For a trip to Petersburg, you can focus on two aspects: the history of the siege and the city’s historic buildings. The battlefields feature surviving fortifications and specific routes, while museums, churches and houses tell stories from different eras and about different topics. You can plan your visits according to whether you would rather spend most of your time outdoors or focus on architecture, exhibitions and guided tours.
Battlefield History on Foot, on Horseback and on a Driving Tour
The grounds of Petersburg National Battlefield and the park road are open daily from sunrise to sunset to pedestrians, cyclists and horseback riders. The National Park Service’s opening information was updated on June 25, 2026; it is a good idea to check the latest notices again before your trip. In the Eastern Front area, visitors can see remnants of trenches and other fortifications on foot, along hiking trails or on horseback. Preservation work may alter individual features. Public multi-use trails for horseback riders are available at Eastern Front and Five Forks Battlefield; access and trail conditions may change.
At the site of the Battle of the Crater, a loop trail leads from the parking lot to the tunnel entrance and then along the Union mine shaft to Elliott’s Salient. If you’d like to cover more ground than a single loop, there is also a battlefield driving tour covering 13 sites along a 37-mile route. The Eastern Front Visitor Center features exhibits and audiovisual programs about the history of the siege. The Siege of Petersburg lasted nine and a half months and resulted in 70,000 military casualties. This scale gives the history covered in the exhibitions a concrete temporal and human dimension.
Historic Houses, Churches and Museums
Built in 1854, South Side Depot is Virginia’s oldest surviving train station. Today, it serves as Petersburg’s visitor center and as a gallery featuring rotating exhibitions by local and regional artists. Since exhibition schedules may change and operating arrangements should be confirmed before a visit, it is worth checking the latest information. Battersea also combines architecture and history: the colonial mansion, built in 1768, is designed in the Neo-Palladian style and has a Chinese Chippendale-style staircase. The Battle of Petersburg Revolutionary War Re-enactment takes place there every April; check the current event date for the year of your visit.
Centre Hill Mansion dates from 1823 and is an example of Federal-style architecture. Its basement galleries feature exhibitions on Petersburg’s history; the content may change. Built in 1817, Farmers Bank of Petersburg is one of the oldest bank buildings in the United States. A tour includes the original vault and safe, a printing press, teller windows and other artifacts. Tour arrangements may change, so check the latest information in advance.
At Blandford Church Museum, stained-glass windows tell a story of the site’s art history: they were designed and installed under the direction of Louis Comfort Tiffany. A guided tour covers the building’s history as a church, a Civil War field hospital and a restored historic landmark. Check the availability of tours before your visit. First Baptist Church of Petersburg is the oldest continuously operating Black congregation church in Virginia. During the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s, it served as an organizing center, a venue for large protest rallies, a starting point for civil rights marches and a center for voter registration activities.
Old Towne, Art and Other Activities
Historic Old Towne offers walkable historic streets, preserved architecture, local dining and boutiques in the heart of Petersburg. Restaurants, breweries and coffee shops are located in restored 18th- and 19th-century buildings. If you have specific dining plans, it’s a good idea to check the opening hours of each establishment. Another focal point for the arts is the Petersburg Area Art League, which presents rotating exhibitions by local artists in three galleries. The works include oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastel, as well as jewelry, sculpture and mixed media. The current exhibition may change. If you’d also like to play a round of golf, Dogwood Trace Golf Course is in Petersburg; check the latest operating information in advance.
When planning your accommodations, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: battlefield trails and fortifications offer a different kind of visit than historic houses, churches, guided tours and rotating art exhibitions. This allows you to plan your days around your interests and check current dates for places with changing offerings.
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