if at all possible. There are interesting sculptures, and we found a Civil War commemorative chapel to explore unexpectedly.  Lots of Richmonders seem to walk, work, and generally relax here, which is lovely. Also consider taking in the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.  We were disappointed that their admission structure had changed, but we still had a great time and particularly enjoyed the work of folk artist Queena Stovall of Lynchburg, on display now til October 14.

Virginia's US Civil War Battlefields: Chancellorsville

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.

Hidden History: Petersburg National Battlefield Park

For Labor Day weekend, we visited Petersburg National Battlefield Park, an excellent destination for families of all interest levels in the US Civil War.  We had been impressed by the park on a previous visit, and it continues to be a well-interpreted, surprising, and off-the-beaten path site.  This time, we found extremely friendly rangers, a simple-and-effective Junior Ranger badge program, and no entry fee (it was small before but has been dropped).

The history of the site is simply impressive.  Petersburg is the start of modern trench warfare (and provides a contrast to the understanding of earlier trench warfare you can obtain in nearby Yorktown, just 45 miles away "as the crow flies").  This is also one of the best sites we've found in Virginia for African-American Civil War History. Of course, no visit is complete without seeing the famed Dictator mortar, a huge cannon of sorts with about a 2-mile range, incredible for the time.  Also not to be missed?  A visit to the Crater site, now even more approachable thanks to some resurfacing of the direct path to the tunnel.  The Battle of the Crater, part of the 9-month long siege interpreted at the park, will tap your interests in military tactics, spying, infighting, and more. Our sense is it is little studied in most history classrooms, but it is one of the most interesting historic sites within driving distance of Roanoke, Virginia, period--and regular readers know that we have a good frame of reference for our rating.

While you are there, we highly recommend finding the recently-restored Poplar Grove National Cemetery.  Much smaller than Arlington, visitors can feel as if you have fully seen this site within a relatively short time.  Take time to wander and reflect, and if you read grave markers carefully, you will find soldiers from both the US Civil War and the Spanish American War, interesting placements of Confederate dead in a national cemetery, rows of US Colored Troops who died quite valiantly, and numerous unknown soldiers.  There is an interpretive leaflet available from boxes at the site that will help you understand the context of the cemetery.

If you go, start at the Visitors Center and take in the introductory film that plays on the hour and half-hour.  Get out and enjoy nature while you visit, which will also afford you a better understanding of what the area's land was like 150 years ago. Good news: It won't be hard to take a walk in the forest on a standard visit.  There are two small "hikes" we particularly recommend for families--the path to the Dictator mortar near the visitor's center that also help guests understand the features of the earthwork trenches, and the very accessible (flat) .5-mile trail into the woods at stop three on the driving trail.  Consider taking a snack lunch or picnic (there are plenty of picnic tables at driving tour stop four) so that you do not need to leave the site for a break, which may require a bit of driving.  If you are combining trips, you are also very near Richmond National Battlefield Park and will even find signs for the park on some of the routes in to Petersburg.

History's Variety: A Day in Richmond

Richmond, VA--close but far.  It's an easy drive from the Roanoke Valley, and it is a whole different place.  It's also full of treasures--multiple museums, National Parks sites, just plain interesting places. J had heard that the Virginia Historical Society was running a fun special exhibit on toys, and we had to go see what overlapping things we own or with which we played.  Really.

The Toys of the 50s, 60s, and 70s exhibit alone was worth every effort to visit.  This is a grand display of true life as it was often imagined from a Sears Wish Book, complete with period living rooms and commercials to watch.  Items on display range from Raggedy Ann dolls to Barbie Dream Houses, early Legos to lawn darts.  The interpretation makes it easy to understand changes in toys related to changes in parenting styles and popular culture overall.  In the back of the exhibit, there are a few play spaces including a Nerf ball area in a simulated garage that will remind you of the Brady Bunch backyard.  There's a modest cost ($10 per non-member adult).   We're often flattered to be asked how to help young people interact with museums and understand their relevance--it isn't hard to engage kids in conversation about personal and family history here.

