What a piece of history! The confederate and union positions are labeled in red and blue throughout the park, and each unit has its own graves, usually collected together. There is so much historical detail, it is kind of overwhelming! I downloaded the app to listen to an audio tour as I drove through the park, but it was honestly too much information. I would listen to a podcast about the battle before coming. Lots of locals seem to use the road for exercise, which is interesting.

Excellent drive through museum! Lots of wonderful history can be learned on this nationally historic landmark in Vicksburg Mississippi. I had always wanted to tour this place. On this trip my kids got to see it as well and it was well worth the time spent. We highly recommend Vicksburg National Military Park to all US citizens.

Amazing experience. Such a beautiful National Park. It is likely more beneficial if you hire a local guide or buy the audio tour CD for the park road. We googled and found a YouTube video that helped us. With 4,000 monuments and markers - it is helpful to know what you’re looking at!With easy access to the park off I-20, visit this incredible park.

What an amazing site! Our first time visiting, really did not know what to expect and it beyond exceeded our expectations. Please dedicate plenty of time to absorbe it all in, you wont regret it. We will return again and again.

An amazing (and huge) place! One could easily lose themselves in time and spend an entire afternoon here reading about the soldiers and battles, and viewing the monuments. Its a very humbling and reflective experience.

Pretty cool spot to drive through and check out the monuments.

Ive been years ago and enjoyed it, but I would NOT have detoured 2 hours out of our way to visit if they had updated their Google My Business page to let everyone know they were closed.... Its not that hard to keep these details current. Everyone has had to learn how to do it for Covid-19. Very disappointed.

Sometimes they’re intermingled. But to easily see 35 is putting a conservative number on it. Connie knows the military but also the stories of area residents and the human history of living through such a lengthy siege. I wish I had more time to walk the trails and see more of the areas on foot, as a soldier did over 150 years ago. A really enriching place to visit. The entrance for vehicles closes early, but its a beautiful place for an evening or early morning walk. Also, you need to check out the Illinois monument building on the hill beside the Shirley house, the acoustics are out of this world. I love honoring our history and the individuals by placing monuments, but this park is now filled to capacity with monuments and iron-signs. I also saw heard that there are some guides you can hire in Vicksburg that will take you through the park in your vehicle and give you a guided tour. We were able to visit the camps of the actors that demonstrated camp and battle life of the time period.

The self guided tour by car affords visitors a close up perspective of the battle lines which are clearly marked with blue (Union) and red (Rebel) plaques indicating the respective fighting units. The tour road signage guides visitors through the park in an orderly fashion. The USS Cairo Museum and pavilion houses the raised remains of the sunken ironclad and hundreds of articles and artifacts recovered from the wreckage. That attraction alone is well worth the visit to the park.

I did the drive thru its free, it was totally awesome

It is a beautiful, peaceful yet haunting place. I felt like I could hear their cries. It was such an unnecessary waste of lives. I definitely recommend it especially if you are a history buff. I learned a lot and all we had time to do was part of the driving tour

With many of the trenches still explorable, its easy to visualize the conditions of the siege.

The Park was well kept and offers so much amazing information on the Campaign and Battle. Its worth the drive and the history lesson.

Great park! Make sure to listen to the call-in audio recordings that are available as you drive around. We had some difficulty getting it to work but we appreciated the brief explanations as we drove around. Museums and visitors center are still closed.

ABSOLUTELY stunning. The ILLINOIS MONUMENT IS THE CROWN JEWEL OF THE PARK. IM STILL JUST DUMBFOUNDED BY THE AMAZING ACOUSTICS OF THE STUCTURE. ITS REALLY JUST OTHERWORDLY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND VISITING THE PARK!!

I loved touring this battlefield. It is so surreal and it gives you a very heavy feeling as you drive through it. I was hoping that the museum areas would be a little more extensive giving it was such a major event. The USS Cairo is a must see. Also, you need to check out the Illinois monument building on the hill beside the Shirley house, the acoustics are out of this world.

Its a important part for any American to understand some of our history. Or any immigrant, tourist visiting our Great country also

Really interesting to tour hallowed ground that is so quiet and peaceful today. It was certainly different in 1863. This is a must battlefield visit for civil war buffs and anyone who has an appreciation of history in general. The grounds are beautiful and provide for a good walk with many variations in elevation. Take some time and enjoy the scenery. Take plenty of photos and enjoy your time in Vicksburg.

