every year, my nephew and i do an extended road trip.

for 2016 we would like to do a civil war road trip, visiting civil was sites, museums, national parks, etc.
my nephew is a teacher and interested in history.

i am starting to research where we want to see

so i am looking for recommendations of what we 'HAVE TO SEE'. starting to work on the bucket list for this trip, finding lodging (campgrounds) etc, reservations, and scheduling.

any help is appreciated

we will be traveling in the june/july time frame. we live in chicago. the trip would be for a week, like 9 days.

we ride well together. 500 miles a day is no problems when making miles. longest day has been 900 miles.

previous trips:
old route 66, out and back (2 wks)
alaska including the haul road (2 wks)
tail of the dragon and blue ridge pkwy (1 wk)
follow mississippi to new orleans (1 wk)
nova scotia (1 wk)

we also do DC over memorial day, and at least one other weekend trip

i do other trips with other people, these are the ones with him.

so let me know what you think.

 

Fredericksburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Antietam Battlefield, Harper's Ferry are places I've been and enjoyed. Especially Gettysburg. Plan on a full day in Gettysburg and 2 would be better.

Bill

 

This is something my wife and I have kicked around as a trip also. Not much Civil War history this far north.

 

Gettysburg is nice. Go ahead and pay for one of the bus tours or personal tours. You will learn so much more about the site and battle.


I went to Sharpsburg, MD the other day. It was ok. Beautiful country.


Harpers Ferry is a pretty little town.


15 South from Gettysburg is a nice ride if you can avoid the traffic.


Manassas, Bull Run, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, the Richmond area, White House of the Confederacy, Battlefields east of town, Petersburg, Appomattox. Appomattox is nice.


Just outside Petersburg is the Pamplin Museum of the Civil War Soldier. It is a private museum and is pretty nice.


Lots of history in VA and it is beautiful riding if you get on the back roads.


There are Civil War Trails signs everywhere.


http://civilwartrails.org/


They have an iPhone app.

 

If you find yourself in Ga. stop by Andersonville Confederate POW camp. There is a movie of it. It may be a N.P or a State park, anyway lots of facts & photos about the history there. I believe you would enjoy it..

 

I was in Gettysburg just a few weeks ago and it's well worth the trip.
Saw Shilo a couple years back too.

 

Don't pass on Vicksburg, nice park and a lot of history plus you can do the Trace

 

If you head south out of Chicago you could hit Fort Donelson National Military Park on the Kentucky/Tennessee state line, then south and pickup Natchez Trace just outside of Nashville and travel down to the Shiloh National Military Park, then proceed on down Natchez Trace to Jackson, Mississippi and hang a right to Vicksburg National Military Park.

I've toured all of these by motorcycle and there are a lot of historical sights to see in between the three main battlefields. I was on the Natchez Trace last week and stopped and spent some time at Meriwether Lewis's gravesite and memorial and was intruguied by the mystery (did he commit suicide or was it murder?). Franklin, Tennessee is not far off Natchez Trace along this route, as is David Crockett State Park. You'll also travel through Tupelo, Mississippi, right past the birthplace of Elvis.

 

Franklin Tennessee. So much of that battlesite remains; the guided tour is unreal...you actually go into the houses that were a focus of the battle. Well preserved and well presented; at least Goggle it...

 

My brother and I just got back from a history tour. Besides visiting Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry, Antietam, and Appomattox, all nice to see. We also did tours of George Washington's home (Mount Vernon) and the Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson) which I also recommend. The home of James Madison (Montpelier) is only 45 minutes from Monticello but we failed to tour it.