The Virginia Historical Society itself is a free museum (excepting special exhibits) to visit with interesting galleries.  There's a large exhibit of Virginia's story, prehistory to the present, that includes many interesting artifacts and some interactivity.  Other exhibits focus on various firearms, silver, interesting Virginia homes, and the like.  The Landscapes of Virginia exhibit is an excellent primer on Virginia geography, too.  If you have a student in Virginia and US History (usually about 4th/5th grade), everything here is on point with the curriculum expectations.  Additionally, part of the museum was once known as the "Battle Abbey" and pays tribute to the US Civil War, including through lovingly-restored large murals.  The gift shop is splendid, featuring a good selection of academic resources as well as more popular-press histories at various price points. Our least-expensive buy, a book on Jewish history in the Commonwealth, was just $1.

After the museum visit, we took our National Parks Service Passports and went over to Tredegar Iron Works, a site at which many Civil War-era cannons were made.  Interestingly interpreted, the Iron Works is a site of American history as well as industrial history.  The interpretation includes information about Richmond, about the Civil War, and about industrialization in the region.  E completed the Junior Ranger program here to his enjoyment and at no cost.

At the Virginia Historical Society, there's free onsite parking--and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (also free) is right next door.  At Tredegar, you'll pay to park--but a pretty modest $5/day.  Just take the parking times seriously--you have to have your car out before the lot closes for the evening or pay a hefty $50 fee to have the gates opened.  If you go and do this same trip, take some snacks and eat dinner as your main meal.  We headed out to the Short Pump area for a bunch of options.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama: North America's Largest Oil Painting May Be Closer Than You Think

North America's largest oil painting?  It's not in an art museum; it's not in a huge city.  It's the Gettysburg Cyclorama, on display at Gettysburg National Military Park.  If you are unfamiliar, a cyclorama is a giant painting you kind of enter--connected canvas hang all around you in a circle, and you view it from a center platform.  In another era, they traveled the country on display.  Recently lovingly restored across five years and housed in a special round barn-like building designed for it, the Gettysburg Cyclorama is shown as it was long ago, making for quite the immersive experience. You'll understand why veterans who saw the cyclorama were said to weep with its authenticity when you visit.

To see the cyclorama, go to the Gettysburg National Military Park's Visitor Center.  You'll pay a reasonable fee ($15 for most adults, $10 for many others--or avoid the fee by joining Friends of Gettysburg) and see a nicely-done film, much of which is voiced by Morgan Freeman, discussing the complexity of the US Civil War.  Then, there's an escalator ride to the cyclorama viewing platform where you will have ample time to hear about the painting and view it.  You can move around on the platform, too, and non-flash photography is allowed.  The painting is 42 feet high and 377 feet in circumference--take your time.  Impressively, the display is as it was long ago, and scenery at the "bottom" of the painting gives everything a truly 3-D feel.  Ask the docents questions--obviously, the presentation doesn't include everything about the painting.  Be sure to find Lincoln, painted in the battle scene (no, he wasn't really there), and the artist himself among the soldiers.

If you go, your entry to the cyclorama also gets you in to the Visitor Center's museum, a focused telling of the story of the US Civil War, truly an epic in American history.  It serves as a detailed introduction to the war if you are not a professional historian, and if you visited the "old" Visitor Center that closed before 2008, this one will be much more modern than you remember.  If you are a first-time visitor to Gettysburg, the cyclorama itself will help you understand how the story of the Battle of Gettysburg was told at the time, an essential part of understanding the US Civil War in American memory.  You'll find the best parking and less crowded viewing very early in the day or in the off season, basically January-March.

