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Community Resources & Things to Do · Historic sites · Showing 24 of 28 resources
Manassas
Ben Lomond Historic Site
A house used as a Confederate field hospital, with surviving soldier graffiti, plus a historic rose garden. $5 admission; Civil War field-hospital interpretation with soldier graffiti; self-guided tour option; historic rose garden.
Cost
Low-cost: $5.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- self-guided tours of Civil War field hospital house ↗
- guided tours offered daily at 11am and 2pm ↗
- exhibits in slave quarters, smokehouse, and dairy ↗
- restored soldier graffiti visible inside the house ↗
- museum store for books and small souvenirs ↗
- programs on folk medicine and textiles for scouts ↗
- education field trips interpreting Civil War medicine ↗
- Old Rose Garden with historic varieties to explore ↗
Glen Echo
Clara Barton National Historic Site
The home and early Red Cross headquarters of Clara Barton — the first NPS site dedicated to a woman's achievements. Free ranger-guided house tours Fridays and Saturdays 1–4 p.m.; a 38-room house built partly from Red Cross relief supplies; next door to Glen Echo Park's carousel and arts campus.
Cost
Free — "Entrance – Free."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Runs weekly, year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
Free ranger-guided house tours Fridays and Saturdays 1–4 p.m
What's here
Potomac
C&O Canal National Historical Park (Great Falls Tavern)
A 184.5-mile canal park; the Great Falls Tavern area has the visitor center, lift locks and the Olmsted Island falls overlook. Mule-drawn canal boat rides April–October; one-hour round trips through a 19th-century lift lock; flat towpath ideal for young bikers; Great Falls overlook boardwalk.
Cost
$10 per car at Great Falls; mule-drawn boat trips are ticketed at $8 adults / $5 children.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Discovery Space with rotating hands-on kids' activities ↗
- exhibit room about mules and canal history ↗
- Junior Ranger activity books to earn badges ↗
- Meet the Mules ranger program ↗
- lock demonstrations with visitor participation ↗
- replica launch boat rides near Great Falls ↗
- free 30-minute launch boat programs, tickets same-day ↗
- plan-a-field-trip options making park a classroom ↗
Washington
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
The theatre where Lincoln was assassinated, plus the museum and Petersen House. Free same-day tickets; the theatre box and Lincoln assassination artifacts; Petersen House where Lincoln died; ranger talks.
Cost
No entrance fee; a $5 online reservation fee if you book ahead, and free same-day tickets are available.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Ford's Theatre Museum on Lincoln, Civil War, assassination ↗
- recreated 1865 theatre interior with presidential box view ↗
- Petersen House walkthrough, house where Lincoln died ↗
- aftermath exhibits on manhunt, funeral, Lincoln's legacy ↗
- self-guided visit across museum, theatre, Petersen House ↗
- 15-20 minute ranger presentations inside theatre ↗
- audio description tour for visitors needing narration ↗
- campus bookstore with Lincoln and history titles ↗
Baltimore
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
The star fort whose defense inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner." Kids under 16 free; free waterfront grounds and seawall trail; living-history and flag programs; a $45 annual pass covers the holder plus three adults.
Cost
Visitors 15 and younger are always free; $15 per person for ages 16+ for the Star Fort Historic Zone. The grounds and visitor center outside the fort are free.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- star-shaped historic fort ↗
- giant American flag and flag-change ceremonies ↗
- cannon and historic-weapons demonstrations ↗
- 1-mile Seawall Trail (walk/bike/run) ↗
- ranger-guided tours ↗
- tour the historic Star Fort and walk its ramparts ↗
- self-guided tour using virtual or mobile-guided options ↗
- Junior Ranger booklet activities to earn park badge ↗
- orientation film about Battle of Baltimore and anthem ↗
- exhibits with artifacts from War of 1812 and later eras ↗
- Daily Ranger's Choice interpretive programs outdoors ↗
- Waterfront Seawall Trail for walking, running, biking ↗
Fort Washington
Fort Washington Park
A masonry coastal fort of 1824 guarding the Potomac approach to DC. Free fort exploration with tunnels, ramparts and cannon; Potomac views across to Mount Vernon; ranger programs and cannon firings; picnic areas and shoreline.
Cost
"Free, no entrance pass required."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- three-mile perimeter trail along Potomac shoreline ↗
- Civil War artillery demonstrations one Sunday monthly ↗
- birdwatching along river and wetlands ↗
- Fishing from Potomac River shoreline ↗
- self-guided exploration of Endicott gun batteries ↗
- ranger-led fort tours offered seasonally ↗
- large open fields for informal sports and play ↗
Washington
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (Cedar Hill)
Douglass's Anacostia home, preserved with most of his own furnishings. Essentially free house tours ($1 booking fee); Douglass's actual library and belongings; hilltop view of the Capitol; excellent DC-history stop east of the river.
