Mornings at the Museum
2025-07-14 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-28 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Join us Mondays & Wednesdays in July at 10am–12pm for summer fun packed with history, hands-on activities, and stories from the Civil War! $10 PER PERSON – includes program plus full access to all museum exhibits.

Each week has a new theme—from musket blasts and spy codes to Civil War kids and medicine mysteries. Investigate artifacts, tour our galleries, and do unique craft projects!

Week 1: Kaboom! (historical explosions)Start July off with a bang with these engaging programs. Walk with an interpreter to nearby Brown’s Island to learn about the women and girls who worked there during the Civil War and the fateful 1863 explosion. Create a painting with bursts of watercolor. Take a family-friendly tour of our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Brown’s Island Tour: 10:00, 11:00

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 2: Children of the Civil WarChildren were not only affected by the Civil War–they were a part of it. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a young soldier. Learn how to tap out a beat, or make your own beat, like a drummer boy. Take a tour highlighting the stories of children in the Civil War in our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 3: Spies of the Civil WarRichmond was an active site for spies during the Civil War. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Richmond spy. Make a cipher and decode secret messages. Take a family-friendly tour of our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 4: Medicine in the Civil WarParticipate in an interactive program about surgery and medicine during the Civil War. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Civil War nurse. Take a tour highlighting the stories of children in the Civil War in our main gallery, A People’s Contest.

Gallery Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Week 5: Tredegar History WeekThe American Civil War Museum is built around the ruins of Tredegar Ironworks. Learn more about the site and how it was powered with a guided walking tour. Touch artifacts from our handling collection that tell the story of a Tredegar worker. Create a paper cannon and test your aim.

Tredegar Tour: 10:30, 11:30

Come explore, discover, and have fun with history all July long! 🚂📚

Perfect for grades K–8

Free with membership code — use your code at checkout.

Wine Down Wednesday
2025-07-30 17:30 - 19:00
First drink is on us! Courtesy of Virago Spirits!

Unwind after a long workday with stunning views of the James River at Wine Down Wednesday! Join us for an evening of relaxation, live music, and light refreshments inside the American Civil War Museum – Tredegar.

Enjoy a drink in hand, great company, and a laid-back atmosphere surrounded by history – all exhibits will be open!

Museum Members receive a complimentary drink ticket — just our way of saying thank you!

What to Expect:

Drinks by Virago Spirits: wine, cocktails, & more available for purchase (first drink is free)

Live local music to set the mood

Light refreshments provided

A scenic and historic setting right by the James River

Perfect for history lovers, museum-goers, and anyone in need of a midweek break.

(Mark your calendar: Wine Down Wednesday returns July 30 & August 27!)

(This is a 21+ event)

Daily Programs!
2025-08-01 11:00 - 2025-09-02 16:00
Have a blast this summer with special events and guided tours included with museum admission!

Ever wonder what the life of the everyday soldier was like during the Civil War? How do cannons work? Why was the Tredegar site so important during the Civil War? Join museum historians as they demonstrate a musket firing, how cannons work and the incredible history of the iconic Tredegar Ironworks!

Our special daily events:

Tredegar History Tour / daily at 11 am and 3 pm:

Guided tour with a museum historian around the former Tredegar Ironworks site.

The Common Soldier program with musket firing demonstration/ daily at 12:30 pm:

History interpreters present a hands-on demonstration of the life of a regular enlisted Civil War soldier.

Cannon Ball! / Saturdays & Sundays at 2 pm:

History interpreter presentation on the process of loading and firing a cannon.

Don’t worry, though we have authentic cannons, none will be fired during the demonstration!

These programs are included with museum admission – enjoy one or come for all. We hope to see you at Tredegar this summer!

Wine Down Wednesday
2025-08-27 17:30 - 19:00
One free drink on us! Courtesy of J. Emerson, Inc.

Unwind after a long workday with stunning views of the James River at Wine Down Wednesday! Join us for an evening of relaxation, live music, and light refreshments inside the American Civil War Museum – Tredegar.

Enjoy a drink in hand, great company, and a laid-back atmosphere surrounded by history – all exhibits will be open!

Museum Members receive a complimentary drink ticket — just our way of saying thank you!

