Cannons, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia, USA

Getty Images/Gallo Images

Manassas National Battlefield Park


The site of two major Confederate victories early in the Civil War, Manassas National Battlefield Park today is a curving green hillscape, sectioned into fuzzy fields of tall grass and wildflowers by split-rail wood fences. Start your tour at the Henry Hill Visitor Center to watch the orientation film and pick up park and trail maps. Guided tours are offered daily in summer; check the park website for times (which vary seasonally).

The history? On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate soldiers clashed in the first major land battle of the Civil War. Expecting a quick victory, DC residents flocked here to picnic and watch the First Battle of Bull Run (known in the South as First Manassas). The surprise Southern victory erased any hopes of a quick end to the war. Union and Confederate soldiers again met on the same ground for the larger Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862; again the South was victorious.

Daily Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) and Virginia Railway Express (www.vre.org) trains make the 50- to 70-minute journey between DC's Union Station and the historic Old Town Manassas Railroad Station (9451 West St); from there it's a 6-mile taxi ride to the park. There are several restaurants and bars around the Manassas train station, but the rest of the city is a mess of strip malls and suburban sprawl.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Foamhenge

4.92 MILES

This marvelous, full-scale replica of Stonehenge by artist Mark Cline is made entirely of Styrofoam and moved to Cox Farms in 2017. It is open during Cox…

2. Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center

7.78 MILES

The National Air and Space Museum in the Mall is so awesome they made an attic for it: the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. It’s three times…

3. Chrysalis Vineyards

12.96 MILES

A swish operation located on a hilltop 5 miles east of Middleburg, Chrysalis proudly uses the native Norton grape (which dates back to 1820), and produces…

4. National Sporting Museum

15.74 MILES

Middleburg is foxhunting territory (Middleburg's Hunt meets regularly), so it's not surprising that its main museum takes as its focus equine sports…

5. Oatlands Historic House & Gardens

16.42 MILES

Established in 1803 by a great-grandson of Robert ‘King’ Carter, a wealthy pre-Revolutionary planter, this plantation has as its focal point a lovingly…

6. Blockhouse Point Conservation Park

20.82 MILES

Montgomery County has carved this pretty park out of a corner of the Potomac River valley. From Blockhouse Point, you'll see views of the Potomac Valley…

7. Barrel Oak Winery

21.45 MILES

Love visiting wineries but find that the junior members of your household cramp your style? This hilltop winery near Delaplane in Fauquier County is the…

8. Woodlawn

21.77 MILES

Preserved and operated by the National Trust of Historic Preservation, Woodlawn Plantation was once part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. In 1799,…