Cost
No entrance fee; a $1 online reservation fee applies to house tours, and school groups pay a $10 flat reservation fee.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- 19-minute film Fighter for Freedom in auditorium ↗
- exhibit gallery with life-size Frederick Douglass statue ↗
- displays of significant artifacts from Douglass's collection ↗
- guided ranger-led tours of historic house interior ↗
- ranger-led walking tour of Cedar Hill grounds ↗
- nine-acre estate grounds for walking and informal play ↗
- growlery outbuilding where Douglass wrote and reflected ↗
- Civil War to Civil Rights trading cards to collect ↗
Great Falls
Great Falls Grange
A restored 1929 Grange hall and one-room schoolhouse complex used for community events and rentals. Historic hall with a curtained stage that has hosted ice cream socials, dances and carnivals; large country kitchen; community-event venue in the middle of Great Falls village.
Cost
Public access to Great Falls Grange Park grounds is free; no general per-person admission fee is listed. Fees apply only if you rent the Grange/Schoolhouse or grounds for a private event under Historic Property Rental Services.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Two-level historic Grange Hall usable for community events ↗
- adjacent historic schoolhouse suitable for smaller gatherings ↗
- indoor stage area for performances or presentations ↗
- indoor meeting room on lower level for group activities ↗
- event space frequently used for local family celebrations ↗
- reservable outdoor areas in Great Falls Grange Park ↗
Programs
- Historic Property Rentals for Private Events ↗
Towson
Hampton National Historic Site
A Georgian mansion and plantation landscape interpreting both the Ridgely family and the people they enslaved. Everything is free — including guided mansion tours, events and parking; enslaved-quarters and farm buildings; formal terraced gardens; one of the largest 18th-century houses in America.
Cost
Free — entrance is free, and "All programs, special events, tours, and parking … are free."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Junior Ranger booklet and badge for kids ↗
- self-guided audio walking tours via NPS app ↗
- visitor center exhibits on Hampton estate history ↗
- birdwatching in fields and wooded areas ↗
- picnicking area on the grounds ↗
- Families, Farming, and Freedom farm history tour ↗
- Gardens, Grounds, and Architecture guided walk ↗
- virtual tours and online exhibits from home ↗
Fairfax
Historic Blenheim & Civil War Interpretive Center
An 1859 farmhouse whose attic walls are covered in Civil War soldiers' signatures and graffiti. Free guided tours Saturdays at 1 p.m.; one of the best-preserved collections of Civil War soldier graffiti in the country; full-scale ADA replica of the signature attic; small, quiet, deeply unusual.
Cost
"Free admission," including free guided tours.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Runs weekly, year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
Free guided tours Saturdays at 1 p.m
What's here
- Civil War exhibit gallery on soldiers, family, enslaved laborers ↗
- videos of attic soldier graffiti in multipurpose room ↗
- interpretive panels along accessible 12-acre grounds paths ↗
- log-wall construction cottage circa 1840 to view from outside ↗
- willcoxon family cemetery on the estate grounds ↗
- temporary rotating exhibits on topics like Vietnam War ↗
- small gift shop with children's toys, games, and replica items ↗
- self-guided exploration of secluded Civil War-era grounds ↗
St. Mary's City
Historic St. Mary's City
An outdoor living-history museum and active archaeology site at Maryland's first colonial capital. Costumed interpreters at a re-created 1600s town and tobacco plantation; the *Maryland Dove* tall ship; working archaeology digs; 800+ acres on the St. Mary's River.
Cost
$15 general / $10 students.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- living history outdoor exhibits at Maryland's first capital ↗
- hands-on archaeology experiences at active dig sites ↗
- three-mile trail through woods and fields by the river ↗
- Margaret Brent Garden with activity stations and crafts ↗
- kid-friendly knot-tying and map-making stations ↗
- trade chest sensory activity exploring colonial trade items ↗
- oyster shell art make-and-take activity ↗
- picnic areas and hiking trails across 700+ acres ↗
St. Leonard
Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
Maryland's state museum of archaeology on 560 acres along the Patuxent River. Free admission to a state archaeology museum; active dig sites and the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab; War of 1812 interpretation and shoreline trails; reconstructed Indigenous village.
Cost
Free — "Free park admission" / "no admission cost."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Visitor Center exhibits on 10,000 years of history ↗
- Woodland Indian Village with reconstructed dwellings ↗
- FAQ Archaeology interactive exhibit in Visitor Center ↗
- walking audio tour Walking in Their Footsteps ↗
- opportunities to walk trails to archaeological sites ↗
- guided tours of Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab ↗
- miles of riverside hiking trails with Patuxent views ↗
- Replica American Indian village to explore self-guided ↗
Manassas
Manassas National Battlefield Park
The First and Second Bull Run battlefields. Free entry; Henry Hill visitor center and film; open-field walking trails; living-history and anniversary programs.