The "West" in the Civil War: Chattanooga and Chickamauga

On our second family trip to Chattanooga, we reserved the equivalent of a day to explore the civil war battlefields and memorial monuments at Chattanooga and Chickamauga.  Both are characterized as far "western" battlefields for the time, and Justin, our Mr. History, recommends visiting both to help understand the course of the war.  Both sites help us understand what happened in our past--and the ways in which we have reflected on these events over the years.

On Lookout Mountain, Point Park, a commemoration of Chattanooga's "Battle Above the Clouds," is one of the first National Park Service sites.  It includes gorgeous views, including some even a casual student of history will recognize in civil war photographs.  Ochs Memorial Observatory includes a small gallery-style museum of civil war photography.  It's not part of the National Park Service, but the Battles for Chattanooga dioramas nearby add interesting information--and provide a way for you to support independent history attractions in addition to the National Park Service.  In fact, some of the best parking for this area is right behind their building.

Justin describes Chickamauga as a very well-preserved battlefield that can occupy several hours of driving/walking/hiking.  Like Gettysburg, there are many, many monuments and markers.  With a sense of adventure in mind, you can climb Wilder's Brigade Tower, an 85-foot stone monument with an interesting story itself.  There's a spiral staircase inside and outstanding views at the top.  Hang on to little ones, as the windows are open air--G tried to make an escape out of a high window, and she could have if we hadn't been paying attention.

If you go, Chattanooga's Point Park can easily be enjoyed as part of a trip to Lookout Mountain--and especially to the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.  If you are feeling thrifty, Point Park can serve as a lower-priced and kitsch-free alternative to Rock City--although we'd still suggest visiting both. Chickamauga is easy to reach on a travel day--we stopped as we drove back "up" to Roanoke--and is, again, a spacious place.  Both are best enjoyed on pleasant-weather days when you feel comfortable outside.

Through the Ages: Fort Monroe and the Casemate Museum

A few years ago, J had an enthusiastic colleague tell him about the Casemate Museum, a relatively small but highly-interesting museum located inside the fort structure at Fort Monroe.  On our tenth anniversary trip to the Williamsburg area, we made it to this truly intriguing site.

Intrigue begins when you drive into the fort over a one-lane bridge, crossing through its walls.  It may sound cliche, but you really do feel that you have driven back in time.  We visited the Casemate Museum first (check its hours--they are not as long as some), walking through the fort interior walls to view displays about activity in the area in the early years of the US, during the US Civil War, and into the 1900s before its decommissioning in the early 2000s.  Significantly, the site held POW Jefferson Davis during the US Civil War.  There is no cost to tour the museum.

Visitors should take time to walk around the grounds, and a self-guided walking tour is available.  For this reason, you may want to visit in the temperate spring or fall, but it was doable for us as determined adults in the summer.  We walked to the "top" of the fort, finding a pet cemetery, cannon placements, and interesting views.  There's a pretty chapel, a very large gun known as the Lincoln Gun, a house in which Lee stayed, and an attractive nearby lighthouse.  A Virginia Historical Marker also denotes the landing of the first African people to reach the shores of the colonies.  The site is being re-developed as a National Park Service site, so watch for enhancements in the next few years.

If you go, consider combining your trip with a visit to The Mariners' Museum as we did.  We drove back in to Williamsburg for dinner, but the area is full of good picnic sites, including some along the waterfront.  There are beaches!  If you are a teacher, consider adding professional development offered at this site to your summer lineup--the museum has a history of being included in the Virginia War Memorial Teacher Institutes.

Now That's a Museum: The Mariners' Museum

J and K have been blessed to travel to many museums.  We enjoy the offbeat, the classy, the historic, the kitschy--if it is a museum, we probably like it, at least on some level.  We'd been intending to travel to The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, for years, and we got around to it as the centerpiece of our tenth anniversary trip J planned for us.  K's dad was in the US Navy, and he visited here before its last major renovation adding the USS Monitor Center.  He would have been so pleased to see us enjoy it so.