What to Expect:

Drinks by J. Emerson, Inc. available for purchase (first drink is free)

Live local music to set the mood

Light refreshments provided

I Spy scavenger hunt to win prizes!

A scenic and historic setting right by the James River

Perfect for history lovers, museum-goers, and anyone in need of a midweek break.

(This is a 21+ event)

Daily Programs!
2025-09-01 08:00 - 2025-11-30 17:00
Fall season is here and we have special events and guided tours included with museum admission!

Ever wonder what the life of the everyday soldier was like during the Civil War? Why was the Tredegar site so important? Join museum historians as they demonstrate a musket firing and share the incredible history of the iconic Tredegar Ironworks!

Our Special Events included with Admission:

Tredegar History Tours:

Enjoy a guided tour with a museum historian around the former Tredegar Ironworks site.

The Common Soldier program with a musket firing demonstration:

History interpreters present a hands on demonstration of the life of a regular enlisted Civil War soldier.

weekdays

•Tredegar History Tours: 12 PM & 3 PM

Weekends

•Tredegar History Tours: 11 PM & 3 PM

•Common Soldier/ Demo: 12:30 PM

Only a few weeks left — join us before the programs end November 30! We hope to see you at Tredegar this fall.

What the Irish Taught Civil War Americans
2025-09-24 18:00 - 19:30
Join us as Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean delves into his book Fighting With the Past: How Seventeenth-Century History Shaped the American Civil War. In this talk, he will examine how Union and Confederate armies in the Civil War drew on differing interpretations of Irish history, particularly in shaping their views on how the war should end—whether with generosity or punishment.

Dr. Sheehan-Dean is the Fred C. Frey Professor of Southern Studies and Chair of the History Department at Louisiana State University. He specializes in nineteenth-century U.S. history, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and Southern history. He is also the author of the award-winning The Calculus of Violence: How Americans Fought the Civil War, Why Confederates Fought: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia, and, most recently, Reckoning with Rebellion: War and Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century.

Member reception is at 5:00pm

Lincoln Prize Lecture
2025-10-15 18:00 - 20:00
Registration is OPEN for the ACWM Lincoln Prize Lecture at Tredegar in Richmond, Virginia. This year’s ticket includes a signed copy of the book!

The lecture is presented by the 2025 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize recipient, and 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Edda Fields-Black for her book Combee (Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War). The evening includes a reception with the speaker, lecture, and audience question and answer segment moderated by prominent historian, Dr. Ed Ayers.

The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize is awarded annually for the finest scholarly work published in the prior year in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era, and one that also enhances the general public’s understanding of the Civil War era.

Join us at 6pm for a reception with the speaker, featuring light refreshments and drinks, courtesy of Dogwood & Thistle Wine Company.

6pm – Reception

7pm – Lecture

Members enjoy 25% off—use your exclusive code at checkout.

Sponsored by The Wilton Companies

Check out our videos below with Dr. Edda Fields-Black!

Libby McNamee - The Union Spymistress
2025-11-13 17:30 - 19:00
Step into the world of Civil War espionage with author Libby McNamee!

She will be reading from her book The Union Spymistress, bringing to life the daring adventures of Civil War–era spies. Enjoy a spy-themed scavenger hunt and decoding activity—perfect for all ages to test your skills.

Your ticket also includes pizza and drinks, so come hungry and ready for a night of stories, mystery, and fun!

(Recommended grades 3rd-8th)

Free for members

Tredegar Tree Lighting
2025-11-20 17:30 - 19:00
Kick off the holiday season with the official lighting of the Tredegar Tree! 480 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA

Join us at the popular Tredegar Tree Lighting as we officially illuminate the 20-foot-tall tree in the museum lobby! A Richmond holiday favorite, the lighting of the Tredegar Tree features live music by the Joe Sarver Trio and holiday cheer provided by Dogwood & Thistle Wine Company.

This event is family-friendly and free to the public. The Tredegar Tree is decorated with handcrafted, 19th-century–era-style ornaments and hundreds of lights . A great way to start the season!

