Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
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 large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed--most in graves unknown.
About under an hour from Washington, 1.5 hours from Richmond and 2 hours from Baltimore by car.
Alerts
- ClosureFredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center Closed, Store and Grounds Open
Starting November 20, 2025 the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center will be closed while updates are made to building systems. Front Desk operations including visitor orientation will move to the adjacent Fredericksburg Battlefield Bookstore. The Chancellorsville Visitor Center remains open to visitors 9am - 5pm all week.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park Grounds | Daily · All Day |
When to go
October draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fredericksburg Battlefield BookstorePassport stamp
The park store stocks books, clothing, educational products, and souvenirs for visitors of all ages. The park store is managed by the non-profit partner America's National Parks, a part of Eastern National.
- Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center contains exhibits about the battles at Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House and a 22-minute film that plays every 30-minutes. Pick up park maps and talk to park staff about the battles and your visit.
- Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Inside the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center are three rooms with exhibits about the Battle of Fredericksburg and its impact on the nation, a 22-minute park film, and an information desk where our staff can provide guidance on getting around as well as insight into the history of the battle.
- Chatham ↗Passport stamp
Atop Stafford Heights, over 250 years of history blend with the present at Chatham. Constructed in 1771, the Chatham grounds hold stories of the horrors of slavery, the establishment of the United States, conflict surrounding the institution of slavery and Civil War, Reconstruction, Colonial…
- EllwoodPassport stamp
Ellwood is located on the Wilderness Battlefield. Ellwood was a slave plantation, a Civil War headquarters and hospital, and its small family cemetery contains Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's arm.
- Jackson Death SitePassport stamp
Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died in the farm office building of the Fairfield Plantation. Today, that office building is all that remains of the former slave plantation situated near the critical transportation hub of Guinea Station.
Explore
Things to do
- Programs at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP
Join one of our regularly scheduled programs to explore deeper into the history of the park and tackle the tough questions surrounding the history of the Civil War and how we remember the war today.
Opens on the Park Service site - History at Sunset60-90 Minutes
History at Sunset is an annual series that focuses on areas rarely visited, stories rarely told, or familiar sites seen through a different lens.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fredericksburg National Cemetery Luminaria30-120 Minutes
The Fredericksburg National Cemetery Luminaria is an annual event featuring over 15,000 lanterns in the cemetery – one for each soldier buried in the cemetery grounds. This event takes place on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.
Opens on the Park Service site - Chancellorsville Anniversary
View special programming for the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Opens on the Park Service site - Wilderness & Spotsylvania Anniversaries
View special programming for this year's anniversary of the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fredericksburg Anniversary
View special programming for the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 8Hide
- Earn Your Junior Ranger Patches1-4 Hours
Become a Junior Ranger at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP! Our park has four booklets of activities available for kids of all ages. Complete all four booklets to complete your set of patches and learn about the battlefields.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike the Battlefields1-8 Hours
Explore trails at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and experience the battlefields up close.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Chancellorsville Walking Tours10/1710:30 AM · runs through Jun 5 · freeMeet at the battle painting outside the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.
- Sunken Road Walking Tour10/1710:30 AM · runs through Jun 5 · freeMeet at the battle painting outside the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center.
- 06:00 PM · freeMeet at Fredericksburg Branch of Central Rappahannock Regional Library (1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401)
News
- Historic Chatham Reopens June 6 After Major Rehabilitation Project ↗2026-06-03
Visitors will once again be able to tour historic Chatham beginning June 6, 2026, following a major rehabilitation project that improves safety, preserves the historic house and protects its collections for future…
- Fredericksburg National Cemetery Luminaria Canceled ↗2026-05-22
The Fredericksburg National Cemetery Luminaria has been canceled due to inclement weather. During the luminaria, local scouts light 15,300 candles in white paper bags.