Billed as the premiere US Civil War exhibit, the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners' Museum and the associated exhibits detailing the famous Battle of the Ironclads is extremely impressive.  We spent hours in this exhibit alone.  It presents and contextualizes this history of the war, the associated shipbuilding, and the battle--as well as the finding of the wreckage of the USS Monitor in the Atlantic and its ongoing preservation today.  If you have interests in technology, seafaring, engineering, exploration, war, history, and/or museum science, this exhibit is captivating.   Visitors hear the stories of the shipbuilders and soldiers--and the oceanographers, archaeologists, and others who find those memories.  As an added plus, we visited during a rare "tank draining," as the Monitor turret, kept in saltwater during the current stage of conservation, was in a drained tank when we visited.  If you have particular interests in conservation, follow @USSMonitorLab on Twitter.The teachers in us would find it a very suitable field trip for serious students of Virginia and US history of any age.

Don't miss any other part of the museum, either--including the particularly interesting Crabtree Gallery of miniature ships (there's a great exhibit book to buy), Abandon Ship: Stories of Survival, Defending the Seas about the history of the US Navy, and the fascinating International Small Craft Center, a display of everything from gondolas to canoes to classy motorboats.  Until late summer 2015, there's also a nifty exhibit of deep see exploration, Extreme Deep.

If you go, we're thinking this is a museum that, while interesting for some kids, would require a different touring style with kids under 10--it's better suited for museum readers than museum runners, if you will.  Come prepared to walk the well-landscaped grounds if you are so inclined.  The Grey Goose Cafe onsite serves the delicious food of a local catering company and is pretty reasonably priced for a yummy, well-prepared meal.  If you are traveling with kids, know you are very close to the Virginia Living Museum.

Justin's Happiest Place on Earth: Gettysburg, PA

No trip to Gettysburg is complete without seeing some of the monuments.  We say some because there are literally over 800 on the battlefield honoring brigades, veterans from certain states, clergy, and others.  If you are Justin, they represent historic events and figures.  If you are Kim, they represent an interesting period in American tourism and means of creating memory that are both sacred and profane (read a little Durkheim).  Our beloved nerdiness aside, the monuments are attractions in themselves, especially for kids.  You can climb the New York and Pennsylvania monuments, two of the largest on the battlefield, and Elijah enjoys "climbing" the elevated Peace Monument, fascinated by the concept of the eternal flame.  You can also go up the Longstreet Observation Tower on Confederate Avenue and get a great view of the overall site, associated monuments, and the Eisenhower Farm.  Elijah surmounted it for the first time this year.  We recommend visiting quieter sections of the battlefield as well--Barlow's Knoll is a particuarly peaceful site with many monumental cannons--as well as the monuments to well-known figures (the humble Longstreet, the Lincoln Speech Memorial, and Father Corby statue in particular).  Tour in your car, on your motorcycle, on a rented Segway, or on horseback. 

If you go, visit the National Park Service Visitor's Center, getting your picture taken with the Lincoln statue and taking in the Cyclorama and/or museum.  The new visitors center is spacious, but the bookstore is no longer fully controlled by the National Park Service, meaning some of the "academic" books and resources available are, well, less than academic.  There are still good finds in the store for history buffs--you just have to have a willingness to evaluate them.  Don't bother with the DVD Gettysburg Monuments and Statues and Their Stories, a showcase of 75 select monuments on the battlefield--Justin can teach you more.  Serious book buyers should still join Friends of Gettysburg for a valuable discount.

Relevant Twitter Handle:
@visitgettysburg

Trenches and Earthworks: Pamplin Historical Park, NPS Petersburg National Battlefield

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to visit a Civil War site we'd never seen right here in Virginia.  Kim had bought tickets to Pamplin Historical Park for Justin for Christmas, and we set out to use them.  What a treat--the Petersburg area features multiple sites connected to the activities just before the surrender, and there are amazingly well-preserved trenches and earthworks that illustrate the story.

