Take a Tour of the Historic Core on the Plantation Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

A rustic cabin with a stone chimney and a bell placed on a wooden post. — The main homesite includes a modest one-room kitchen cabin.
NPS/Linda Coldiron

Explore Booker T. Washington’s early life at the site of the former Burroughs Plantation. The historic core includes points of interest and reconstructed mid-19th-century buildings. The Plantation Trail forms a 0.55-mile loop, passing structures such as a horse barn, kitchen cabin, smokehouse, blacksmith shop, and a historic tobacco barn that visitors can explore along the trail.

At the Burroughs home site, stones indicate the locations of the birth cabin where Booker T. Washington was born and the Burroughs family home, known as the “Big House.” The modest one-room kitchen cabin, situated next to the main house, was home to Booker, his mother, and two half-siblings.

Continue along the loop to explore the various outbuildings essential to daily life on a plantation. The tobacco barn, located just before the start of the Jack-o’-Lantern Trail, is the oldest remaining structure at Booker T. Washington National Monument. Built in 1894, the barn is the only original structure in the park that closely corresponds to Booker T. Washington's era.

The Burroughs Cemetery is located just north of the trail, across the parking lot as you return to the visitor center. Family cemeteries were common in the Virginia countryside. The Burroughs family cemetery serves as the final resting place for James Burroughs and his son James William (Billie) Burroughs. Two prominent headstones bearing their names are visible among several smaller, unmarked grave markers.

Begin your self-guided tour on the paved walkway located behind the visitor center. The 0.55-mile loop is primarily paved and passes reconstructed 19th-century buildings from Washington’s childhood. The path increases to a 14% incline near the main barn and pig pens, then levels out by the original homesite. Continue to the tobacco barn, where the terrain becomes grassy and sloped. Built in 1894, the barn is the only original structure in the park that closely corresponds to Booker T. Washington's era. After visiting the tobacco barn, follow the paved path back to the main grounds and observe the rolling hills along your route.

Pets are allowed but must be on a leash and visitors should pick up their waste. Bags and wasted disposal stations are placed throughout the park.

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

The Plantation Trail begins on the paved walkway located behind the visitor center.

Begin your self-guided tour on the paved walkway located behind the visitor center. The 0.55-mile loop is primarily paved. The path increases to a 14% incline near the main barn and pig pens, then levels out by the original homesite. Continue to the tobacco barn, where the terrain becomes grassy and sloped. After visiting the tobacco barn, follow the paved path looping back to the main grounds.

Last updated: September 15, 2026

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