20.00 per car to do a car tour around the park. The pass is valid for 7 days. It is worth the money. There are plenty of places to park to get out and take pictures and look around. I recommend getting a map from the visitors center before you start and definitely check out the Cairo museum.

Beautifully laid out to really feel what it must have been like. Please go in and pray in the dome. The acoustics are amazing and will carry your voice to God.

Fantastic movie but no mention Port Hudson in the film. Clean bathroom. Electrical Map. Nice gift shop. Frirendly rangers. Well kept park with one way driving tour.

One of a kind military park..most siege trenches still evident..incredible bad topography for war..the Cairo!..bring a picnic lunch for sure its about a 20 mile drive thru the fortifications...

Really cool place if ur into history.

I love the layout theyve got going on. Its really cool that theyve put the placards in the various fighting positions so you can get a good feel of the battlefield. Great monuments and very well kept.

This place is great because it remembers the a pivotal battle in the Civil War. General Ulysses Grant commanded the Union soldiers. The USS Cairo is also here. It is the only one of 7 iron clad remaining. It was worth the price of admission in itself. ($20 per car)

Talk about an area loaded with history. This place shows what our countries Civil War was like. So much to see that you really need more than four hours to see. It is one of the best military parks I have been to.

Vicksburg sits on strategic bend in the Mississippi River. During the Civil War, Confederates placed cannons atop a hill. This allowed the Confederates to control traffic along the river. Part of the Union war strategy was to capture the Mississippi and divide the Confederacy. To capture the Mississippi the Union had to take Vicksburg.The road meanders through the battleground. There are various stops where men fought and died. Each state has sent monuments to Vicksburg to honor the units whom fought there. One of the features that I appreciated was from each position they placed markers so you could see the enemy positions.When you visit, make sure that you visit the Ironclad museum. Also make sure to visit the top of the hill, where the Confederates had their guns.

Love this place! Before the virus you could drive through, we walked in about a couple miles. Its alot of hills to walk. People are going now for exercise. Lots of cars parked there in the morning times.. Wish they had some kind of drive through tour...

Incredible place to visit with our group of Boy Scouts. The tour was very informative and neat tracking the actions of the Civl War from day-to-day. We were able to visit the camps of the actors that demonstrated camp and battle life of the time period. The tour of the ironside was really neat and makes you wonder how that thing ever floated! We didnt spend to much time in MS but are sure glad to have stopped here to learn about the Civil War and the role Vicksburg played.

Very interesting site. Supposed to be very accurate with the points of interest during the driving tour. We really enjoyed it. Learned a lot about the war. Property was very well kept up. Would recommend everyone to visit.

Very interesting and well presented. Information in each stop is available on your smart phone or your car radio. Youll leave knowing much more about the battle for Vicksburg.

Historical battlefield that should not be forgotten. No matter what your thoughts are on which side of the battle the important thing to remember is that people fought this battle and gave their life for their cause. Without remembering history we will not be able to learn from our mistakes. Aside from this its interesting to see the evolution of weaponry and fighting techniques that have occurred.

Great place with a well though our self drive tour. One thing that could be improved is having images at each stop showing a now vs then depiction of the battle so you get a better understanding of the events.

Great piece of history. Very well maintained. And military personnel are free. Monuments everywhere, just so much to see. Nice way to spend a day.

I was impressed by the scale of the battlefield. I learned so much about the key to victory for both sides. Our 24 foot RV went down the tour road no problems. Oversized vehicle parking at visitors Center.

Very interesting and were able to do the automobile tour easily. Disappointed that the museums were closed due to covid.

My husband and I take or grandchildren there. They love this place. They get lots of exercise and history lessons, as well as high quality together time. Also an awesome place to walk in the evening. If you time it just right and begin walking back to your car just before dusk, you will see numerous deer. Bucks of all sizes hang together then does of all sizes hang together. Sometimes they’re intermingled. But to easily see 35 is putting a conservative number on it. If you love wildlife, it’s definitely a place to go walk.