5:30 PM: Doors open

6:30 PM: Tree lighting

Sponsored by The Wilton Companies

Winter Wander
2025-12-14 12:00 - 16:00
In partnership with the Valentine, we invite you to join us for some holiday cheer on the picturesque block of East Clay Street! Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, enjoy a performance and partake in refreshments and family crafts.

This event is free and open to the public!

Tour the historic Court End neighborhood and hop on a free trolley for open houses and other activities at nearby cultural sites including us — the American Civil War Museum’s White House of the Confederacy!

There is also the John Marshall House, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Poe Museum, Monumental Church, and Masons’ Hall!

Lunch & Learn: The Politics of Freedom and the Battle of Fredericksburg
2025-12-15 12:00 - 12:45
Moved to Dec 15 @ 12 p.m.

RESCHEDULED TO NEXT MONDAY, dECEMBER 15TH, DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Part of our Lunch & Learn series! Bring your own lunch (or feel free to grab something to go from our neighbor, Daisy’s) and join us for this noontime talk in the ACWM—Tredegar lobby!

December Topic:

The Politics of Freedom & the Battle of Fredericksburg with Chuck Young

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in December 1862, a time when armies had ended active campaigning and were settling into their camps for the winter. However, President Abraham Lincoln desperately wanted a battlefield victory before the year ended to bolster support for the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Having replaced the lackluster and politically motivated General George McClellan at the head of the Army of the Potomac, he was counting on General Ambrose Burnside to provide victory and lend authority to the proclamation. Though inexperienced in overall command, could Burnside deliver?

Included with Museum Admission/ Free to Members

Santa Visiting Tredegar!
2025-12-20 10:30 - 14:00
Snap a photo with Santa! Enjoy holiday cheer and be part of this beloved community tradition. Mimosas available for purchase.

Santa will be ready for photos at 11am!

Sponsored by The Wilton Companies

Mornings at the Museum: Celebrating Christmas in the Civil War
2025-12-22 10:00 - 12:00
Decorations and food are a beloved part of celebrating the holiday season. Come craft your very own Civil War–era Christmas decorations and join us as we explore popular recipes from the Civil War and how civilians and soldiers adapted when ingredients became scarce.

Recommended for children!

Mornings at the Museum: Battling Boredom – Soldiers' Games Behind the Lines
2025-12-29 10:00 - 12:00
Step into the everyday lives of Civil War soldiers and discover how they stayed entertained between battles!

When soldiers weren’t fighting, they relied on creativity, camaraderie, and classic games to pass the time – many of which we still play today. Join us to make your own knapsack checkerboard and experience games from the civil war.

Recommended for children!

Lunch & Learn: Love in Lynchburg—Where North Met South
2026-01-12 12:00 - 12:45
Part of our Lunch & Learn series! Bring your own lunch (or feel free to grab something to go from our neighbor, Daisy’s) and join us for this noontime talk in the ACWM—Tredegar lobby!

January Topic:

The Slaughters of Lynchburg: Where North Met South with Robert Hancock

Mary Harker was a young Quaker girl from Mt. Holly, New Jersey. John Slaughter was a slaveholder living and working in Lynchburg, VA. In 1861 they had been married eight years and had three sons with a fourth child on the way. So how did these two people, with obviously disparate backgrounds, end up together?

John was teased that “the prettiest girl in New Jersey was marrying the ugliest man in Virginia.” Was it some sort of arranged marriage?

How did Mary reconcile her Quaker upbringing with managing a home with five enslaved servants? And would their relationship survive the war when Mary traveled home to her parents and John stayed to defend Lynchburg against an approaching Union army?

Included with Museum Admission/ Free to Members

In-Person Book Talk: After the Fire with Nelson Lankford
2026-01-22 18:00 - 19:15
Explore Richmond’s rebirth after the 1865 fire in After the Fire with Dr. Nelson Lankford in this compelling look at a city reshaped by war.

In April 1865, the war that had consumed Richmond for four years ended in a massive fire that nearly destroyed the city. As the smoke cleared, no one knew what kind of society would emerge to replace the world that had been lost. After the Fire offers a wide range of perspectives that bring this vanished moment to life—one marked by hardship, defeat, celebration, false starts, and the rise of Confederate nostalgia and attempts at racial reconciliation. The book traces the struggles of Confederates and Unionists, men and women, and Black and white residents as they fought to shape the postwar future of Virginia’s capital city.

