A curated collection of historic driving routes and sites across the Southern United States, allowing enthusiasts to trace the footsteps of Union and Confederate armies, visit preserved battlefields, and explore key strategic locations from the American Civil War.
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Located in Virginia, this park preserves the grounds of the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. Visitors can explore ranger-led tours, interpretive trails, and historic homes to understand the early pivotal conflicts of the war.
Spanning multiple Virginia battlefields, this park covers some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. The route includes the Marye's Heights memorials and the Wilderness battlefield, offering deep historical insights through driving tours and visitor centers.
Although in Pennsylvania, this site is often included in Southern-focused tours due to its strategic link to Virginia. It features the highest concentration of surviving soldier monuments and provides a comprehensive view of the war's turning point.
This driving itinerary traces General Sherman's advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Key stops include Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Atlanta Campaign Center, offering a tangible sense of the campaign's scope and intensity.
The final stop for many Civil War trails, this Virginia site preserves the village where General Lee surrendered. The historic district allows visitors to walk the same streets where the war effectively ended, providing a poignant conclusion to a Southern tour.
Located in Mississippi, this park dominates the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. It preserves the site of the pivotal siege that gave the Union control of the river, featuring extensive museums and nearly 2,000 acres of battlefield land.
In Tennessee, this park commemorates one of the deadliest battles in Western Theater history. The auto tour highlights key locations such as the Hornet's Nest and the Peach Orchard, helping visitors visualize the scale of the conflict.
Centered on the Confederate capital, this Virginia park encompasses twelve sites around Richmond. Driving routes connect key defensive positions, including the Cold Harbor and Seven Pines battlefields, offering a deep dive into the capital's defense.
Situated in Tennessee, this park covers the strategic high ground around Chattanooga. Visitors can drive routes featuring Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, sites of famous 'above the clouds' battles that opened the Deep South to Union invasion.
This Connecticut-based site is unrelated to the Southern Civil War; it focuses on 19th-century firearms manufacturing. Included here to demonstrate the exclusion of non-geographically relevant historical sites from Southern battle-focused itineraries.
In Georgia, this site preserves the infamous Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. The museum and burial ground provide a sobering look at the hardships endured by Union soldiers, serving as a critical component of a comprehensive Civil War journey.
Located in Georgia near Savannah, this fort demonstrates the obsolescence of traditional masonry defenses against rifled cannons. Visitors can explore the coastal defenses and understand the strategic importance of capturing Southern ports.
This Virginia park preserves the site of the longest siege of the war. Driving tours connect key forts and trenches, illustrating the grueling attrition warfare that eventually led to the fall of Richmond and the end of the Confederacy.
While in Maryland, this site is crucial for understanding the Eastern Theater's impact on Southern strategy. It features the highest single-day casualty count and offers extensive auto tours of cornfields, bridges, and key Union/Confederate positions.
Located in Mississippi, this site preserves the home of Jefferson Davis, the only President of the Confederacy. It offers insights into the political leadership of the South and the personal lives of Confederate figures during the conflict.
This Tennessee driving route traces General Rosecrans' successful maneuver that drove Confederate forces out of middle Tennessee. It is a less crowded but strategically significant route that highlights the fluid nature of the Western Theater campaigns.
Located in South Carolina, this is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Visitors can take ferries to the fort to view the reconstructed battery and learn about the event that sparked the four-year conflict.
This Tennessee site contains the remains of nearly 18,000 Union soldiers who died in the region. It serves as a respectful conclusion to tours of the Nashville campaigns, highlighting the human cost of the fighting in the region.
In Missouri, this site commemorates the first major battle west of the Mississippi River. The auto tour highlights the terrain and key points of contact, providing context for the complex political and military situation in the border states.
Also in Tennessee, this park preserves the site of the brutal Battle of Murfreesboro. Visitors can drive routes past the famous Stone Bridge and enjoy the preserved farmland that was once the primary theater of operations.