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Halfway between Washington and Richmond on the falls of the Rappahannock River, Fredericksburg sits where so much of early American and Civil War history happened that it is hard to walk a block without passing a marker. George Washington grew up on a farm across the river, his mother and sister lived in town, and James Monroe practiced law on Charles Street.
In December 1862 the city became a battlefield. Union troops crossed the river under fire and then made repeated, failed assaults on Confederate lines behind a stone wall on Marye's Heights. The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park now protects that Sunken Road, along with the national cemetery above it and Chatham Manor across the river.
The 40-block Old Town keeps its colonial and Federal-era streets, with antique shops, restaurants and small house museums like the Rising Sun Tavern and the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop. Paths along the Rappahannock and the Gari Melchers estate at Falmouth add green space and art.
The heart of the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, where Confederate troops behind a stone wall repelled wave after wave of Union attacks. Part of the national military park, the restored road has wayside exhibits and a visitor center at its foot. Ranger walks run in the warmer months.
Set on the terraced slope of Marye's Heights, this cemetery holds more than 15,000 Union soldiers who died in the area's battles, most of them unidentified. Each May volunteers light luminarias at every grave in a moving evening tribute. The grounds are open daily and are a short walk from the visitor center.
The farm across the Rappahannock where George Washington spent his youth and where the cherry tree legend was later set. Archaeologists found the original house site, and a replica of the family home now shows how they lived. Guided tours explain the ongoing digs. Combined tickets with Kenmore save money.
The modest house that George Washington bought for his mother Mary in 1772, where she spent her last years tending her garden. Guided tours show period furnishings, some owned by the family, and her boxwood garden is still kept. It is an easy stop on a walk through Old Town Fredericksburg.
A 1771 Georgian brick mansion on the Stafford bank of the Rappahannock that served as a Union headquarters and field hospital, where Clara Barton and Walt Whitman tended the wounded. Now part of the military park, it offers some of the best views of the Fredericksburg skyline. Grounds and some rooms are free.
The Georgian home of Betty Washington Lewis, George Washington's only sister, and her husband Fielding Lewis, completed in the 1770s and famous for some of the finest decorative plaster ceilings in America. Guided tours run through restored rooms and the gardens. Combine with Ferry Farm on one ticket.
A museum on Charles Street on the site associated with James Monroe's law practice, holding a large collection of his furniture, papers and belongings, including the desk on which he signed the Monroe Doctrine message. It is run by the University of Mary Washington. Allow about an hour.
Built around 1760 as the home of Charles Washington, George's youngest brother, the house later became a tavern. Lively guided tours led by costumed interpreters explain how 18th-century travelers ate, drank and slept. Tours are short and often included in Old Town combination tickets.
A recreated colonial doctor's shop named for Hugh Mercer, a physician and Revolutionary War general killed at Princeton. Costumed guides demonstrate period remedies, from herbs and leeches to surgical tools, with plenty of grisly detail that fascinates older kids. Visits last about half an hour.
Set in the 1816 Town Hall and Market House on Princess Anne Street, this museum traces the region's story from Native peoples and colonial trade to the Civil War and the 20th century. Changing exhibits and a museum shop round it out. It is centrally placed for a walk through the historic district.
The Belmont estate in Falmouth, just across the river, where American painter Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne lived and worked. Visitors tour the house, see his paintings in the stone studio and walk the gardens with river views. It is run by the University of Mary Washington; check hours.
A paved path that follows the Rappahannock River and the old canal along the edge of Fredericksburg, passing Old Mill Park and quiet woods with views of the falls. It suits walkers, joggers and cyclists of all levels. In summer, the riverbanks fill with kayakers and anglers looking for shad and stripers.
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