American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
American Civil War Museum- Historic Tredegar
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Two floors of exhibits will take you on a journey from the very beginning of the Civil War to Reconstruction and beyond. Located in downtown Richmond on the James River, the museum sits on the site of the Tredegar Iron Works. Cannons made at Tredegar fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. The thick armor plating that protected the ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack) during its fight with the Monitor was rolled at Tredegar. More than half of the cannon used by the Confederate army were cast here. Visitors will experience the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War through dynamic exhibits featuring an unparalleled collection of artifacts. Admission price also includes a film experience.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
454 reviews
Excellent
218
Very good
158
Average
46
Poor
14
Terrible
18
Randy K
Atlanta, GA79 contributions
Oct 2020
This exhibit of Civil War artifacts is in a well deserved spot in the Tredegar Iron Works complex which served the Confederacy similarly as did Krupp did to Germany in both World Wars, namely their primary munitions and artillery manufacturer. This exhibit is sponsored by Dominion Energy is a venerable attic of artifacts. You can see personal effects of most of the principles of the Confederate States (CS) to include Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas E. "Stonewall" Jackson and Jeb Stuart just to name a few. While the artifacts are seemingly limitless, the presentation still is somewhat concerning to me. I understand where I was viewing this from, the former capital of the Confederacy and there might be some difference between my northern perception and the presentation. The exhibit basically leaves it up to the individual to decide on this war that has shaped our history and continues to do so. Recommend you also go upstairs to see the temporary exhibit on the the role of money and finance during the Civil War.
Written 29 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
harryatkck
Kansas City, KS987 contributions
May 2021
This is a small museum that is costly to enter & doesn't know the meaning of fully vaccinated against COVID 19 as all other attractions in the area did not require fully vaccinated guests to wear masks while this one did. However, there are things here that belonged to important historical figures like Robert E. Lee, Jeb Stuart, George Pickett & Phil Sheridan. You won't find items from these people in your normal Civil War museum. There is a pay parking lot a short distance from the front door. Make sure you have your parking ticket validated inside the museum when you enter.
Written 14 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edam4
Honolulu, HI201 contributions
Nov 2019
This museum is impressive from both the exterior, with its surrounding grounds, and certainly the interior. It comes across as well balanced, with excellent emphasis on the human factor and the human struggles of the war. I stayed much longer as I interacted with the exhibits, absorbed the descriptions/displays, and connected with the powerful emotions they elicited. Well worth a visit!
Written 28 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki B
Annapolis, MD3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We enjoy Civil War history, so we knew this was a place we wanted to visit. Upon seeing the small size, I thought it would not take too long to view the exhibits. In reality we spent almost 2 hours there, because each exhibit was chock-full of interesting information and memorabilia. Afterwords we walked outside over the Riverwalk bridge and really enjoyed that as well. It’s a worthwhile museum to visit!
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Penelope C
Plattsburgh, NY724 contributions
Dec 2019
I read about the Museum and made a point of visiting it when we were recently in Virginia. The exhibits are arranged chronologically by year of the war. They cover much more than the major battles, also exploring the lives of the families and the enslaved people left behind when the men went off to war. The various experiences are presented seamlessly, and with great impact. There is also a well-done exhibit upstairs called Greenback, which is a fascinating presentation of how the Civil War impacted and changed America's monetary system.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WC-Travelers-75
West Chester, PA2,192 contributions
Oct 2019
Well worth the time and expense ($14/senior).
The Museum has excellent exhibits and curation. It covers the War from a variety of perspectives of the people involved in the conflict in whatever capacity. We spent almost 3 hours here, lingering with the exhibits since it was a rainy day.
We also went upstairs to check out the Greenback America money exhibit but did not stay long.
The Museum has excellent exhibits and curation. It covers the War from a variety of perspectives of the people involved in the conflict in whatever capacity. We spent almost 3 hours here, lingering with the exhibits since it was a rainy day.
We also went upstairs to check out the Greenback America money exhibit but did not stay long.
Written 23 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cordyroy
Mobile, AL2,333 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
There are 2 Attractions here; The American Civil War Museum and Historic Tredegar, part of the National Park Service. We visited the first, the second is closed due to Covid.
