American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Two floors of exhibits will take you on a journey from the very beginning of the Civil War to Reconstruction and beyond. Located in downtown Richmond on the James River, the museum sits on the site of the Tredegar Iron Works. Cannons made at Tredegar fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. The thick armor plating that protected the ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack) during its fight with the Monitor was rolled at Tredegar. More than half of the cannon used by the Confederate army were cast here. Visitors will experience the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War through dynamic exhibits featuring an unparalleled collection of artifacts. Admission price also includes a film experience.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
457 reviews
Excellent
219
Very good
159
Average
46
Poor
14
Terrible
19
ArtsyGalBaltimore
Maryland874 contributions
Dec 2020
Easy to find on a Tuesday in early December afternoon with convenient parking covered by admission. Not an enormous museum on the scale of DC's Smithsonian museums, but one that leveraged knowledge of advanced technology and the passage of healing time. Wind through history and experience the war from multiple perspectives. A veiled slide show with voices of slaves was particularly compelling. Mid-way there is a video with a novel screen. Artifacts are artfully displayed and death/casualties with infographic techniques. The second floor had a well designed informative exhibit on monetary policies for the lay audience. The well stocked gift shop for civil war buffs or novices is on the first floor. For the main floor museum, we were the only visitors. Highly recommend.
Written 10 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dad19622016
Brisbane Region, Australia122 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
This is still a growing museum but the start shows it is going to be high quality
The experience and artefacts give a feeling for the civil war time and the walk along the river was informative reading the sign posts. Locals we met were very happy to point us in the right direction and tell us about great places in Richmond. They are rightly proud of their city
The experience and artefacts give a feeling for the civil war time and the walk along the river was informative reading the sign posts. Locals we met were very happy to point us in the right direction and tell us about great places in Richmond. They are rightly proud of their city
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raymond D
Pikeville, NC38 contributions
July 2022
We visited this museum this week and it was a great place to visit. I highly recommend buying a "3 site" ticket and visit the museum at Appomattox and the White House of the Confederacy. It gives you a brief overall picture of the war and its ending.
Written 13 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Randy K
Atlanta, GA79 contributions
Oct 2020
This exhibit of Civil War artifacts is in a well deserved spot in the Tredegar Iron Works complex which served the Confederacy similarly as did Krupp did to Germany in both World Wars, namely their primary munitions and artillery manufacturer. This exhibit is sponsored by Dominion Energy is a venerable attic of artifacts. You can see personal effects of most of the principles of the Confederate States (CS) to include Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas E. "Stonewall" Jackson and Jeb Stuart just to name a few. While the artifacts are seemingly limitless, the presentation still is somewhat concerning to me. I understand where I was viewing this from, the former capital of the Confederacy and there might be some difference between my northern perception and the presentation. The exhibit basically leaves it up to the individual to decide on this war that has shaped our history and continues to do so. Recommend you also go upstairs to see the temporary exhibit on the the role of money and finance during the Civil War.
Written 29 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
harryatkck
Kansas City, KS985 contributions
May 2021
This is a small museum that is costly to enter & doesn't know the meaning of fully vaccinated against COVID 19 as all other attractions in the area did not require fully vaccinated guests to wear masks while this one did. However, there are things here that belonged to important historical figures like Robert E. Lee, Jeb Stuart, George Pickett & Phil Sheridan. You won't find items from these people in your normal Civil War museum. There is a pay parking lot a short distance from the front door. Make sure you have your parking ticket validated inside the museum when you enter.
Written 14 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edam4
Honolulu, HI201 contributions
Nov 2019
This museum is impressive from both the exterior, with its surrounding grounds, and certainly the interior. It comes across as well balanced, with excellent emphasis on the human factor and the human struggles of the war. I stayed much longer as I interacted with the exhibits, absorbed the descriptions/displays, and connected with the powerful emotions they elicited. Well worth a visit!
Written 28 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki B
Annapolis, MD3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We enjoy Civil War history, so we knew this was a place we wanted to visit. Upon seeing the small size, I thought it would not take too long to view the exhibits. In reality we spent almost 2 hours there, because each exhibit was chock-full of interesting information and memorabilia. Afterwords we walked outside over the Riverwalk bridge and really enjoyed that as well. It’s a worthwhile museum to visit!
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Penelope C
Plattsburgh, NY724 contributions
Dec 2019
I read about the Museum and made a point of visiting it when we were recently in Virginia. The exhibits are arranged chronologically by year of the war. They cover much more than the major battles, also exploring the lives of the families and the enslaved people left behind when the men went off to war. The various experiences are presented seamlessly, and with great impact. There is also a well-done exhibit upstairs called Greenback, which is a fascinating presentation of how the Civil War impacted and changed America's monetary system.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WC-Travelers-75
West Chester, PA2,193 contributions
Oct 2019
Well worth the time and expense ($14/senior).
The Museum has excellent exhibits and curation. It covers the War from a variety of perspectives of the people involved in the conflict in whatever capacity. We spent almost 3 hours here, lingering with the exhibits since it was a rainy day.
We also went upstairs to check out the Greenback America money exhibit but did not stay long.
The Museum has excellent exhibits and curation. It covers the War from a variety of perspectives of the people involved in the conflict in whatever capacity. We spent almost 3 hours here, lingering with the exhibits since it was a rainy day.
We also went upstairs to check out the Greenback America money exhibit but did not stay long.
Written 23 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cordyroy
Mobile, AL2,332 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
There are 2 Attractions here; The American Civil War Museum and Historic Tredegar, part of the National Park Service. We visited the first, the second is closed due to Covid.
The ACWM takes you through the timeline of the war from 1861 to 1865. It also personalized the war thru eyewitness accounts. On the second level is an exhibit on the creation of paper money in the USA and another which examines what the Confederate States hoped to achieve after they seceded.
The ACWM takes you through the timeline of the war from 1861 to 1865. It also personalized the war thru eyewitness accounts. On the second level is an exhibit on the creation of paper money in the USA and another which examines what the Confederate States hoped to achieve after they seceded.
Written 14 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unless you have no time or are content in your knowledge of the wars... YES, GgggggoooOooooo!
The Revolutionary War and Civil Ear sites are all great places to visit learn and enjoy.
Written 25 December 2017
How much time should I allow for the museum? I know that depends on a lot of different variables but in general, what would be a good allotment?
Written 17 March 2017
Thanks Matt for your interest in visiting, and thanks to Mark and Mac for chiming in with answers. Typically, our visitors spend one to two hours at any of our three museums, though that time can certainly be extended for enthusiastic readers.
Parking is usually easy to find at our Historic Tredegar location. It's the White House and Museum of the Confederacy location in Richmond that can get busy since we share the parking deck with the VCU medical center. You can find more FAQs in the visit us section of our website.
Written 20 March 2017
Hello Selena316.
Admission to our Historic Tredegar museum is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for youth age 6-17. You can find info about combining admission to our other locations on our website.
Thanks!
Written 18 March 2016
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