Virginia
Parks
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National Scenic Trail
Appalachian
Maine to Georgia, CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
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National Historical Park
Appomattox Court House
Appomattox, VA
On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the effective end of the nation's largest war. Questions remained: could the nation reunite as one? How would emancipation be realized?
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Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington, VA
Arlington House is the nation’s memorial to Robert E. Lee. It honors him for specific reasons, including his role in promoting peace and reunion after the Civil War. In a larger sense it exists as a place of study and contemplation of the meaning of some of the most difficult aspects of American history: military service; sacrifice; citizenship; duty; loyalty; slavery and freedom.
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National Seashore
Assateague Island
MD,VA
Want to live on the edge? Visit a place recreated each day by ocean wind and waves. Life on Assateague Island has adapted to an existence on the move. Explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays. Rest, relax, recreate and enjoy some time on the edge of the continent.
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Parkway
Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, NC,VA
A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. The Parkway meanders for 469 miles, protecting a diversity of plants and animals, and providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special.
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National Monument
Booker T Washington
Hardy, VA
Booker T. Washington was born a slave in April 1856 on the 207-acre farm of James Burroughs. After the Civil War, Washington became the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Later as an adviser, author and orator, his past would influence his philosophies as the most influential African American of his era. Come explore his birthplace.
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Part of Colonial National Historical Park
Cape Henry Memorial
Fort Story, VA
English colonists first landed here in April 1607, erected a wooden cross and gave thanks for a successful crossing to a new land. In 1781, Americans could watch from these same sand dunes the largest naval battle of the Revolutionary War. Our French Allies defeated a British fleet just off this shore to set the stage for General George Washington's victory at Yorktown.
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National Historic Trail
Captain John Smith Chesapeake
Various States VA,MD,DE,DC,PA,NY
People first arrived in the Chesapeake Bay during the last ice age. As glaciers melted, diverse societies learned to thrive in a world of water. When Englishman Captain John Smith explored the Bay in 1608, he documented hundreds of American Indian communities. Today, sites on his map are archeological treasures and sacred sites for tribal citizens. Come join us on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay!
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National Historical Park
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove
Middletown and Strasburg, VA
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley has a long and rich heritage that still inspires today. Native Americans first shaped the land, followed by colonists and settlers. The fertile valley became an important wheat-growing region in the 1800s. It also witnessed dramatic Civil War campaigns, including the Battle of Cedar Creek, a decisive Federal victory that helped bring the war to an end.
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Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay Watershed, DC,DE,MD,NY,PA,VA,WV
Over 41 million acres are connected through the waters that flow to and through Chesapeake Bay. The National Park Service strives to connect people to the opportunities and adventures throughout the watershed. Inspiring stewardship across this vast region supports recreation, business, tourism, learning, and a thriving natural resource for all to enjoy.
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Civil War Defenses of Washington
Washington, DC,MD,VA
On forested hills surrounding the nation's capital are the remnants of a complex system of Civil War fortifications. These strategic buttresses transformed the young capital into one of the world's most fortified cities. By 1865, 68 forts and 93 batteries armed with over 800 cannons encircled Washington, DC. Today, you can visit 17 of the original sites now managed by the National Park Service.
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National Historical Park
Colonial
Jamestown and Yorktown, VA
On May 13, 1607, Jamestown was established as the first permanent English settlement in North America. Three cultures came together – European, Virginia Indian and African–to create a new society that would eventually seek independence from Great Britain. On October 19, 1781, American and French troops defeated the British at Yorktown in the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
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National Historical Park
Cumberland Gap
Middlesboro, KY,TN,VA
Cumberland Gap was the first great gateway to the west. Come follow the path of bison, Native Americans, longhunters, and pioneers. Walk where 300,000 people crossed the Appalachians to settle America. Explore 85 miles of trails and 14,000 acres of wilderness. Stand in 3 states at once. Explore a cave, see Hensley Settlement, or camp under the stars. Come find your connection to Cumberland Gap.
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National Monument
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, VA
Fort Monroe's story spans from prehistory to the 2000s. Kecoughtan Indians occupied Old Point Comfort before the arrival of English colonists. The first enslaved Africans arrived in 1619. Those escaping slavery sought their freedom at the fort during the Civil War. The fort remained bastion of national defense until 2011, when it became a national park.
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National Military Park
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania
Fredericksburg, VA
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania, this is America's battleground, where the Civil War roared to its bloody climax. No place more vividly reflects the War's tragic cost in all its forms. A town bombarded and looted. Farms large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed--most in graves unknown.
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Memorial Parkway
George Washington
DC,MD,VA
The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designed for recreational driving. It links sites that commemorate important episodes in American history and preserve habitat for local wildlife. The parkway and its associated trails provide a scenic place to play and rest in the busy Washington, DC metropolitan area.
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National Monument
George Washington Birthplace
Westmoreland County, VA
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located in the Northern Neck of Virginia. It encompasses 551 acres of land where seven generations of the Washington family lived and where George Washington was born in 1732. The park was also central to one of the earliest efforts to memorialize George Washington during the celebration of his bicentennial birth anniversary in 1932.
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Park
Great Falls
McLean, VA
At Great Falls, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. The Patowmack Canal offers a glimpse into the early history of this country. Great Falls Park has many opportunities to explore history and nature, all in a beautiful 800-acre park only 15 miles from the Nation's Capital.