At Pamplin Historical Park, we explored the property first with Elijah particularly enjoying the trails from site to site.  There's a reconstructed encampment, period buildings, and a simulated trench, all near a pretty spectacular piece of architecture designed to look like earthworks themselves that houses a small museum explaining the events at Petersburg.  Best of all, however, there are earthworks from the war that survive and help visitors envision the "break" in the fortifications at Petersburg, the event precipitating the fall of Richmond and the surrender.  Neither Justin nor Kim could understand how such an important area was overlooked prior to the generosity of the Pamplin family in the 1990s.  There are brief and inexpensive books related to the site's preservation in the gift shop, another bonus.

Admission to Pamplin includes a sophisticated audio tour via MP3.  Your player provides interesting insights outside; in the included National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, the player is indispensible.  The Museum of the Civil War Soldier is a more general museum about camp life, and we recommend taking it in after touring the grounds.  The audio here is highly interactive, including a system that tracks your movement through the galleries and provides insights automatically as well as through your customized requests.  This programming helps make the relatively-small museum more robust.  Don't miss the Trial by Fire gallery, a multi-sensory battle simulation. 

After Pamplin, we were a touch worried we'd be disappointed by Petersburg National Battlefield--how misplaced!  The battlefield features additional authentic earthworks.  The Dictator Trail is a short walk through field and forest that allows one to "climb" up and down some earthworks via stairs.  Most significantly, the trail leads to the dictator cannon--a very large, unique cannon that was used to blast Petersburg city.  We saw a tortoise and some lizards while walking, too.  Driving trails are included with your small entry fee as well, so don't miss the Crater, the site of the infamous, disasterous Battle of the Crater.  The park service has done a fine job interpreting the site, including a replica of the tunnel.  There are few monuments, so you really get the sense of being on the battlefield.  Elijah recommends pushing all the audio buttons on selected, solar-powered placards. 

Petersburg has become one of our most-recommended Civil War trips for people of all interest levels.  We'll be back to check out Blandford Church and Cemetery, as well as the City of Petersburg Museums.  If you go in the summer, be prepared for muggy Virginia weather.  For fast food slightly beyond the norm in the area, we recommend the Petersburg What-a-Burger about two miles from Pamplin (apparently not affiliated with the Deep South What-a-Burger chain).  It would be easy to extend this trip to Tidewater historic sites--the way the birds fly, you are about 45 miles from Yorktown when in Petersburg. 

Lookout Mountain!

Our most gorgeous trip of late?  Lookout Mountain, TN/GA, a short drive "up" from Chattanooga.  We spent a stunning spring day atop the mountain, seeing Rock City, riding the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, and walking Point Park. 

Without a doubt, everyone should see Rock City just like the old red barns said.  You should also read Tim Hollis's book on the attraction, as an understanding of its history makes the trip powerful Americana.  Rock City itself is a combination of gardens, kitsch sculpture, and roadside tourist stop.  Justin's favorite part is Fairyland Caverns, a blacklit display of vintage storybook sculptures in a rock-themed environment.  It's a pretty incredible example of US mid-century tourism, fantastic for nostalgia as well as for small children today.  Today, it hosts special events with unique themes, including days with local artists and holiday events. 

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a pretty pleasure ride and a soft thrill.  Surprisingly, it is actually part of the local public transportation system.  From the incline, you can see a cozy shop called Mountain Memories that is worth your time later for souvenirs, chats with friendly shop staff, and a dash of Ruby Falls history.  We rode the incline from the top down and then back up, our recommendation for anyone afraid of heights.  We also discovered that you can park for free at the nearby National Park Service site (3 blocks away) and walk, avoiding metered parking. 

While you're enjoying yourself, it's interesting to note that the mountain was home to an important late battle of the US Civil War.  Impressively, the battle included a Union charge up the steep side of the mountain.  The "battle above the clouds" is showcased with a pay-per-view diorama and a small National Parks Service exhibit.  Point Park itself affords excellent views of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River, and it was the first NPS site for US Civil War history. 

