7 Best Places to see History and Nature in the Mid-Atlantic Region

The Mid Atlantic region is rife with interesting history and nature. Much of the start of Colonialism in the US took place here, as well as a lot of the Civil War. It is also home to beautiful natural landscapes, and when those two things can be combined, it makes for a wonderful family destination. Here are a few of our favorite historical places that are also in beautiful natural settings in the Mid Atlantic Region.

Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Historic Park is a mid-Atlantic destination rich in history and nature, with it’s preserved buildings including John Brown’s Fort and St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church. But it’s also part of the Appalachian Trail, and sits along the confluence of two might rivers, nestled amongst mountains with sweeping views and vigorous hikes available inside and beyond the park.

To visit Harper’s Ferry, park at the Visitor’s Center and check inside for maps and information. Then take the short ride on the shuttle down to the historic town. You can walk from the shuttle drop off point along the street and see various historical stores, a boarding house, and small museums along the way to John’s Brown Fort. Brown and his small army of 21 men invaded the town and took over the federal armory, arsenal, and rifle factory, in an attempt to disrupt slavery. It was a turning point that contributed to beginning of the Civil War.

Beyond the town

Go a bit further, and you will see The Point, where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers intersect, creating the border of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland – fun for all geography lovers! Go further still, and walk across the Potomac River on the pedestrian bridge. You may find a train rolling along beside you. On the other side of the bridge, you can access the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath.

Turning back in the opposite direction, and heading upwards along the mountain in which the historical town sits, you will see St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, the only church which survived through the Civil War. It’s a pretty building with a gorgeous view across the Potomac, and out to the Point. The road you walk to get to the church also happens to be part of the Appalachian Trail.

Continue upwards past the church, and you will come to Jefferson Rock, from which Thomas Jefferson claimed the view was, “worth a voyage across the Atlantic.” Deciding whether or not you agree is one more reason to visit Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park.

Find more to do in West Virginia at our post on family fun in Eastern West Virginia.

Hagley Museum and Library in Delaware

Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware, sits along the Brandywine and includes activities that appeal to the whole family and fill several hours with local history, science and nature.

There are multiple entrances, so you’ll want to navigate to the Visitor’s Center at 200 Hagley Creek Rd in Wilmington, DE 19807. Parking is free, and you’ll see a sign directing you to where you can purchase your tickets, which is also the museum. Tickets are $10 for children over 6 and $20 for adults.

In the museum you will find the “Nation of Inventors” exhibit, where you can see all kinds of patent models from the 1800s and early 1900s. It is colorful and interactive, making it a hit with kids and adults alike.

Beyond the Museum

From the Museum, a shuttle runs every 20 minutes to a couple of spots that are worth visiting. We went first to the historic house, belonging to E.I. DuPont, the founder of the business, and the very first home and gardens of the DuPont family in America. You can tour the Dupont family home, but if you have little ones are like ours, you can duck out early if you need to! Visitors must be with a guide to enter the home, but the surrounding gardens are lovely and you can tour them on your own. You can also take a look at the barn where some old carriages are stored. We ate our packed lunch at the nearby picnic tables.

Next, we took the shuttle to the old powder yard, where you can see dioramas of the whole process of making the gunpowder that first earned the DuPonts their riches. You can even see, hear and smell a demonstration of some gunpowder exploding! This was exciting, but not overwhelming or scary to the youngest among us. The former residence is about 3 miles from the visitors center, but the powder yard is only about a half a mile. The surrounding area along the canal is also full of interesting old structures that your family will enjoy exploring on foot.

Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania

Valley Forge is one of our favorite historic places in a beautiful natural setting, here in the mid-Atlantic region. Set among small rolling hills, meadows and woods, it boasts preserved and restored buildings, cannons, redoubts, an excellent museum and beautiful statues and monuments, including the impressive National Arch, commemorating soldiers lost at Valley Forge. The park is entirely free.

Start at the Visitors Center, which is also the museum. Here you can pick up literature, see life-like displays of soldiers and colonial life, collections of weapons and medical devices (yikes), and read about the struggles of the continental army in the 1770’s. You can also head up to a building just outside the main one to see a well-done film about Valley Forge, explaining why it can be referred to as the birthplace of the American Army. The diseases and violence described may be mildly scary for young children, but most likely not nightmare-inducing.

Beyond the Visitor’s Center

From here you can follow signs in your car for the encampment tour, which will allow you to enter the soldiers’ barracks and see a glimpse of how they lived, and check out the redoubts with their accompanying cannons. The third stop is the National Memorial Arch, which is quite beautiful. Take time to read the moving words engraved on the monument.

