Operating Hours & Seasons

Fort Donelson Visitor Center

NPS

The Visitor Center is open daily 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (CST) except Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1.

Additional closures will be noted in the "alerts" on the top of the webpage when necessary.

This Mission-66 era Visitor Center was closed for renovations in 2015. A temporary visitor center is now open at 120 Fort Donelson Park Road, Dover, TN 37058.

Park hours

• Spring time change to Memorial Day: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Memorial Day to Labor Day: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
• Labor Day to Fall time change: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Fall time change to Spring time change: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

All vehicles must be off the Tour Road by the time the gates lock. The Tour Road is open for walking, running, or bicycling from daylight til dusk.

The National Cemetery hours are the same as the park hours execpt during the time between the fall and spring time change when the National Cemetery is open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

 

Dover Hotel (Surrender House)

NPS

The exhibit room at the Dover Hotel, known locally as the "Surrender House" is open daily from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm. The top floor and the basement of the building are not restored and are not open to the public. (Inclement weather and short staffing may cause the opening of the Hotel to be delayed.)

Exhibits and a short film located inside explore the events and personalities involved with the Battle of Fort Donelson.

 

New exhibits at the Dover Hotel

First person accounts describe the lead up to the Battle of Fort Donelson, the battle itself, and how the community coped with the aftermath.

 

National Cemetery

NPS

Fort Donelson National Cemetery follows regular park hours except during the time between the fall and spring time change. During this time the cemetery is open from 8:00am-5:00pm.

The road gate will remain open during these hours.