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Green Springs
Louisa County, VA
Green Springs National Historic Landmark District in Virginia’s Piedmont encompasses over 14,000 acres. Its landscapes and structures, privately owned today but viewable from public roads, offer a continuum of rural vernacular architecture with minimal alteration. Many of the farmsteads, often dating to the 19th century and connecting to one another visually, are preserved through easements.
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National Historical Park
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, WV,VA,MD
At the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, on the ancestral home of the Tuscarora and Shawnee people, lies Harpers Ferry. Here you can explore John Brown's Raid against slavery. Find your connection to the struggle for freedom, education, and civil rights at Storer College. Discover miles of trail in the Blue Ridge and along Civil War battlefields.
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Part of Colonial National Historical Park
Historic Jamestowne
James City County, VA
Walk in the steps of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas where a successful English colonization of North America began. Despite early struggles to survive, the 1607 settlement evolved into a prosperous colony. As the colony expanded, the Virginia Indians were pushed out of their homeland. In 1619, the arrival of Africans was recorded, marking the origin of slavery in English North America.
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National Historic Site
Maggie L Walker
Richmond, VA
Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress. Today, Walker’s home is preserved as a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.
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National Battlefield Park
Manassas
Manassas, VA
On July 21, 1861, two armies clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking Bull Run. Heavy fighting swept away any notion of a quick war. In August 1862, Union and Confederate armies converged for a second time on the plains of Manassas. The Confederates won a solid victory bringing them to the height of their power.
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National Historic Trail
Overmountain Victory
NC,SC,TN,VA
Stretching 330-miles through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina) the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route used by Patriot militia during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. Follow the campaign by utilizing a Commemorative Motor Route which uses existing state highways marked with the distinctive trail logo, or 87 miles of walkable trails.
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National Battlefield
Petersburg
Petersburg, VA
Nine and a half months, 70,000 casualties, the suffering of civilians, U. S. Colored Troops fighting for freedom, and the decline of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant cut off all of Petersburg's supply lines, ensuring the fall of Richmond on April 3, 1865. Six days later, Gen. Lee surrendered.
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National Scenic Trail
Potomac Heritage
the corridor between the Chesapeake Bay and the Allegheny Highlands, DC,MD,PA,VA
The Potomac River corridor is rich in both history and recreation, offering a chance to both explore your heritage and choose your adventure along the way. Start your journey here!
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Park
Prince William Forest
Triangle, VA
Prince William Forest Park is an oasis, a respite of quiet and calm. In 1936, Chopawamsic Recreation Area opened its gates to house children's 'relief' camps during the Great Depression. Renamed Prince William Forest Park in 1948, these fragrant woods and trickling streams have welcomed generations of campers, hikers, bikers and nature lovers. Discover Northern Virginia's best kept secret!
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National Battlefield Park
Richmond
Richmond, VA
The center of Confederate manufacturing fueled a modern war, one of the South’s largest hospitals gave care to the sick and wounded, and armies battled on open fields and in miles of defensive earthworks. From 1861 to 1865, Richmond’s fate would determine America’s future.
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National Park
Shenandoah
the Blue Ridge Mountains near Luray, VA
Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there's so much to explore...and your journey begins right here!
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National Historic Trail
Star-Spangled Banner
DC,MD,VA
For three years the young United States was embroiled in the War of 1812 and the Chesapeake Bay region felt the brunt of it, choked by shipping blockades and ravaged by enemy raids. Through sites and landscapes in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, the Trail tells the stories of the events, people, and places that led to the birth of the U.S. national anthem.
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National Historic Trail
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
MA,RI,CT,NY,NJ,PA,DE,MD,VA,DC
In 1781, General Rochambeau’s French Army joined forces with General Washington’s Continental Army to fight the British Army in Yorktown, Virginia. With the French Navy in support, the allied armies moved hundreds of miles to become the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. The effort and cooperation between the two sides led to a victory at Yorktown and secured American independence.
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Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Vienna, VA
No matter what your age or taste in shows, you'll find something you like onstage at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. From May through September, multiple amphitheaters in the park present performances such as musicals, dance, opera, jazz, and popular and country music. A good time to explore the beauty and history of the park without the crowds is October - April.
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Part of Colonial National Historical Park
Yorktown Battlefield
Yorktown, VA
Discover what it took for the United States to be independent as you explore the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Here at Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, General George Washington, with allied American and French forces, besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s British army. On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war and ensuring independence.
By The Numbers
- 22 National Parks
- 22,558,848 Visitors to National Parks
- $2,274,400,000 Economic Benefit from National Park Tourism »
- $103,555,032 of Land & Water Conservation Fund Appropriated for Projects (since 1965) »
- 37 Certified Local Governments »
- 142 Community Conservation & Recreation Projects (since 1987) »
- 3 National Heritage Areas »
- 5 National Trails Administered by NPS »
- 3,347 National Register of Historic Places Listings »
- 121 National Historic Landmarks »
- 10 National Natural Landmarks »
- 1 World Heritage Site »
- 2,205 Places Recorded by Heritage Documentation Programs »
- 5,906,977 Objects in National Park Museum Collections »
- 2,041 Archeological Sites in National Parks »
- 12 Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans »
- 15 Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries »
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These numbers are just a sample of the National Park Service's work. Figures are for the fiscal year that ended 9/30/2020.