Chancellorsville Battlefield

Okay. Just so you know, this summer has been quite the deal for us. HOT, boring at times and how should I put this nicely...I'm tired of my kids fighting and me playing the ref every 2 seconds of the day. Thankfully, we have a lot of fun times to balance it all out! Our beach trip in August really couldn't come soon enough! I have a feeling that once Fall is here, everyone will be jumping for joy! I will be Fall's biggest fan!

But with that said, I have still tried to find fun adventures to take my kids on. After being stuck inside for a couple of days, we broke out and traveled to another battlefield in the area we had yet to see since moving to Virginia. Despite the heat (which was why we didn't want to escape and go anywhere for those few days) - I just HAD to get them out of the house and get some fresh air and get their wiggles out.

So since we've seen the Fredericksburg Battlefield sites (many, many times!) I thought it would be neat to venture out to a neighboring battlefield in Chancellorsville. The history here is amazing! Unfortunately, I don't remember ever learning this stuff in high school. That may be why I'm so interested in it now. It's all very fascinating to me. And I'm glad my kids enjoy it too! There was a 30 minute video inside the Visitor's Center that I opted to save for another day (ie: help with the kids!)...so we spent our time around the building to see the information signs they had posted and walked along a short trail to Jackson's monument.

Next up, we hopped back into the truck and drove a section of the driving tour to see the other surrounding battlefield sites. Of course when we got to one area with the cannons, all the kids wanted to do was climb on them like they were a playground. Clear indication we needed to go to the park - and soon! :) After reminding them that we treat history with respect (no more climbing!) we took off for lunch and to give Andrew a much needed nap. We're definitely returning to see the rest. And then we'll have only Wilderness Battlefield and Spotsylvania Battlefield next to visit and then we will be finished touring our area battlefields!