Booker T. Washington National Monument
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 influence his philosophies as the most influential African American of his era. Come explore his birthplace.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m., except for Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. Please call the park phone at 540-682-0173 to find out if the park is open or closed during inclement weather.
Explore
Things to do
- Start at the Booker T. Washington Visitor Center15-60 Minutes
Begin your visit at the Booker T. Washington Visitor Center. Pick up a park brochure and have your park passport stamped. Information desk staff are available to help you plan your visit. Kids can ask for a Junior Ranger activity book.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore Exhibits on Booker T. Washington’s Early Life15-60 Minutes
The Booker T. Washington Visitor Center features an exhibit providing an in-depth examination of life on a small tobacco plantation in Piedmont, Virginia. Two large circular displays help you experience what life was like for Booker T.
Opens on the Park Service site - Ring the Bell: A Symbolic Marker of Freedom5-10 Minutes
Booker T. Washington and his family were among the four million enslaved individuals emancipated throughout the South in 1865, following the arrival of Union troops at the Burroughs Plantation in Hale’s Ford, Franklin County.
Opens on the Park Service site - Bring Your Dog for a Walk to Booker T. Washington NM30-60 Minutes
Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia, is dog-friendly and permits leashed dogs on the grounds and the Jack-O’-Lantern Branch Heritage Trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a Tour of the Historic Core on the Plantation Trail30-60 Minutes
A walk along the Plantation Trail evokes the atmosphere of an 1850s and Civil War-era tobacco plantation, reflecting Booker T. Washington’s childhood at the Burroughs plantation.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a hike on the Jack-O-Lantern Branch Trail45-90 Minutes
Explore the Jack-O’-Lantern Heritage Branch Trail, a one-and-a-half-mile route through the fields and forests of Piedmont, Virginia. Much of this land was once part of the Burroughs plantation. The tour begins after you pass the tobacco barn.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Enjoy a Picnic at Booker T. Washington National Monument30-120 Minutes
The picnic area at Booker T. Washington National Monument sits on a shaded hillside next to the visitor center parking lot, offering a comfortable outdoor space for visitors to rest and eat.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Born Here, Freed Here Walking Tour10/1411:00 AM · runs through Mar 31 · free
- Footsteps of Freedom Guided Hike10/1710:00 AM · runs through Mar 27 · free
News
- Booker T. Washington National Monument to Commemorate 161st Anniversary of Emancipation and Juneteenth ↗2026-05-26
Hardy, Va.—Booker T. Washington National Monument will commemorate the 161st anniversary of the emancipation of Booker T.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Holland–Duncan HouseBuilding · Moneta · 1.2 mi
- WaverlyBuilding · Burnt Chimney · 3.3 mi
- John Craghead HouseBuilding · Moneta · 4.6 mi
- Gwin Dudley Home SiteSite · Wirtz · 5.2 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthHelmeted Guineafowl 2×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 123 birds, 32 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsCooper's hawk · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · eastern screech owl · great horned owl · osprey · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada goose · great blue heron · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · Wilson's snipe · killdeer
Gamebirds & dovesmourning dove · northern bobwhite · ruffed grouse · wild turkey
Woodpeckersdowny woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker · yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American Pipit · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore Oriole · Cape May warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · European starling · Louisiana waterthrush · Nashville Warbler · Swainson's thrush · barn swallow · bay-breasted warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-capped chickadee · black-throated blue warbler · black-throated green warbler · blackburnian Warbler · blackpoll warbler · blue grosbeak · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · blue-headed vireo · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · cedar waxwing · cerulean warbler · chestnut-sided warbler · chipping sparrow · common grackle · common nighthawk · common raven · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern bluebird · eastern kingbird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · eastern wood-pewee · field sparrow · fox sparrow · golden-crowned kinglet · grasshopper sparrow · gray catbird · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · hooded warbler · house finch · house sparrow · indigo bunting · magnolia warbler · mallard · northern cardinal · northern mockingbird · northern parula · northern rough-winged swallow · northern waterthrush · orchard oriole · ovenbird · palm warbler · pine warbler · purple finch · purple martin · red-breasted nuthatch · red-eyed vireo · red-winged blackbird · rose-breasted grosbeak · ruby-crowned kinglet · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · summer tanager · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · veery · warbling vireo · whip-poor-will · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · white-throated sparrow · winter wren · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow warbler · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-breasted chat · yellow-rumped warbler · yellow-throated vireo · yellow-throated warbler
Small mammalsAmerican beaver · deer mouse · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · eastern mole · fox squirrel · golden mouse · hairy-tailed mole · house mouse · least shrew · meadow jumping mouse · muskrat · northern short-tailed shrew · pygmy shrew · southeastern shrew · southern flying squirrel · white-footed mouse · woodland jumping mouse · woodland vole
PredatorsAmerican mink · black bear · coyote · gray fox · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · domestic dog · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Hiking in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Please contact the park at 540/682-0173 during inclement weather conditions to find out about closures.
Questions people ask
Does Booker T. Washington charge an entrance fee?
No. Booker T. Washington is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Booker T. Washington?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Booker T. Washington?
21,698 recreation visits in 2025, number 323 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Booker T. Washington?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Booker T. Washington established?
1956.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