As you move along the tour you will see other monuments, statues, and living quarters of various figures who were significant in the war, such as Lafayette and Steuben. It’s worth getting out of your car again at Washington’s Headquarters, and perhaps taking a short trail to the Schuylkill River. The last stop you may want to make is at Washington Memorial Chapel, which is still in use today. There is a cabin behind it where you can stop in for some coffee and snacks or hot dogs before you head home. There are clean restrooms and picnic areas throughout the park.

We found our oldest child was fascinated by the military history of the place, how the army was trained by General Stueben in ways that are still used today, and the various weapons and strategies that were used. Our second oldest child was fascinated by the diseases suffered by the soldiers, and the intense programs ordered for sanitation and even inoculation long before this became common practice. As for the two little ones, getting to run around in the sunshine in a new and interesting setting was all they needed to have a good time. So, we highly recommend a visit to Valley Forge, where there is something of interest for everyone.

Hyde Park in the Hudson Valley, New York

Hyde Park is a walkable area with several historic buildings you can tour. While visiting, enjoy resplendent views of the Hudson River from the spacious, esthetic grounds of the attractions. Springwood and the Museum and Library of FDR is one such attraction. It includes gardens, stables, and the final resting place of the Roosevelts. Another is the Vanderbilt Estate, which you can tour for around $10 per person. Or, just visit the grounds which include an Italian Garden complete with fountains and benches to take in the view. Both can be visited in a day.

Harriet Tubman and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Harriet Tubman was a fascinating hero who was born into slavery in Dorchester County, MD and escaped into freedom. She returned over and over to lead 70 people on the dangerous journey along the underground railroad into freedom.

Adjacent to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge sits the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor’s Center. The center includes a film and a variety of displays. Visitors can also follow people’s escapes (and attempted escapes) from slavery on interactive screens throughout the center. While not very large, I definitely learned new facts about Tubman’s life when I visited. It was also nice to be reminded about things I had learned in childhood but forgotten. She is quite an inspirational historical figure.

Beyond the Visitor’s Center

Being at the wildlife refuge was also enlightening. It made what I was seeing in the visitor’s center so immediate and easy to imagine. There were short trails around the center where visitors can view the watery landscape and reflect on Harriot Tubman’s journeys. How did she navigate to the areas that were dry enough to walk along? How did she find areas with enough scrubby growth to hide herself? Not to mention the groups of people that she led north!

Blackwater Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful setting in which to learn this history. Between hardwood evergreens stands riddled with bird nests lies sparkling water edged with golden rushes – it would make a very lovely place to watch a sunset after a visit to the Center and a picnic lunch – aside from farms there is not much around for miles! I always love to find a place where history and nature come together, and this was definitely one of those places.

I only drove a small portion of the Harriet Tubman byway on this particular visit, but if you are interested in history, there are actually 45 stops along this 125 mile stretch of highway that winds around Dorchester county than north through central and northern Delaware and ends in Philadelphia. You can learn more about it on this website. How cool to be able to retrace, in a sense, the many journeys Harriet Tubman took at such great risk to herself to bring freedom to many!

Williamsburg in Virginia

The “historic triangle,” is a well-known place to explore history in beautiful Virginia. The namesake of the area, Colonial Williamsburg, is the largest living history park in the US.  Check the website before deciding weather to buy tickets, considering there is a lot to see even if you don’t have them. On our visit, we got to enjoy a fife and drum performance by our colonial troops, carriages passing back and forth, and our girls in the stocks at the courthouse.  There are several eateries where you can try delicious food prepared the way it was eaten in Colonial Times.

Yorktown is another point of the historic triangle, which is a national park and includes a Visitor’s Center and Museum (separate from the American Museum of the Revolution, which is also a popular point of interest in Yorktown). Yorktown includes a drivable trail with various points of interest from the revolutionary war. It is also the area with the most natural beauty, as trails along the waterfront and cliffs are lovely but also include historic monuments.

The third point of the historic triangle is Jamestown, which has both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Between the museum, the Powhatan Indian village, the historic ships, and the Colonial settlement, there is a lot to see.

Red Bank Battlefield Park in New Jersey

Red Bank Battlefield Park in Gloucester County, NJ, includes several monuments and signs describing the fort that protected this strategic spot during the Revolutionary War. There is one historic home, the Whithall House, built in 1748, and a number of cannons.

There are playgrounds, tables, pavilions, grills, and historic gardens and a set of unique butterfly steps. With plenty of space to play in the grass or on the sandy riverbank, and a platform for viewing birds, ships, planes, and the Philadelphia skyline and shipyard, this free park has a lot to offer in the way of family fun.