Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg

It was at Vicksburg that General Ulysses Grant killed the Confederacy, though the Confederacy took a couple more years to admit it. Through a combined arms effort involving the US Navy and the US Army, Grant gradually isolated Vicksburg, then cut it off from outside help. After a relatively brief siege of three months, the city surrendered, and the Confederacy was cut in two. All this is presented in a nicely preserved military park, with good interpretive displays and lovely, quiet fields replacing the former battered fields of battle. Of particular note: a large exhibit is devoted to the USS Cairo, an ironclad warship sunk by mine and left on the river bottom for a hundred years. It was discovered in the 1960s, and a large portion of the ironclad was salvaged, reconstructed, and put on display under a large canopy at the north end of the park.

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.

Visited the park couple of times. I have read the stories about General Lee and General Grant and was fascinated to learn about the civil war and many stories about the era. I have read some of the stories to my son and he too was excited to see the place where the battle between the two happened. ‘Vicksburg is the 🗝’. This is a great place if you love history and like to know the past.

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 it's in great shape. The best part for me is the USS Cairo. I had never seen a mostly intact ironclad and in fact don't 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.

Great opportunity for the family to walk around the battlefield and learn more about the War for the Union. Get to board the USS Cairo. If you want to experience everything, plan to spend the entire day. Although we didn't have enough time to go through the cemetery, my children loved it! Look at the website, too. They post when they will have demonstrations.