Cost
Free — described on the NPS page as a "fee free park."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- Henry Hill Visitor Center ↗
- Brawner Farm Interpretive Center ↗
- hiking trails ↗
- cannons and monuments ↗
- Stone House ↗
- twenty-mile self-guided driving tour of battlefield ↗
- TRACK Trail adventure on Stone Bridge Loop ↗
- Junior Ranger and Scout Ranger activities ↗
- daily ranger talks and short walking tours ↗
- Henry Hill loop trail highlighting First Manassas fighting ↗
- birding, fishing and wildlife watching in park habitats ↗
Frederick
Monocacy National Battlefield
"The battle that saved Washington," with a modern visitor center and farm landscapes. No fees at all; electronic battle map orientation; driving tour with short walking trails; quiet, uncrowded alternative to Antietam.
Cost
Free — "There are NO FEES."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- six hiking trails from half-mile to five miles ↗
- five-stop self-guided auto tour of battlefield ↗
- kids corner with dress-up Civil War uniforms ↗
- kids' puzzles, books and coloring pages area ↗
- mural scavenger hunt exploring battlefield stories ↗
- Junior Ranger booklet and badge by mail or visit ↗
- visitor center interactive exhibits and battle map ↗
Laurel
Montpelier Mansion & Art Center
A 1780s Georgian mansion with an adjoining arts center. $5/$2 admission; Georgian mansion with original detailing; on-site art center with studios and exhibitions; extensive grounds.
Cost
Low-cost: $5 adults / $2 youth.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided tours of Georgian Montpelier mansion ↗
- history-focused exhibits in mansion rooms ↗
- Summer Culture Hub Connecting Foodways activities ↗
- Summer Culture Hub textile techniques demonstrations ↗
- African Odyssey exhibition on African diaspora ↗
- History Community Day with interactive activities ↗
- seventy acres of fields and wooded walking paths ↗
Woodbridge
Rippon Lodge Historic Site
The oldest surviving house in Prince William County, on a bluff over Neabsco Creek. $5 admission; oldest house in the county; seasonal "Holidays Through the Ages" family programs; grounds with Potomac-area views.
Cost
Low-cost: $5.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- self-guided tours of colonial-era Rippon Lodge house ↗
- guided tours offered at 11am and 2pm ↗
- interpretive rooms including parlor and Washington bedroom ↗
- orientation room exhibit on site history ↗
- Admiral Black exhibit on World War II veteran owner ↗
- Museum Family Monday historic games and activities ↗
- Road to Victory event with colonial living history ↗
- World War II weekend with vehicles and equipment ↗
Riverdale Park
Riversdale House Museum
A 1801–1807 Federal mansion built by Belgian aristocrat Rosalie Stier Calvert. $5/$2 admission with frequent free events; period-furnished Federal mansion; walkable from Riverdale Park's town center and the Riverdale MARC station.
Cost
Low-cost: $5 adults / $2 youth; many events are free.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided historic house tours Fridays and Sundays ↗
- tours include dependency buildings like kitchen ↗
- interpretive gardens with herbs, flowers, orchard ↗
- Hispanic Heritage Month storytime and art workshop ↗
- Hispanic Heritage Month community conversation program ↗
- Harvest Festival with historic cooking demonstrations ↗
- Kitchen Guild Sunday open-hearth cooking demos ↗
- community days with hands-on preservation activities ↗
Chantilly
Sully Historic Site
The 1794 home of Richard Bland Lee, with slave quarters and outbuildings. Free grounds access; original 18th-century outbuildings and reconstructed slave quarters; big lawn and orchard for picnics; frequent free outdoor events.
Cost
"No entry fee to the grounds" (house tours are fee-based).
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided house tour of 1794 Sully main dwelling ↗
- Forgotten Road walking tour of outbuildings and slave quarter ↗
- self-guided exploration of historic buildings via site map ↗
- visitor center with staff and ticketing for tours ↗
- trails through forest and along Cain's Branch waterway ↗
- Civil War-focused site tour interpreting local wartime history ↗
- seasonal candlelit evening tours of buildings and landscape ↗
- spanish-language guided tour of historic site ↗
Clinton
Surratt House Museum
The home of Mary Surratt, a safe house in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. $5 admission and a free Junior Rangers Day; costumed docent tours; John Wilkes Booth escape-route bus tours originate here; hidden-gun-hole storytelling that hooks kids.
Cost
Low-cost: $5; free Junior Rangers Day event.
