Operating Hours & Seasons

Learn more about visiting Fredericksburg Battlefield.

Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center

Open Daily, 9 am-5 pm
1013 Lafayette Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Watch the Fredericksburg film online or at the visitor center.

Fredericksburg Park Store

Open Daily, 9 am-5 pm
Located next to the parking area behind the visitor center.

Ranger Programs at Fredericksburg Battlefield 

Sunken Road Walking Tour
May be available upon request if staffing allows, 10:30 am & 2 pm, 45 minutes
Meet at the battle painting outside the visitor center.
Why did the Battle of Fredericksburg happen? Why was it important? Join park staff to learn about the events of December 1862 from the people who lived through them and the ground they walked on.

Building Closed
Gate open daily, 9 am-5 pm
120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Historic slave plantation, home, and grounds which served as a field hospital and a US headquarters during the Civil War. Learn more and watch the Chatham film on the Chatham page.

Learn more about visiting Chancellorsville Battlefield.
 

Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center

Open Thursday-Monday, 9 am-5 pm (closed Tuesday-Wednesday, open during the week of Thanksgiving and on Monday holidays) 
9001 Plank Road, Spotsylvania, VA 22553
Watch the Chancellorsville film online ahead of your visit or watch onsite.
 

Ranger Programs at Chancellorsville Battlefield 

Investigating Chancellorsville
May be available upon request if staffing allows, 10:30 am & 2 pm, 30 minutes
Meet at the battle painting outside the visitor center.
Why did the US and the Confederate armies clash in May of 1863 and why does it matter? Join park staff to learn about the Chancellorsville Campaign and dive into some of the big questions surrounding this contested battle.

Learn more about visiting Wilderness Battlefield.
 

Wilderness Exhibit Shelter

Open sunrise to sunset
35347 Constitution Highway, Locust Grove, VA 22508
An open-air exhibit shelter.

Ellwood

Building Closed
Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset
36380 Constitution Highway, Orange, VA 22960
Ellwood is a historic slave plantation, field hospital, and US headquarters during the Battle of the Wilderness. Learn more about Ellwood Manor.

To access the Ellwood grounds when the gate is closed, you may park at the Ellwood gate, leaving the gate clear, and walk the grounds. It is 0.4 mile to the house.

 

Programs at Wilderness Battlefield

No programs available in the off-season.

Learn more about visiting Spotsylvania Battlefield.
 

Spotsylvania Exhibit Shelter

Open sunrise to sunset
9550 Grant Drive West, Spotsylvania, VA 22553
An open-air exhibit shelter.
 

Programs at Spotsylvania Battlefield

No programs available in the off-season.

Building Closed
Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset
12019 Stonewall Jackson Road, Woodford, VA 22580
Historic building where Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died.

Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset
Building closed
4054 Plank Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Historic church which served as a battlefield landmark and field hospital during the Chancellorsville Campaign.

Summer is the peak season for the park: when we have the most staff and the most visitors. As such, park operations and services also peak in the summertime, roughly between Memorial Day weekend and mid August. 

Summer Hours

The park's visitor centers at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and Chatham will be open daily, 9 am-5 pm. Ellwood and the Jackson Death Site may have variable hours. Locations at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battlefields may be staffed on the weekends in the summer.

Ranger Programs

Typically, in the summer, visitors can attend daily programs at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Additional regular programs may be offered at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battlefields, and Chatham. Informal living history programs may be offered at different locations throughout the summer.

Special Events

In addition to our normally scheduled programs, special events in the summertime include the Memorial Day Luminaria at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, and a selection of special ranger talks and hikes, including the History at Sunset series. Occasionally, our summer line up will include campfire talks, Bark Ranger programs, and living history days. Anniversary programming in May (for Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House) varies year by year. 

As the leaves change, the park remains a busy place, and a popular spot to stop while touring the region. Between August and Columbus Day, expect certain hours to be reduced and programming to scale down. After Columbus Day, visitor services and programming will scale down further. Note: Much of our offerings during the summertime are made possibly by an amazing group of Interns and Seasonal Park Rangers. We generally have two phases of reductions in services in the fall, once, in mid August, when many of our Interns go back to school, and another, after Columbus Day, when our Seasonal Park Rangers finish their terms.

Fall Hours

The park's visitor centers at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville will likely be open daily, 9 am-5 pm. Hours at Chatham, Ellwood, and the Jackson Death Site may be reduced. 

Ranger Programs

Programs sometimes shift to weekends-only in the fall, though we typically offer daily programs at Fredericksburg through Columbus Day. 

Special Events

We will schedule a smaller number of special events in the fall than in the summer, but may have some programming around special anniversaries and holidays.

Winter is a quiet, peaceful time to visit the park. Even though some park buildings are closed in the winter, grounds remain open sunrise to sunset, throughout the park.

Winter Hours

The park's visitor centers at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville may have some weekday closures and may have reduced hours. Expect Ellwood and the Jackson Death Site to be closed for the season. Chatham may be open on select days, but may not be open regularly, and may have reduced hours. The Spotsylvania Exhibit Shelter is not staffed in the winter. Rangers at both visitor centers are well versed in matters relating to the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battlefields, so feel free to inquire about these battles at either the Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville Visitor Centers.

Ranger Programs

We typically do not offer ranger programs in the winter. We will occasionally offer short talks and battle overviews if staffing allows. Ask at a visitor center if the ranger is able to give a short talk! 

Special Events

We typically do not have many special events planned in the winter. Events relating to the Battle of Fredericksburg anniversary in will occur in December.

From mid-March to May visitor services and programs slowly increase from the winter slumber. By mid-April, visitors can expect more program offerings and expanded hours, but should not expect the same level of daily services as in the summertime (after Memorial Day).

Spring Hours

The Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Visitor Centers, and Chatham Manor, will most likely be open daily, 9 am-5 pm. Expect hours at Ellwood and the Jackson Death Site to be minimal, if open at all. The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battlefields typically remain unstaffed until Memorial Day.

Ranger Programs

We typically begin resuming programs at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville on weekends by mid-March or April, and will continue weekend programming through most of May. There may be a brief window between the end of May and the beginning of June where we have fewer programs to accommodate planning Memorial Day events and to train our incoming seasonal staff.

Special Events

We may resume some special events in the spring, but will not resume the full schedule of special events until after Memorial Day. The Memorial Day Luminaria and event in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery is often the biggest event of the year, and typically marks the beginning of our increased summer hours and services.