For thirty years, Dr. Nelson D. Lankford edited the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the quarterly journal of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. He is the author or editor of eight books, the best known being Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital. His new book, which he will discuss in this lecture, is its sequel. After the Fire: Richmond in Defeat continues the story of the city and its people in the aftermath of war and devastation.

Dr. Lankford is a native of Hampton, Virginia. He received his B.A. from the University of Richmond and his Ph.D. and MBA from Indiana University Bloomington.

5 PM: Members Reception

6 – 7:15 PM: Lecture followed by Book Signing

Lunch & Learn: Voices of Abolition
2026-02-02 12:00 - 12:45
Part of our Lunch & Learn series! Bring your own lunch (or feel free to grab something to go from our neighbor, Daisy’s) and join us for this noontime talk in the ACWM—Tredegar lobby!

February Topic:

Voices of Abolition with Kelly Hancock

In 1830, the first Negro Convention was held, marking the beginning of Black involvement in the abolition movement. However, the contributions of a few African Americans, with the exception of Frederick Douglass, are widely unknown today. From debates over colonization to moral suasion and outright violence, African Americans were at the forefront of shaping and maintaining the movement. This talk will shed light on several key individuals and their persistent efforts to bring about the end of slavery and achieve equality under the law.

Included with Museum Admission/ Free to Members

Relationships Forged in War Symposium (February 13—15)
2026-02-14 08:45 - 17:30
About the Symposium:

The American Civil War was not only a clash of armies and ideologies, but it also shaped and tested loyalty, friendship, family, and enmity on the battlefield and within the halls of government across a divided nation. The 2026 ACWM Symposium will explore human connections that emerged from conflict.

Symposium daylong event occurs on Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 9:30am-5:30pm. Doors Open: 8:45am

New to the symposium this year:

A full weekend Civil War history experience you may customize to your schedule and interests.This year we are pleased to provide more options and more opportunities to engage with the museum, symposium speakers, and our historians! Join small group tours of the collections, a special “Meet the Speakers” Q&A program and private reception in the museum, and ACWM historian-led battlefield tours on Friday and Sunday! Scroll down for more details.

LECTURES WILL BE PRESENTED BY:

•Dr. Jonathan White, Professor of American Studies, Christopher Newport University“Unlikely Collaborators: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Promise of America”

•Dr. Brandi Brimmer, Morehead-Cain Alumni Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.“Black Women, Civil War Memory, and the U.S. Pension Bureaucracy”

•Dr. William C. “Jack” Davis, retired Executive Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and Professor of History at Virginia Tech.“Davis, Johnston, and Beauregard–The Triple-play that Crippled the Confederacy”

•Dr. Lindsay Privette, Associate Professor of History, Anderson University“Together at Vicksburg: Exploring the Bonds Between Commanders, Surgeons, and Soldiers”

•Dr. Caroline Janney, John L Nau, III, Professor in History of American Civil War, Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History“From Partisan Warrior to Family Man: The Personal Relationships of John S. Mosby”

ticket options:

TICKET TYPES•General – $100•Member – $75•Student – $35

ADD-ONS•Friday: “Relationships Forged in War” Themed Collections Tours – $25 per person•Friday: Meet the Speakers & Reception in the Museum– $40•Saturday: Lunch – $12.50 (No Longer Accepting Lunch Orders)

•Friday & Sunday: Battlefield Tour – $35 PER PERSON

FRIDAY PROGRAM:

Meet the Speakers Q&A Program & Reception in the Museum

Join us Friday from 5-7:00pm at ACWM–Tredegar for the “Meet the Speakers” program. The talk starts in the auditorium at 5PM, followed by a reception at 6PM.

Friday, February 13th, 2026

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Collections TOURS:

“Relationships Forged in War” Themed Collections Tours

Join us Friday at ACWM-Tredegar for a “Relationships Forged in War” themed Collections Tour! Enjoy an intimate 8-person tour of our artifact collection led by Director of Collections, Robert Hancock.