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided house tours every half hour, Thu-Sun 11am-4pm ↗
- visitor center with exhibits on Lincoln assassination and Reconstruction ↗
- research center for history projects, by appointment ↗
- museum gift shop staffed by volunteers ↗
- historic plantation and tavern grounds to explore outdoors ↗
- interpretive tour focused on enslavement at the plantation ↗
- Community Day youth history event (ages 15-25) ↗
Washington
The White House and President's Park
The White House grounds, Ellipse and Lafayette Square as a national park unit. Free access to the park grounds, Ellipse and Lafayette Square; the National Christmas Tree site; adjacent to the free White House Visitor Center.
Cost
"Free" — "An entrance pass is not required to access The White House and President's Park."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- White House Visitor Center exhibits and artifacts ↗
- interactive touchscreen tour of White House rooms ↗
- 14-minute film White House Reflections From Within ↗
- President's Park junior ranger booklet and badge ↗
- Suggested Northern Trail walking route through Lafayette Park ↗
- Suggested Southern Trail walk around Ellipse grounds ↗
- Views of White House north and south facades for photos ↗
- statues and monuments throughout President's Park ↗
Port Tobacco
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
The plantation home of a Declaration of Independence signer — one of the least-visited NPS sites in the region. Free; a restored horseshoe-shaped 18th-century house; quiet trails and family cemetery; almost never crowded.
Cost
Free — "There is no entrance fee at Thomas Stone National Historic Site."
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided tours of Thomas Stone's restored mansion ↗
- visitor center exhibits and short orientation film ↗
- Nature Trail System with multiple loop options ↗
- Walk to Stone Family Cemetery burial ground ↗
- trails passing 1840s farm outbuildings and tenant house ↗
- opportunities for wildlife and nature observation ↗
- photo galleries and history activities for kids online ↗
- haberdeventure plantation landscape to explore on foot ↗
Sharpsburg
Antietam National Battlefield
The site of the bloodiest single day in American history, exceptionally well preserved. Eight fee-free days in 2026; Burnside Bridge and Bloody Lane walking trails; Junior Ranger program; December Memorial Illumination.
Cost
$20 per private vehicle or $10 per individual (3-day pass); youth 15 and under free. Free on the 2026 NPS fee-free days: Feb 16, May 25, Jun 14, Jul 3-5, Aug 25, Sep 17, Oct 27, Nov 11 (2027 list not yet published).
Best fit
kids, teens, ya, families
Before you go
Feb 16, May 25, Jun 14 · check dates. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
NPS fee-free days: Feb 16, May 25, Jun 14, Jul 3–5, Aug 25, Sep 17, Oct 27, Nov 11
What's here
- visitor center ↗
- Dunker Church ↗
- National Cemetery ↗
- Pry House Field Hospital museum ↗
- hiking trails ↗
- museum exhibits on Battle of Antietam and soldiers ↗
- self-guided nine-mile auto tour with ten battlefield stops ↗
- battlefield scavenger hunt activity sheet for kids ↗
- ranger talks and guided battlefield walks ↗
- special living history and firing demonstrations days ↗
Bristow
Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park
Free Civil War battlefield park with trails and free seasonal tours (not a farm; found in the cross-check). Free Civil War battlefield park with trails and free seasonal tours (not a farm; found in the cross-check).
Cost
Free grounds; free guided tours 11, 1 and 3 on 2nd and 4th weekends May-October.
Best fit
families, teens
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- guided battlefield tours interpreting 1862 and 1863 battles ↗
- free tours second and fourth weekends May-October ↗
- Self-guided AP Hill's Folly interpretive trail ↗
- Self-guided Tragedy in Camp Battle of Kettle Run trail ↗
- interpretive signs about camps, cemeteries and winter quarters ↗
- wildlife viewing in fields, woods and ponds ↗
- Wednesday Walks guided walking programs seasonally ↗
- special anniversary tours for Battle of Kettle Run ↗
Great Falls
Colvin Run Mill Historic Site
Operating 200-year-old grist mill with free grounds and general store (not a farm; found in the farm cross-check). Operating 200-year-old grist mill with free grounds and general store (not a farm; found in the farm cross-check).
Cost
Grounds free; mill tours and Mill in Motion tickets are fee-based (prices not stated on cited pages).
Best fit
families, kids
Before you go
Open year-round. Check hours on the official site before travelling.
What's here
- operating 200-year-old water-powered grist mill tours ↗
- Mill in Motion grain grinding demonstrations ↗
- Colvin Run General Store with ground grain for sale ↗
- Historic Miller's House open for exploration ↗
- fairfax 250 hands-on family history programs ↗
- ice cream making and historic games activities ↗
- secret code cracking and flight science activities ↗
- on-your-own blacksmithing and woodcarving demonstration days ↗