Its a historical battle field during Civil War in 1863. The site are memorial and statues who fought that time. States that concerned the war built the monuments. Its drive thru site. If you have a member of National Park and military or senior, you will get discount.

This is an incredible place to ponder history and the horrific nature of the Civil War. The serenity of the site juxtaposed with the its brutal past is a shocking reminder of how far weve come as a nation and as a brotherhood of mankind. All of the admirable traits of man combined with all the hidden horrors of our nature led to a protracted battle and siege that eventually rendered a decisive victory to Union forces.

Information posted throughout the park was spectacular. Great care has been taken to post detailed plaques on positioning during the battle as well as details on the events. We visited during the government shutdown, so it was running on funds from the Friends of Vicksburg.

Such an amazing place to feel the presence of the men who fought, brother against brother. We need to all remember, go through this park, read what happened, not from historians, but from the people who were actually there. Most of these monuments are over 100 years old. They remind us that if we dont stay together and work through our differences, we are doomed to repeat the worst point in our history.

The history here is unbelievable. Just the size of it is remarkable. I think everyone should see it at least once.

Park was closed, due to impending storms. We walked it. Was a humbling experience, knowing what happened here. Being able to see where the Union and Confederate armies were placed and walk where they fought was truly an experience for my wife and I. Wished we had more time to explore each area.

As you drive around the 16 mile loop, going from Union to Confederate lines, you can imagine the weary soldiers dug into their trenches. The red and blue signs tell of important events of the siege, and each state has a monument to their troops. I had an ancestor at the Railroad Redoubt, where the Texas monument stands.

This is a great Park. It is set up as a driving Park where you can drive the battlefield and read most signs from your car. There are spots to walk and its well worth parking and taking your time to read the signs. They do a great job of telling the story of the battle and siege.

A Rich and Moving Experience. Visited here from the UK in September 2018. I had read a fair bit about the war and its various battles and was looking forward to this visit. I had visited Gettysburg when I was a small lad back in 1966 and that had made quite an impression on me. This park at Vicksburg was a tremendous visit. Driving around really gives you a sense of scale. Had I been an American looking at my family history and researching a battle participant you would have been able to pinpoint the place they stood so easily. The visitor centre is terrific and so a visit to the Cairo well worth the trip.

Great, fascinating National Military Park. Wonderful movie with lots of great background for those like me whose school education covered the Civil War in its entirety in about a week.Volunteers Roger and Connie are wonderful. Roger knows a ton about the Military history and enthusiastically shares it in the depth appropriate to his audience. Connie knows the military but also the stories of area residents and the human history of living through such a lengthy siege.Roads are well marked with markers explaining troop positions and strategies. One of the best parts, though, is all the monuments donated by states, societies, and families to commemorate their troops, family members, and contributions to this battle. Some monuments were very ornate and impressive. Others were of a simpler design but equally impressive in their quiet, subdued way.Blue signs mark the Union positions and red mark the Confederates. History is always interpreted by the winner, so the slant is more Union, but it is nice to see the story of the Confederacy included in a factual, respectful way!I wish I had more time to walk the trails and see more of the areas on foot, as a soldier did over 150 years ago. (Its an amazing difference to see it from the ground on foot rather than your car. The roads are built to provide a higher vantage point. Trust me: get out and walk around.)

Great for driving and walking sites. Check on phone tour.

An incredible place to reflect on our nations history. Hard to image what happened here.

Very awesome site to behold. Worth the time to stop off the interstate to check out our history!

Wonderful place. Only $20 per car thats good for 7 days. Took us a day and a half to go through it. Great info at the visitor center and a nice drive through the park.

Very well presented and preserved national battlefield. The purchase of a vehicle pass to enter when I went was $20, and good for 7 days. I stopped here as a break when travelling out of state, and quickly learned that there is an incredible amount of history here and in the surrounding area. This is a destination that is not to be missed for any history buff. The folks in the visitor center are quite knowledgable, and can tell you a lot about the history of Vicksburg, and what places not to miss in the surrounding area. I am quite confident that you can invest several days at the battlefield and surrounding area.

I knew so little and learned so much from our wonderful guide David. He shared so much with us. Great morning.