Friday, February 13th, 2026

Slot Times: 2pm, 3pm, 4pm

Battlefield Tours:

Caravan tours: participants will drive their own vehicles to meet an ACWM historic site interpreter at the stops for an overview of troop movements and battles.

Overland Campaign

Friday, February 13th, 2026

9:00am – 3:00pm

The tour begins at the Germanna Visitor Center (2062 Germanna Hwy, Locust Grove VA) near the site where Grant’s army crossed the Rapidan River to begin the campaign. From there, the tour proceeds through the Wilderness Battlefield (NPS), stopping at Saunders Field and the Widow Tapp Farm. Following the route taken by Grant’s army, the tour moves on to the Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield (NPS) with stops at Laurel Hill, the Muleshoe, and the fortification exhibit. From there, the tour continues on to the North Anna Battlefield site, then to the Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield (NPS), and finally the Cold Harbor Battlefield (NPS). At Cold Harbor, the group will be able to briefly explore the earthworks.

Appomattox Campaign

Sunday, February 15th, 2026

9:00am – 3:00pm

The caravan tour begins at ACWM-Tredegar and follows the retreat route of General Richard S. Ewell’s Richmond defense forces. The first stop will be at Branch’s Baptist Church, where General Custis Lee’s forces from the Chaffin’s Bluff defenses joined the main marching column. The tour proceeds to Mt. Zion Road near Jetersville for the story of Amelia Court House and the retreat’s westward turn, before stopping at Deatonville and Sayler’s Creek Battlefield (VSP). From there, the tour makes its way to Farmville, the Cumberland Church battlefield, Clifton (Grant’s headquarters from April 8-9), and New Hope Church (Confederate rear guard April 8-9). The tour concludes at ACWM-Appomattox with a talk about the Battle of Appomattox Station and the group doing a self-guided tour of the museum galleries.

SATURDAY’S Daylong SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE:

8:45–9:30 AM – Check-in

9:30 AM – Opening Remarks

9:40–10:40 AM – Dr. Jonathan White, Christopher Newport University “Unlikely Collaborators: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Promise of America” and Q&A

11:00 AM–12:00 PM – Dr. Lindsay Privette, Anderson University “Together at Vicksburg: Exploring the Bonds Between Commanders, Surgeons, and Soldiers” and Q&A

12:00PM – Lunch

1:00–2:00 PM – Dr. Caroline Janney, University of Virginia “From Partisan Warrior to Family Man: The Personal Relationships of John S. Mosby” and Q&A

2:20–3:20 PM – Dr. Brandi Brimmer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “Black Women, Civil War Memory, and the U.S. Pension Bureaucracy” and Q&A

3:40–4:40 PM – Dr. William C. “Jack” Davis, Virginia Tech (ret.) “Davis, Johnston, and Beauregard—The Triple-Play that Crippled the Confederacy” and Q&A

4:40 PM – Closing Remarks

5:00–5:30 PM – Book Signing

Book your hotel room for the event at special rates, available here on an exclusive basis.

American Civil War Museum Courtesy Block – Richmond Marriott Downtown

In partnership with The John L. Nau Center for Civil War Studies at the University of Virginia.

Our Fathers Brought Forth: Lincoln’s Gratitude in the Gettysburg Address
2026-03-26 18:00 - 20:00
Reflecting on Lincoln and the ancient virtue of gratitude, an essential attribute of a free society, Dr. Andrew F. Lang reads the Gettysburg Address as a national expression of gratitude, honoring the past while charging the present to preserve freedom for the future. By situating Lincoln’s rhetoric within the political and military contexts of 1863, the talk connects 1776, 1863, and 2026, just as Lincoln intended.

Members Reception at 5 pm

A Slumbering Serpent: George Washington on Slavery and Disunion
2026-06-30 18:00 - 19:00
In this engaging living history program, George Washington (portrayed by Brian Hilton) will reflect on the moral, economic, and political challenges of slavery in his time and the growing divisions threatening the young nation’s unity. The presentation offers a historically grounded and thoughtful exploration of Washington’s evolving conscience and leadership.

Following his remarks, the audience will be invited to engage in a question-and-answer session exploring these complex issues.
