Five Things You Must Do While You Are in Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg Car Rental

Fredericksburg, Virginia (population 19,300), is 48 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The town was one of the hotspots of the Civil War and the site of many significant battles. Nearby are the birthplaces of the Confederacy’s most famous general, Robert E. Lee; and the first U.S. president, George Washington.

1.  Relive major battles of the War Between the States. The Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center is a few miles northeast of Fredericksburg at the base of Marye's Heights. Along the Sunken Road portion of the battlefield, walking trails lead to ground hotly contested on Dec. 11-13, 1862. Other walking tours include Marye’s Heights, Willis Hill, the National Cemetery Walking Trail, and Hamilton's Crossing Trail. Also in the park is Ferry Farm, where Washington grew up; and Kenmore Mansion, where his sister Betty Washington Lewis lived. Both places were important during the Battle of Fredericksburg.

2.  Visit Washington's Brithplace.    See where the Father of a Nation was born at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Pope’s Creek Plantation burned in 1779, but the foundation was excavated in 1936. The Memorial House and Colonial Kitchen were constructed in 1931 to recreate the home, which was typical of a moderately wealthy planter of the 1730s. The Living Colonial Farm has heritage livestock breeds and fowl typical of the Colonial era. Tobacco, an economic foundation of the Old South, is grown here in season.

3. Tour the birthplace of one of America’s greatest military heroes. Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 in Stratford Hall Plantation on a bluff above the scenic Potomac River. The plantation is still managed as a farm on 1,670 of its original acres. The roads that lead to Stratford pass through one of the most historic sections of the nation: Yorktown, Jamestown, Williamsburg, Kenmore, Monticello, Gunston Hall, and Mount Vernon.

4. Civil War Museum.    Learn about the Civil War. The Civil War Museum at the Spotsylvania battle site has displays of war-era tintype photos, historic artillery, slave life, field medicine, the lives of soldiers and officers, and battlefield music. Nearby are the battlefields of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, where, in 1863, Lee and Gen. Stonewall Jackson defeated Northern forces, but then Jackson was accidentally killed by friendly fire. The Stonewall Jackson Shrine and historic Salem Church are nearby.

5. Operation Afternoon of Relaxation.    Drop Mom off to shop while the kids ice-skate. The Celebrate Virginia mall includes Central Park, a 2,400,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center. Cafes, 160 specialty shops, a day spa, restaurants, doctors, a gymnastics center, and professional offices are featured within a "town square" setting. Open year round, the Ice Park offers learn-to-skate, figure-skating, and hockey classes for all ages and abilities.