Plan your visit
Upcoming events
Walk the ground, meet living historians, and discover the stories of the Shenandoah Valley. Unless noted, programs are free and open to the public.
Walking Tour of Downtown Winchester
Join SVBF Ranger Wade Custer for a walk through downtown Winchester, with stops at historic sites connected to the Civil War, the French and Indian War, George Washington, and General Daniel Morgan. Meet in front of the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum at 20 N. Loudoun St. No registration is required.
Cross Keys Civil War Day
A full day of living history, artillery demonstrations, battlefield interpretation, and a closing car-caravan tour. Held at Mill Creek Country Store, 7061 Trimble Rd., Port Republic.
Living history begins
Artillery demonstrations at 10:00, noon, 2:00, and 3:30
Overview of the Battle of Cross Keys
Battle of Cross Keys car-caravan tour with Peter Dalton
Third Battle of Winchester: 162nd Anniversary
Join author and historian Scott Patchan for three focused tours that explore pivotal moments from the Third Battle of Winchester.
Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur’s Tarheels
Ramseur’s North Carolina troops were the first Southern infantry
engaged at Third Winchester. After fighting Brig. Gen. James H.
Wilson’s cavalry in the early morning, they held against steep
odds until Maj. Gen. James B. Ricketts’s Sixth Corps division
overwhelmed their position. The tour follows their retreat and
return to the fight as part of Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes’s
counterattack.
Meeting place: North Carolina Monument, off
Route 7 on Getty Lane in front of the TownePlace Suites hotel,
170 Getty Ln., Winchester, VA 22603.
The 14th New Hampshire and Brig. Gen. Henry Birge’s Brigade
Birge’s Nineteenth Corps brigade began by breaking through the
left of Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon’s division. Victory
appeared close as the New England and New York troops pressed
forward, but the situation reversed abruptly when the brigade
was outgunned. It lost 525 men, most killed or wounded, during
this phase of the battle. The walking tour retraces their advance
and examines how their early success turned so quickly.
Meeting place: Alabama Monument in the Middle
Field, 253 Averrell Ave., Winchester, VA 22603.
Maj. James Breathed’s Horse Artillery
Jubal Early’s Confederate force entered the battle outnumbered,
but the handling of its artillery kept defeat from becoming a
complete disaster. From this position, the tour explores how the
horse artillery and the supporting dismounted cavalry of Maj.
Gen. Fitzhugh Lee helped shape the final stages of the battle.
Meeting place: The artillery on Huntsberry Farm,
on the north side of Redbud Run, 541 Redbud Rd., Winchester, VA
22603.
Holidays in Winchester During the Civil War
SVBF Ranger Michael Gionfriddo explores how Winchester residents celebrated the holidays during the American Civil War. Foundation members attend free. The museum is located at 20 N. Loudoun St., Winchester.