City: Richmond, VA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (804) 780-1865

Address: 500 Tredegar St.

Description: The newest kid on the Civil War block in Richmond, this museum opened in 2006 with the revolutionary and reconciliatory mission of showing the Civil War from the sides of all who endured it, participated in it, and still share its legacies. In considerable depth and comprehensive breadth, it tells the story of the entire country’s experience of the war, not just one city’s or state’s. Its groundbreaking exhibit, In the Cause of Liberty, brings three perspectives—African-American, Confederate, and Union—together in one building, the historic Civil War–era Tredegar Ironworks Foundry, and encourages visitors to see more than they might have been inclined to before coming here. Through four films, interactive displays, hundreds of artifacts, and the illuminating words of those who lived and died in the war, the exhibit traces the causes, follows the course, and examines the effects of the war, intertwining the varied experiences of Southerners, Northerners, slaves, and free blacks. Parking is free with museum admission. The center is open seven days a week. Children under six are admitted free, it’s just $2 for children 7 through 12, and adult tickets cost $8.