It’s our civic duty to grasp our history as much as possible. It’s a beautiful place & hurt my heart to know what happened there. So much death. It’s eye opening & I enjoyed learning more.

What an experience!! There is so much to see, You will need a good 4 to 5 hours at least. So many monuments and history here. It really is so cool having history preserved and explained so well. Start off in the visitor center and catch the quick free movie on Vicksburg, then drive through the park.

Nice Civil War Park with driving tour. Narrated and private tours available. If you like American history, day well spent. Also has Civil War era steam powered paddle wheeler recovered from the river.

I liked starting the experience with the video in the Visitors Center. It helped a lot with giving a full overview so that I could appreciate the driving tour through the park better. So I would recommend starting there.I also recommend visiting the Cairo Museum. I found seeing the boat especially interesting.

Great time. By chance showed up on a day with cannon and musket demonstrations!

A gem of our US history and the sacrifice so many made for freedom and democracy. A must see!

An Amazing place to visit. The views are amazing, and everything is very well documented. Highly recommend spending at least 3-4 hours here.

This place was beautiful its a beautiful park its extremely large great for the whole family I give more details on my YouTube channel Off The Beaten Trail

Amazing place you should visit when you get an opportunity. Had a huge impact on me. It is basically an 8 mile self guided tour centered all around the civil war. It has the largest civil war cemetery in the nation. You enter the park one way, stop whenever you like, and exit the other side. It is a pet friendly environment. There are tons of photo opportunities. They have the USS Cairo gunboat that was torpedoed during the war. They set it up under a huge canopy. You can actually board it, walk through, read the plaques that explain different parts of the ironclad and who was on it when it sank. They have have a souvenir shop and museum next to the USS Cairo. You might want to allow a full day or two to really enjoy the experience of this park. Entrance is free. Parking is free. They do have open hours of 8am to 5pm, 7 days a week. Just a really awesome place.

An outstanding place to visit. The somber atmosphere will cause deep contemplation and gratitude for soldiers on both sides of the war. A really enriching place to visit. The entrance for vehicles closes early, but its a beautiful place for an evening or early morning walk. The park hosts events periodically for patriotic events. They also do somewhat of a live reenactment complete with cannon fire.

Great historical park. Had not been in many years and my kids had never been. Impressed to see that theyve maintained and even improved many of the park monuments and featured areas.

An powerful and important piece of American history!

It is hard for me to remember a National Park that I didnt love. Also loving history, if it were possible, I would give this one an extra star or two. We have driven through in the past but this trip we walked a three mile loop. Its hard for we moderns to comprehend the sacrifices, the horror and the suffering of all the young men who fought in this war. These Civil War memorials help remind us. Its too bad they dont help us to be more civil to those with whom we disagree.The NPS does a remarkable job in the face of reduced budgets and the lack of respect in certain circles of the value of these places to our national heritage. It will be really sad if the government lets these places continue to deteriorate.

The USS Cairo museum was closed when I visited, but the entire Vicksburg park was amazing. Many great memorials and lots of history to be seen

Vicksburg National Military Park is a great place to go to learn about the pivotal civil war battle. Part of the road is under repair so you have to go around the circle twice to get through the whole park right now but other than that its in great shape. The best part for me is the USS Cairo. I had never seen a mostly intact ironclad and in fact dont know if there are any better anywhere else. It was an impressive and enjoyable trip and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

So much to see! This is not just a quick drive through. If you want to really see everything you could take a day or two. It was quite the sight to see so many monuments documenting the battles. Best trip!

A great piece if history to visit. It takes a good 2 hours to be able to see everything as the park is much larger than I imagined. We did the self guided tour listening to the info on their phone link.

We ran from hurricane Irma to Vicksburg. The rangers went above and beyond with helping us navigate the park AND give us amazing suggestions on how to continue to enjoy NPS and civil war parks. The park is gorgeous and we enjoyed wandering around with two large dogs!Thank you to the rangers! You guys went above and beyond for us. We appreciate it more than you know!Off to Shiloh!

I think it would have been really cool, but, the driving tour was closed (Covid). Would love to try again one time.

Every American should see. Awe inspiring to see what was given for our freedoms.

