Military History in Virginia

Discover 22 places to experience unusual military history in Virginia.

Portsmouth, Virginia

Commodore Richard Dale Monument

Dedicated to a veritable Houdini among P.O.W.s who escaped imprisonment on five separate occasions.

Newport News, Virginia

Army Transportation Museum Foundation

A collection of vehicles across American military history.

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Innis House

A home that witnessed Civil War combat on the Sunken Road has the battle scars to prove it.

Front Royal, Virginia

Front Royal Quartermaster Remount Depot

These buildings are a poignant reminder of the thousands of horses and mules who passed through this area of the Shenandoah Valley on their way to war.

Alexandria, Virginia

Lieutenant General William C. Gribble Jr. Memorial

This marker at the entrance to the Humphreys Engineer Center honors the former Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Brandy Station, Virginia

Graffiti House

At Brandy Station, Civil War soldiers left their mark on the battlefield and the walls of this small wooden house.

Great Falls, Virginia

Great Falls Nike Fire Control Site W-83

This former Cold War missile control site played an important role in the creation of GPS.

Herndon, Virginia

Nike Missile Launch Site W-83

An out-of-place Air Force radar dome is all that denotes this park as a former missile launch site.

Warrenton, Virginia

Cold War Museum

This museum sits on the site of a decommissioned military communications base.

Fairfax, Virginia

Fairfax Nike Missile Site

A lone historical marker off the highway and scattered debris are all that remain of this Cold War-era missile site.

Petersburg, Virginia

The Crater

An innovative attempt to break a siege in the American Civil War still scars the earth today.

Manassas, Virginia

Ben Lomond Historic Site

Hear, smell, see, taste, and touch history at this immersive Civil War hospital.

Hopewell, Virginia

Grant's Headquarters at City Point

For nearly a year, General Ulysses S. Grant was based here during the American Civil War.

Front Royal, Virginia

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

This sprawling farm was once a Cold War-era hideaway for the nation's top diplomats.

Fort Belvoir, Virginia

Army Museum Support Center

The U.S. Army's giant warehouse of war art includes Hitler’s watercolors and Norman Rockwell oil paintings.

Arlington, Virginia

Joseph Marthon Memorial Mainmast

The naval commander’s proudest moment in battle is memorialized in this unique tomb at Arlington Cemetery.