Have any Board members been to visit the Civil War Historical sites round Manassus .I've got a day free with my family in June and would like to visit some of the older battlefields.
Are there still things to see in that area if a get a rental car for the day.(we laeve IAD that night at 6pm.
Ozflier

Manassas or Bull Run (Union battles are generally named after rivers while Confederate ones are after towns). Manassas is so named becase the Confederacy won there.
The problem with Manassas is that suburban D.C. has grown around it so it loses a bit of its charm.

Other alternatives (about 1 hr's drive NW of IAD) include Sharpsburg/Antietam Creek where the NPS has restored the place to what it looked like on the day of the battle, Gettysburg where the same is being done to (but it's a bit farther away) and the Wilderness (part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania) about 1 1/2 hrs S of IAD.

Go to the NPS site where you can use the search function for civil war sites.

NPS's Civil War site

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 02-24-2001).]

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 02-24-2001).]

I have to say the National Park Service does an excellent job at these sites. I preferred Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville myself. At the first, the visitor center is by the partly still standing sunken road at the base of Mayre's Heights, at the latter is is very close to the spot where Jackson was shot. There is a walking tour of the 1st Manassas battlefield and a driving tour of the 2nd (although they overlap). I suppose Manassas gives a more general introduction to the war because it was the scene of the first 'major' battle. I didn't go to Spotsylvania or the Wilderness (near Chancellorsville) because as of last October they only had a small display shelter and self guided tour, as opposed to the expert guides on site.

Yes! It's great to see!
http://www.nps.gov/mana/pphtml/print.html

Thanks for that info .
Do you have any suggestions for local lodgings or is it best to stick to IAD hotels.
Ozflier

Hi Oz - We stayed at a fabulous B & B in Stafford, VA called Courthouse Road. They have a website. It's in the rolling countryside and the local area around the property is steeped in Civil War history. The acreage right around this place was occupied by thousands of soldiers prior to the nearby Battle of Fredericksburg. The town of Fredericksburg is fascinating and very well preserved. Several battlefields are nearby. It would make a great day trip from the D. C. area. You would have to leave sufficient time to get to IAD, but this area is definitely worth your while.

[This message has been edited by Dianne47 (edited 02-24-2001).]

I have not yet been to Manassas, but on a mileage run in 1999, I used Dulles as a base for a one day visit and drove up to Harper's Ferry.

This was one of my most memorable civil war/mileage run visits. It was the last week of September, cool but not cold, and clear. The national park is basically the town itself with some wonderful displays.
It's about a 1.5 - 2.0 hour drive each way with plenty of other small towns to drive through coming and going.

I also recommend a trip up to Harper's Ferry. It's a beautiful little town at a river junction. Interesting history, too, although not a battle site. The views from the cliffs overlooking the river are superb.