If you want to share your love of local history with your kids, it’s time to add these favorite family-friendly historical day trips to your to-do list! Virginia is known for its many historical sites, from museums to living history centers. And if you’re a Charlottesville resident, you’re particularly lucky. Many of them are just a short drive away, making them a perfect day trip for weekends, holidays, and summer break.
9 of Virginia’s Best Family-Friendly Historical Attractions
Load up the family and pack some snacks! CharlottesvilleFamily is rounding up 9 more of our favorite family-friendly historical attractions in Virginia.
Jackson Ward (Richmond, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Learn more: hjwa.org
Nestled in the heart of Richmond is a neighborhood that was once known as “the Harlem of the South.” The historic Jackson Ward district was home to a thriving African American community in the early twentieth century. It was the home of entrepreneurs and entertainers like Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman bank president in the U.S., and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who was once the most highly paid Black entertainer in the United States.
Today, you’ll find monuments to these groundbreaking leaders, such as the Maggie L. Walker Historic Site. Walking tours are available to guide you through through the history of the neighborhood, or you can stop by the Black History Museum & Culture Center of Virginia. And if you visit in October, you won’t want to miss the annual 2nd Street Festival. This free celebration of the culture and history of Jackson Ward is one of the largest street festivals in the entire mid-Atlantic region!
Agecroft Hall & Gardens (Richmond, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Learn more: agecrofthall.org
For a bit of Elizabethan drama in the middle of Virginia, head to Agecroft Hall in Richmond’s Windsor Farms neighborhood. The Hall is a 16th-century Tudor manor house. Originally the home of the wealthy Langley and Dauntesey families in England, it was purchased by Jazz Age businessman T.C. Williams Jr. and his wife Elizabeth (Bessie) in the 1920s. It was then transported to Virginia and reconstructed on the banks of the James River. After serving as the Williams’ residence, it was turned into a one-of-a-kind Virginia museum.
Visitors can enjoy group or self-guided tours of the house and grounds. Special exhibits showcase elements of Tudor life such as clothing or still house practices, and events allow visitors to learn techniques such as candle making or flower pressing. Agecroft is also the site of the Richmond Shakespeare Festival, which performs a rotating repertory of shows every summer.
Virginia State Capitol (Richmond, VA)
Distance from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Learn more: virginiageneralassembly.gov
To get a taste of both Virginia’s history and its present day, take your family to visit the state Capitol Building in Richmond. The building was designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, and the Virginia General Assembly began meeting there in 1788. It was the first American state capitol designed after the Revolutionary War, and it still serves as the meeting spot for the General Assembly today.
Visitors can learn about the history of Virginia’s government during group tours. Art lovers can also make time to see the collection of more than 130 monuments, sculptures, portraits, paintings, and other artworks honoring important Americans, especially Virginians. The Capitol also houses special exhibits about the history of Virginia and the U.S., such as the current Virginia 250 exhibit celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Frontier Culture Museum (Staunton, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Learn more: frontiermuseum.org
No list of family-friendly historical day trips would be complete without the Frontier Culture Museum, the largest open-air living history museum in the Shenandoah Valley. It’s less than an hour drive from Charlottesville, but your kids will feel like they’re stepping into a different world.
Start at the visitor’s center for a brief movie to describe the museum’s history and mission. Then let your family wander through outdoor exhibits showing them what life was like in the many communities that populated the American frontier, from Indigenous peoples to German settlers. Along the way, you’ll take in hands-on demonstrations such as blacksmithing, spinning, farming, milking, and more—and sometimes even join in the work, giving your kids a true glimpse into frontier life.
Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum (Lynchburg, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1-1.5 hours
Learn more: annespencermuseum.org
Anne Spencer was a renowned poet of the Harlem Renaissance, and her house in Lynchburg once served as a gathering for African American leaders such as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Martin Luther King, Jr. It now stands as one of the most intact house museums in the country, looking almost as it did when Spencer passed away in 1975. It also features the only known restored garden of an African American in the United States.
Visitors can schedule tours of the house and gardens to step back in time to when the Spencers and their famous guests lived and worked there. Stop by Anne’s writing cottage in the garden, see where she hosted many civic and social organizations, and learn about the African American community in America in the early twentieth century.
Appomattox Court House National Historic Park (Appomattox, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1-1.5 hours
Learn more: nps.gov
Appomattox Court House isn’t actually a courthouse. It’s a historic village located in Appomattox, Virginia, that has become part of the National Park Service. Here, in 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered. This signaled the end of the American Civil War and the start of the long process of Reconstruction.
Want to check out the original list? Head over to our first roundup of family-friendly historical day trips that can be found a short drive from Charlottesville!
During a visit, you can start at the visitor’s center, located in the historic courthouse, before heading to McLean House, the site of the actual surrender. The park has over a dozen historic buildings, along with a museum, hiking trails, and theatre. If you visit in the summer, you may also be able to take in guided programs or interact with living historians who play different characters from important moments in Appomattox Court House history.
Historic Jamestowne (Jamestown, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 2-2.5 hours
Learn more: historicjamestowne.org
If you have budding archaeologists in your family, they’ll love a trip to Historic Jamestowne, the site of the 1607 James Fort. Here, you’ll be able to learn about the English settlers who came to Virginia and their interactions with the local Powhatan Indians through a combination of exhibits, tours, and hands-on demonstrations.
But the biggest draw of Historic Jamestowne is the archaeological dig site itself, where researchers are in the process of excavating the fort and its artifacts. You’ll be able to see the dig in progress, along with discoveries that the archaeologists have uncovered. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience for lovers of American history!
Stratford Hall Historic Preserve (Stratford, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 2-2.5 hours
Learn more: stratfordhall.org
Stratford Hall is a historic house museum that sits along the Potomac River. It was the plantation home to four generations of the Lee family of Virginia. Inside, visitors can stop by the visitors center, tour the Great House, and see what life was like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Self-guided audio tours are available, themed around topics such as Who Live at Stratford and African & African American Life at Stratford Hall.
Visitors can also purchase a grounds pass, allowing them to explore the visitors center, public beach area, hiking trails, gardens, and other public grounds. Stratford Hall participates in the Blue Star Museums and Museums for All programs, offering discounted admissions to military families and those who receive SNAP benefits.
Booker T. Washington National Monument (Hardy, VA)
Drive from Charlottesville: 2-2.5 hours
Learn more: nps.org
This monument is run by the National Park Service and found a morning’s drive down Rt. 29. It celebrates the life and legacy of Booker T. Washington National Monument, an educator and leader who began his life in slavery. The monument is located on the site of Borroughs Plantation, the tobacco farm where Washington was born in 1856.
The monument includes a visitors’ center with exhibits, multiple walking trails, reconstructed plantation buildings, kitchen garden, farm area with animals, and a picnic shelter for visitors to use.
Looking for a quick Virginia getaway for families? Plan an outing to explore Virginia history at Monticello or visit the top museums and attractions in downtown Charlottesville. There’s always more family fun happening in Charlottesville!
Keep discovering more local day trips by subscribing to our free CharlottesvilleFamily e-Mag. And be sure to learn more about our valued partners who serve local families.
KATHARINE PALJUG is a freelance writer and novelist. She lives in Charlottesville with two busy kids and proudly owns an unreasonable number of books. Find her on Instagram as @katharinewrites