A place to visit if you love history, if you do it right you would spend 6 to 8 hours in the park, but you will not regret it

Simply wonderful. Tons of excellent history boards describing what happened. A huge amount of monuments and cannons. The rangers are great. Junior ranger program was good. Way better then Gettysburg because it isnt as commercialized.

Absolutely breath-taking. Plan to put a minimum of 2 hours for the tour.

I came here years ago and today I brought my daughter to experience an amazing part of our countrys history. I have to say I was extremely disappointed with the overgrowth of vegetation, my memories was of manicured lawns everywhere.

It is a great historical visit. There are lots of monuments. The park has not been very maintained. Not sure if this is a recent problem or an on going problem but the grass was extremely high in areas and blocked the view of the monuments. The boat was very cool and a must stop along the way.

Awesome place plan on an all day adventure

Difficult to visit with all of the museums and bathrooms closed due to covid-19. The vehicle tour is awe inspiring though.

Guided tour by Mike D a must! Mike brought the battle of Vicksburg to life telling great stories that you would never know such as an IL soldier who was actually a woman but Boone ever found out! Thanks Mike

Part of the Southern monuments was closed off due to construction and no work was being performed...no reason for that section to be closed...very disappointed

Sobering experience. I did not realize the battlefield terrain was that rugged and hilly.

Gorgeous place, with tons of history. Very impressive monuments. I drive through the parkevery time I visit Vicksburg, and Im never disappointed. I grew up in Mississippi, but have lived in other states for the past 30 years, and I never appreciated what a true gem of history this park is, until recent years.

If you love civil war history this is a must see. Very well set up and easy to navigate.

One of the most beautiful and informative national military parks in the country. Highly recommend buying the audio tour in the gift shop and spending half a day driving the park. There are many spectacular views of the terrain with large open areas and sweeping hills.

Lots of history. Allow ample time to explore.

The National Parks of this country are one of the great treasures we have to enjoy. I especially love the National Military Parks, typically solemn, beautiful places. This one is no less so. My wife and I took 5 hours to slowly drive through the 3 to 4 mile park, stopping to listen to the audio-guided tour on our phones and to get out of the car to stroll the battle fields which are now beautifully wooded parkland hills. I have never seen so many battle information iron-signs, and monuments. I love the information, but TOO MANY of the signs REPEATED information already provided. In several places the signs and monuments were a DETRACTION. I love honoring our history and the individuals by placing monuments, but this park is now filled to capacity with monuments and iron-signs. Please dont add anymore. The USS Cairo exhibit, which is the last thing we saw, was so well displayed. The informational signs here are totally engaging.

Amazing place, wish Id had more time to see it all. Plan for a full day around a 16 mile drive through the battlesite.

Everytime I go into the Illinois monument, I just eant to pressure wash everything. Besides that, beautiful place to drive, ride or walk and experience history.

At this time, driving through the National Park is free. I plan to go back as often as possible until I have a picture of every monument.

Hallowed ground. Very moving experience, as my GG-Grandfather fought here with the 8th Iowa. Unit markers makes history come alive to relive actually location of where he was.

Great chance to learn the incredible history of the Civil War. We live on the shoulders of those who went before us. Socially, politically, and technologically American has advanced so far in such a short time.

What an awesome experience. A drive, bike, or walk through history. The wonder of what took place here and the beauty of the location. Highly recommend. The cost was $20 per vehicle and the roads are in good condition. We drove through with a mid-size RV.

Enjoyed our drive through of history. The audio option for your drive through the park was informative and entertaining.

Historical significance aside, the park is beautifully maintained and easy to navigate by car or walking.

Very interesting and lots of history! You must visit if youre around the area!!

This park was a pleasant surprise, as we arrived in Mississippi unsure of what to do. The park is not your typical state park as in it is a driving park....16 miles!... (picture a safari park style...but no animals...lol). There is a 12 mile walking trail too and dogs are absolutely welcomed. We took our dog and she had a blast. The park is the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg. Everything has been beautifully preserved and maintained. There is also a cool museum onsite showcasing an ironclad warship. Entrance fee by car was $20.

Not a fan of Civil War history but their exhibits show daily life, brings articles to really help understand life. The Cairo is amazing to walk through and the monuments and tablets are plentiful. Great and helpful staff!

Great place to visit. Could spend all day and barely see everything.