McAfee Knob is one of the most popular locations along the A.T. to take photographs.
Appalachian
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
This is the home where Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant on April 9, 1865
Appomattox Court House
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 w
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
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
There are few places in the United States where you can view wild horses.Take advantage of the opportunity to view these horses in a natural habitat.
Assateague Island
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 e
Evening on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge
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 mi
The main crop on the plantation where Booker T. Washington was born was tobacco. This photograph shows a man with draft horses preparing to plow a field.
Booker T Washington
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 i
A granite cross erected in 1935 by the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists, in memory of the wooden cross erected by the English colonists in 1607.
Cape Henry Memorial
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
Many people visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge to spot birds, like this heron, that rely the natural resources of the landscape.
Captain John Smith Chesapeake
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 co
Sunrise over Belle Grove
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove
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 witness
Cape Charles on Virginia's lower Eastern Shore is a bayside gem with many opportunities for visitors to enjoy the water.
Chesapeake Bay
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 r
Fort Davis (Fall Day)
Civil War Defenses of Washington
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 batt
Reconstructed Revolutionary War Canon in Winter
Colonial
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 Bri
Weathered log cabins greet visitors to Hensley Settlement
Cumberland Gap
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 w
A unique perspective only available from the air brings the entire scope of Fort Monroe into focus in one image.
Fort Monroe
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
Fairview, in the Chancellorsville Battlefield, was the location of intense fighting during the Civil War.
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania
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
View of Popes Creek
George Washington Birthplace
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 centra
George Washington Memorial Parkway
George Washington
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
Great Falls, Virginia
Great Falls
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
Green Springs has numerous historic structures
Green Springs
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 minim
View of Lower Town Harpers Ferry as seen from Maryland Heights
Harpers Ferry
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
Interpretive Program
Historic Jamestowne
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 Indi
Maggie L. Walker's stately home was located on a street dubbed "Quality Row."
Maggie L Walker
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 inspir
The Bull Run Monument on Henry Hill is among the nation's earliest Civil War monuments.
Manassas
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 C
A trail marker is on a fence with the Green River in the background.
Overmountain Victory
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
This home and the grounds surrounding it were used by General Grant and his staff during the Siege of Petersburg.
Petersburg
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 al
Monroe Run Trailhead, Garrett County
Potomac Heritage
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!
Carter Pond is a great place to fish.
Prince William Forest
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 wood
Earthworks like these at Fort Harrison can be found throughout the park
Richmond
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 dete
There are over 60 peaks with an elevation over 3,000 feet in Shenandoah.
Shenandoah
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 t
The PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II is a sailing ambassador for the Trail.
Star-Spangled Banner
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,
Washington-Rochambeau NHT banner on 2nd Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
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
Everyone is ready to kickoff the Filene Center season.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
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,
Cannon on earthworks at sunset. Yorktown Battlefield
Yorktown Battlefield
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, besiege