If you go, take a well-prepared camera, as there are stunning views everywhere.  We skipped lunch and returned to Chattanooga for an early dinner, but the mountain is a great place for a picnic.  Our experience was that St Elmo, the town to which the Incline "arrives," was less full of shops and restaurants than we hoped.  Drive carefully on the mountain; it's a residential area with twisty roads, steep grades, and frequent stop signs.  Also on the mountain?  Ruby Falls.  Look for attraction combo tickets if you are visiting more than one place. 

Relevant Websites:
Rock City
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Point Park

Our Nation Reunited Next Door

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park being but a short drive from our home, we took in a visit on a recent "lazy" weekend. It was fun to reminisce about how we'd visited the park when we were dating.

Simply interpreted, much of the outdoor area is a beautiful place for a walk on a nice day, although I'd wager that spring and fall visits might be more pleasant. The park presents a great impression of the drama of emotions surrounding the surrender itself but doesn't deal very much in some of the more complex questions about Appamattox (Were the McLeans war profiteers? The reconciliation wasn't as instantaneous as the surrender activities might have implied, right?) unless you ask. You can feel a great sense of history standing at the Grant-Lee meeting spot and listening to the audio recording available via "push button" there. Fun options for families include some chances to have "parole papers" printed for you.

If you go, plan to be on pebble-y walks up to the visitor's center from the parking lot. Do visit the museum upstairs in the center: the displays in this area are designed in a reasonably contemporary way. An electronic map explains the battle (Kim thinks electronic map displays make military history more interesting) and display cases house lesser-known artifacts including the silent witness doll that was present at the surrender signing. There's also a display of objects carved from the mythical apple tree under which it was rumored that the surrender occurred. The park area is nested in a small town, but the Lynchburg area is close for a meal.

Relevant Link:
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

The Things You Find at Battlefields!

Justin teaches Kim to appreciate the US Civil War more each day. More than that, he opens her eyes to the fabulous culture that springs up around battlefields. Battlefields are a good place to reflect on the way Americans remember--and to enjoy some roadside Americana! Of all Civil War locations, we like Gettysburg for its diversity and development--and its proximity to other visiting spots, including Harper's Ferry and Hershey. Here's the story of a day in Gettysburg--a day during which we didn't visit much of the "official" battlefield!

We started our day at the Hall of Presidents, a wax museum featuring a replica of each US President and an audio track about their histories. It's a low tech museum that survives--nicely, per the staffer we engaged in conversation. They've recently upgraded the seating, added Obama, and renovated the First Ladies gallery to make it accessible. Right now, Eisenhower items that were previously on display are in storage, but there are plans to expand exhibit space and bring these items back. If you go, think like Justin, and enjoy spotting the asyncronies in display backgrounds and figures that reveal its history as a museum and test your knowledge of history.

Boyd's Bear Country is a nifty sight as well, but they have (sadly) removed their mini-museum. They've also decreased their stuffed animal displays significantly over the years, opting for more Yankee Candles, Thomas Kincade artwork, and Longaberger Baskets. We're not Boyd's collectors, but we've visited the three-story barn to see the displays from time to time. Hansa toys are new there--stunning replicas of wild animals if you are not familiar. It's an interesting, family-friendly site that has space for entertainment and a casual meal. It's a cool place to say we've been on a quick trip and is beautifully situated in a wonderful green space.

Our day also included a lunch at the Visitor's Center, where some period foods like yummy peanut soup are served. Kim also enjoyed the outlets, with Gettysburg's mall being appropriately-sized for a few hours of shopping adventure. To its credit, there are few empty storefronts. Dinner brought some time at O'Rourke's, a place we'd oft-admired and finally headed to upon the guidance of friends. It's a well-attended pub with delicious food in large portions. Elijah recommends the cream of crab soup.