The ACWM takes you through the timeline of the war from 1861 to 1865. It also personalized the war thru eyewitness accounts. On the second level is an exhibit on the creation of paper money in the USA and another which examines what the Confederate States hoped to achieve after they seceded.
The ACWM takes you through the timeline of the war from 1861 to 1865. It also personalized the war thru eyewitness accounts. On the second level is an exhibit on the creation of paper money in the USA and another which examines what the Confederate States hoped to achieve after they seceded.
Written 14 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily
Raleigh, NC3 contributions
Mar 2021
This is a very comprehensive museum covering the Civil War chronologically from start to finish. I appreciated the presentation, and thought it did a great job fairly presenting the different aspects of the Civil War. There is a ton of reading involved. I enjoy reading, but by then end of our walk through of the main exhibit, I was worn out and a bit disinterested. To be fair, I've never been particularly interested in history or wartimes. My husband seemed to stay engaged and interested the whole time. We spent a couple hours walking through the main exhibit (much longer than anyone else we saw as we stopped to read everything) and then moved upstairs to the rotating exhibits - currently one covering the evolution of money and monetary policy and one addressing how the world would be different if the Confederacy had won. I found both of these to be incredibly interesting. Wish we could've visited the National Park/Historic Tredegar portion but it was closed due to COVID. The area around the museum along the river is beautiful and worth spending some time exploring.
Written 31 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jsbairmtsu
jsbairmtsu43 contributions
Apr 2022
The American Civil War Museum is a nice new building next to the Tredegar iron works. Its disappointing that the building next door, the actual iron works, is not open any longer and there really isnt anything about the history of the land the museum is on. Its a missed opportunity to tell the history, which isnt told often, about the important part manufacturing of weapons played in the civil war, especially when the museum is on the grounds. The museum itself is a fairly high level overview of the war. It is a very modern building with nice exhibits and some very interesting pieces. Its a high enough overview that those that arent history fanatics, or younger kids, will still be able to get something out of it. The price was a little steep for me for the realtive small size of the museum. $10 full price and $6-8 for kids wouldve seemed more appropriate.
The museum is in a very nice spot, easy to park at and take the fun pedestrian bridge across the river for a great view of Richmond.
The museum is in a very nice spot, easy to park at and take the fun pedestrian bridge across the river for a great view of Richmond.
Written 23 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom G
Orlando, FL247 contributions
Jun 2021
We took our 14 year old granddaughter (and history buff) here during her first visit to Virginia. We all loved this museum. It's laid out well chronologically as the war progressed. At times I felt that some portions of the war received limited coverage (e.g., very little about Gettysburg), but we recognized that you can't give full coverage to every aspect of a major four year war. There were lots of great artifacts that made this a very interesting visit. It took us around 90 minutes to get through the entire museum. Free validated parking next door was a nice surprise.
I'd like to give a particular positive shout-out to the front-entry staff. They were superb in answering our questions regarding the war and specifically the battles near the Richmond area. They were also so very knowledgeable about the course of the war in that area, and helped us plan our battlefield visits that afternoon (after going through this museum). These were some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever encountered in this line of work. Thank you!!
I'd like to give a particular positive shout-out to the front-entry staff. They were superb in answering our questions regarding the war and specifically the battles near the Richmond area. They were also so very knowledgeable about the course of the war in that area, and helped us plan our battlefield visits that afternoon (after going through this museum). These were some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever encountered in this line of work. Thank you!!
Written 13 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unless you have no time or are content in your knowledge of the wars... YES, GgggggoooOooooo!
The Revolutionary War and Civil Ear sites are all great places to visit learn and enjoy.
Written 25 December 2017
How much time should I allow for the museum? I know that depends on a lot of different variables but in general, what would be a good allotment?
Written 17 March 2017
Thanks Matt for your interest in visiting, and thanks to Mark and Mac for chiming in with answers. Typically, our visitors spend one to two hours at any of our three museums, though that time can certainly be extended for enthusiastic readers.
Parking is usually easy to find at our Historic Tredegar location. It's the White House and Museum of the Confederacy location in Richmond that can get busy since we share the parking deck with the VCU medical center. You can find more FAQs in the visit us section of our website.
Written 20 March 2017
Hello Selena316.
Admission to our Historic Tredegar museum is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for youth age 6-17. You can find info about combining admission to our other locations on our website.
Thanks!
Written 18 March 2016
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