- 2026 Memorial Day Weekend Events at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery ↗2026-05-07
As we celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, Memorial Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the cost of preserving the ideals first articulated in 1776.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Federal HillBuilding · Fredericksburg (Independent City) · 0.5 mi
- Rowe HouseBuilding · Fredericksburg · 0.5 mi
- Matthew Fontaine Maury SchoolBuilding · Fredericksburg (Independent City) · 0.6 mi
- Chimneys, TheBuilding · Fredericksburg (Independent City) · 0.7 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 monthBelted Kingfisher 2× · Bald Eagle 2× · Barred Owl 1× · Osprey 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 159 birds, 26 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Cooper's hawk · bald eagle · barred owl · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · eastern screech-owl · great horned owl · northern harrier · osprey · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican black duck · Canada goose · bufflehead · double-crested cormorant · great blue heron · great egret · green heron · hooded merganser · king rail · pied-billed grebe · ring-necked duck · ruddy duck · tundra swan · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · common snipe · killdeer · least sandpiper · ring-billed gull · solitary sandpiper · spotted sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesmourning dove · northern bobwhite · ring-necked pheasant · rock dove · wild turkey
Woodpeckersdowny woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker · red-headed woodpecker · yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore oriole · Canada warbler · Cape May warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cerulean warbler · Chuck-will's-widow · European starling · Kentucky warbler · Lincoln's sparrow · Louisiana waterthrush · Nashville warbler · Swainson's thrush · Tennessee warbler · Wilson's warbler · Yellow-rumped warbler · bank swallow · barn swallow · bay-breasted warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-throated blue warbler · black-throated green warbler · blackpoll warbler · blue grosbeak · blue jay · blue-gray gnatcatcher · blue-headed vireo · blue-winged warbler · bobolink · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · cedar waxwing · chestnut-sided warbler · chipping sparrow · common grackle · common nighthawk · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern bluebird · eastern kingbird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · eastern wood-pewee · evening grosbeak · field sparrow · fish crow · fox sparrow · gadwall · golden-crowned kinglet · grasshopper sparrow · gray catbird · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · hooded warbler · horned lark · house finch · house sparrow · house wren · indigo bunting · magnolia warbler · mallard · northern cardinal · northern mockingbird · northern parula · northern rough-winged sparrow · orange-crowned warbler · orchard oriole · ovenbird · palm warbler · pine siskin · pine warbler · prairie warbler · prothonotary warbler · purple finch · purple martin · red-breasted nuthatch · red-eyed vireo · red-winged blackbird · rose-breasted grosbeak · ruby-crowned kinglet · rusty blackbird · savannah sparrow · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · summer tanager · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · veery · whip-poor-will · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · white-eyed vireo · white-throated sparrow · winter wren · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow warbler · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-breasted chat · yellow-throated vireo · yellow-throated warbler
Small mammalsAmerican beaver · Norway rat · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · eastern harvest mouse · eastern mole · house mouse · marsh rice rat · meadow jumping mouse · meadow vole · northern short-tailed shrew · pygmy shrew · southeastern shrew · southern flying squirrel · white-footed mouse
Predatorsblack bear · coyote · gray fox · raccoon · red fox
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Batsbig brown bat · eastern red bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Hiking in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
The regional climate is characterized by mild winters and warm, humid summers. The mean annual temperatures is 56 degrees Fahrenheit. The average summer temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Daytime highs during the summer can reach the 90s, and nighttime lows are in the lower 60s. Daytime highs in the winter are typically in the upper 40s, and nighttime lows in the middle 20s. Precipitation is well distributed throughout the year, with the minimum amount in August and the maximum in February.
Questions people ask
Does Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania charge an entrance fee?
No. Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center Closed, Store and Grounds Open.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania?
765,991 recreation visits in 2025, number 86 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania established?
1927. It covers about 13 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania?
The regional climate is characterized by mild winters and warm, humid summers. The mean annual temperatures is 56 degrees Fahrenheit.
Source: Weather & climate
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.
