The National Park Service offers ranger-led programs from April to October. Topics may include the peopling and rich cultural history of the Shenandoah Valley, including the Civil War and Battle of Cedar Creek.
The park calendar lists scheduled programs. Outdoor programs may be cancelled or rescheduled in severe weather. Contact us ahead of your visit.
Check with our partners for programs and events at their properties or outside the park boundary.
Ranger Program Descriptions
1862 Valley Campaign in a Box
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley had tremendous strategic impacts on other theaters of the war. Rangers use the surrounding landscape and objects from a box to place visitors in the middle of the campaign.
1864 Valley Campaign in a Box
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
The Shenandoah Valley witnessed its bloodiest fighting throughout 1864, ending in October with the Federal victory at Cedar Creek. Rangers use the surrounding Shenandoah Valley landscape and objects from a box to place visitors in the middle of the campaign.
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove in a Box
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
Rangers use the surrounding Shenandoah Valley landscape and objects from a box to talk about the early history of the Shenandoah Valley through the eve of the Civil War. Meet near the picnic area on Belle Grove’s front lawn.
Cedar Creek Battlefield Tour
Ranger-led Driving Tour, 2 hours
Drive Cedar Creek Battlefield to retrace events of October 19, 1864. Follow the ranger’s car to five or six key battlefield landmarks.
Civil War Middletown
Ranger-led Walking Tour, 90 minutes
Walk the streets of historic Middletown to learn of the townsfolk and their lives during the Civil War.
Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
Glimpse the life of Judah, the enslaved cook of Belle Grove. The Hite family purchased Judah with her two young boys. She remained their cook until her death in 1836. A ranger presents this program in the winter kitchen of the Belle Grove Manor House.
Life in the Borderland: The Limits & Possibilities of Freedom
Ranger Talk, 90 minutes
What were the limits and possibilities of freedom for Shenandoah Valley’s enslaved and free blacks? How was life for those forced to live under the design of oppression? Explore with a ranger the answers to these and other questions.
Running Fight on the Valley Pike
Ranger-led Driving Tour 2 hours
General Nathaniel Banks met disaster in 1862 when Stonewall Jackson’s army converged on his retreating columns along the Valley Turnpike. Follow the ranger’s car to key places along the retreat route.
War Comes to the Shenandoah Valley
Ranger Talk, 30 minutes
A ranger talks about who felt the physical, economic, and emotional effects felt in the Shenandoah Valley from its many Civil War campaigns and battles. How did the valley’s civilians fare during the war?
Partner Tours
Manor House Tours
Belle Grove Plantation's offers regular guided tours of the 1797 Manor House at the region's premier authentic antebellum plantation. Visit bellegrove.org for more information.
Other Tours
Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation offer tours of area battlefields or other historic places. Visit them online for more information.