Custom Tours
Join a Pamplin Historical Park historian on a custom tour of Civil War battlefields – from Gettysburg to Vicksburg! The Park specializes in multi-day tours for groups of all sizes (including individuals or couples) and creating unique itineraries to fit your individual needs and interests.
A Park historian will accompany you in your car or step on your bus to show you a side of the Civil War not covered in the history books. Email the Group Tours Department or call 804-861-2408 to inquire about rates and availability.
Pamplin Historical Park also offers the following standard tour options, with suggested itineraries that can be customized to your interests.
Tour 1: Appomattox Campaign
Duration: 8 hours
Fee: $225*
*Plus admission to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Shrouded in darkness, the Army of Northern Virginia began its final campaign on the night of April 2, 1865. After nine months in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond, Confederates evacuated both cities, hoping to move southwest to unite with General Joseph Johnston’s army in North Carolina. Join a Pamplin Historical Park historian and follow in the footsteps of Lee’s army on its week-long retreat, which ultimately led to Appomattox Court House. Feel their disappointment at the lack of rations at Amelia Courthouse. Walk the ground of Sailor’s Creek, the last major engagement for Union and Confederate armies in Virginia. Finally, learn the circumstances that led to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House.
Tour 2: Petersburg Campaign
Duration: 8 hours
Fee: $225*
*Plus admission to Petersburg National Battlefield
Join a Pamplin Historical Park historian on an eight-hour journey from the first Federal assaults east of the city, to the desperate struggle at the Crater, to the final shots at Fort Gregg. There is no better way to see the famous, and infamous sites associated with the Civil War’s longest military campaign.
Tour 3: Civil War Petersburg
Duration: 4 hours
Fee: $150
The city of Petersburg was the object of the longest military campaign ever waged against an American city. For nearly 300 days, two great armies surrounded what was the principal economic center of Southside Virginia and the center of the vital supply line for Richmond and the Army of Northern Virginia. A Pamplin Historical Park historian will lead you through Civil War Petersburg, including visits to Blandford Cemetery, Old Town Petersburg, and many other sites as you explore the cost of war on the citizens of Petersburg, Virginia, the “Last Citadel” of the South.
Tour 4: Seven Days Campaign
Duration: 8 hours
Fee: $225
In June of 1862, 105,000 Union soldiers prepared to lay siege to the Confederate capital, Richmond, and end the Civil War. Seizing the initiative, newly appointed Confederate commander, Robert E. Lee, lashed out at the Federals. Accompanied by a Pamplin Historical Park historian, you will trace the steps of Lee’s and McClellan’s armies to the battlefields of Mechanicsville, Gaines’ Mill, Savage’s Station, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill.
Tour 5: Pamplin Historical Park Tour
Duration: 3 hours
Fee: $100
*Limited to 8 people
Pamplin Historical Park historians tailor their tour to your interests and offer insight into the life of the common Civil War soldier, antebellum Southern life and the effect of the Civil War on civilians, and the events surrounding the climactic battle of the Petersburg Campaign on April 2, 1865. Choose from four historic homes, four museum exhibits, living-history demonstrations, and a battlefield tour to create your own one-of-a-kind experience. Visitors can view The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier prior to or following the guided tour.
Tour 6: Civil War Richmond
Duration:4 hours Fee: $150
8 hours Fee: $225
Richmond was the primary target of Union military campaigns from 1861 to 1865. What gave Richmond, Virginia this prominence during the Civil War? Explore the economic assets and political institutions that made this city the capital of the Confederacy and the hub of the quest for Southern independence. Join a Pamplin Historical Park historian as you pull back the layers of the modern city and experience its wartime transformation. The seat of government, munitions factories, hospitals, and cemeteries will all be visited during the four-hour tour. Expand your exploration to eight hours and visit the 1862 Seven Days Battlefields at Beaver Dam Creek and Gaines Mill. Continue on to Cold Harbor and Fort Harrison, two important battlefields associated with the 1864 campaigns around Richmond. Finally, re-enter the Confederate capital following the footsteps of the first Union soldiers to occupy the city on April 3, 1865.
Tour 7: April 2, 1865: Day of Decision at Petersburg
Duration: 8 hours
Fee: $225
Join a Pamplin Historical Park historian following the movements and strategies of Confederate and Union forces during the Breakthrough Battle. Follow the track of Gen. A.P. Hill on his final, fateful ride to investigate the lines. Walk the ground of the headquarters of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee, both of whom came under fire during the final battles of the Petersburg Campaign. Explore the circumstances that ended the nine-and-a-half month campaign and began Lee’s retreat.
Tour 8: Petersburg Campaign & April 2, 1865
Duration: 2 days (two 8-hour tours)
Fee: $400*
*Plus admission to Petersburg National Battlefield
A combination of two tours: our popular Petersburg Campaign tour and our new tour, April 2, 1865: Day of Decision at Petersburg. Begin with an eight-hour journey from the first Federal assaults east of the city, to the desperate struggle at the Crater, to the final shots at Fort Gregg. On Day Two, continue with another eight-hour tour following the events that ended the Petersburg Campaign and caused Lee’s retreat to Appomattox Court House.
Tour 9: April 2, 1865 & Appomattox Campaign
Duration: 2 days (two 8-hour tours)
Fee: $400*
*Plus admission to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
A combination of two tours: our new tour, April 2, 1865: Day of Decision at Petersburg followed by the Appomattox Campaign tour. Start with an eight-hour tour following the end of the Petersburg Campaign. On Day Two, continue with another eight-hour tour following in the footsteps of Lee’s army on their week-long retreat, which ultimately led to the surrender at Appomattox Court House.
Tour 10: Petersburg Campaign, April 2, 1865, & Appomattox Campaign
Duration: 3 days (three 8-hour tours)
Fee: $575*
*Plus admission to Petersburg National Battlefield and Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
A combination of three tours: Petersburg Campaign, followed by April 2, 1865: Day of Decision at Petersburg, and concluding with our Appomattox Campaign tour. Get the entire story of the Petersburg Campaign, the Breakthrough Battle, Lee’s retreat, and the surrender at Appomattox with three specially designed tours with our expert historian.
For reservations, please call (804) 861-2408 or email the Group Tours Specialist.
Tour costs are PER VEHICLE, not per person.
Tour participants are responsible for all admission fees, including those of your historian, where applicable. Admission to Pamplin Historical Park is included for tours visiting the campus. Tours must be reserved and paid in full at least one week in advance and are dependent upon historian availability. Tours cancelled at least 24-hours in advance receive a full refund, less a $20 administrative fee. Pamplin Historical Park Members receive a 10% discount. Prices and content subject to change.
