Planning a Trip for early June

[SLD228]

Hi All:
Well my wife, youngest son (finishing freshman year of high School) and I are planning to take a civil war excursion in early June. We live in Baltimore, Md and go to Gettysburg and Antietam regularly. We've also visited many of the Northern Virginia battlefields. But this year we thought we'd try Shiloh.
We only have a week and might not make it down there with the youngest for a while so we're trying to see as much as we can to at least see the actual landscape of places since that has helped so much with any reading on Gettysburg and Antietam. Our initial plan is to drive to Nashville and see Franklin and Stones River figure 1 day to tour both, then onto Shiloh. We plan on staying a day and a half or so there and heading across to Chattanooga and Chickamauga. And then start heading back north.
If anyone has any advise for the trip or thoughts of a better plan please feel free to share and it will be appreciated. We're not really sure how long each visit will end up. We've spent entire days at Gettysburg just following one small portion of the battle, but we won't have time for that on this one.
Thanks again for any help...
Steve

 

[Nathanb1]

I think you'll need longer for Franklin... and you really should go to Spring Hill to understand the whole thing.

 

[bdtex]

Hi All:
Well my wife, youngest son (finishing freshman year of high School) and I are planning to take a civil war excursion in early June. We live in Baltimore, Md and go to Gettysburg and Antietam regularly. We've also visited many of the Northern Virginia battlefields. But this year we thought we'd try Shiloh.
We only have a week and might not make it down there with the youngest for a while so we're trying to see as much as we can to at least see the actual landscape of places since that has helped so much with any reading on Gettysburg and Antietam. Our initial plan is to drive to Nashville and see Franklin and Stones River figure 1 day to tour both, then onto Shiloh. We plan on staying a day and a half or so there and heading across to Chattanooga and Chickamauga. And then start heading back north.
If anyone has any advise for the trip or thoughts of a better plan please feel free to share and it will be appreciated. We're not really sure how long each visit will end up. We've spent entire days at Gettysburg just following one small portion of the battle, but we won't have time for that on this one.
Thanks again for any help...
Steve

Nashville,Franklin, Murfreesboro, Shiloh, Chattanooga and Chickamauga in one week is gonna be tough. That would be tough to do if you just stick to battlefields but there is so much else to see. I was in Franklin, Chattanooga, Chickamauga and Tunnel Hill, Georgia for 4 and half days last June and barely scratched the surface. I have a 9 day CW road trip coming up in early June and 6 of those days will be in Corinth,Shiloh,Murfreesboro, Franklin, Spring Hill, Nashville,Columbia and Elm Springs. One day will be Corinth and Shiloh. That's not enough but that's all the time we have for those 2 battlefields.

The Civil War Trust Annual Conference is in Chattanooga from June 7-11.

https://www.civilwar.org/events/annual-conference

The Hood's Texas Brigade Association Re-activated 2017 Battlefield Tour is June 6-9 in Franklin, Spring Hill and Nashville. That is the group I will be with. At least 5 other members of this forum will be too,2 as guides and 1 as tour coordinator.

 

[bdtex]

Let us know what you decide to do and take some pics. There are a number of people in this forum who will be in that general vicinity the first full week of June. Some of the forum members live in that area.

 

[SLD228]

Hi all....thanks for the replies....and for putting this in the right forum
Yeah, I know that it's going to be a whirlwind of a trip...we want to see the battlefields but I've never been to Nashville or Chattanooga so they would be cool to see....and not to mention Forts Henry and Donelson aren't that far...so it's still a plan coming together....but again thanks for any advice.

 

[bdtex]

Hi all....thanks for the replies....and for putting this in the right forum
Yeah, I know that it's going to be a whirlwind of a trip...we want to see the battlefields but I've never been to Nashville or Chattanooga so they would be cool to see....and not to mention Forts Henry and Donelson aren't that far...so it's still a plan coming together....but again thanks for any advice.

I know the feeling. The itinerary for 3 of the 9 total days of our trip changed several times before we settled on some sites.

 

[Podad]

I will offer a little about Chattanooga area. There is so much ACW related stuff to see. You will only be able to see a small part of it due to your schedule.

Chickamaugua battlefield is HUGE. The visitor center very nice with an impressive exhibition of firearms. As for touring the battlefield you can spend a half day or a week depending on your intensity of study.The highlights are accessible by car.

While in Chattanooga you MUST visit Point Park on the north end of Lookout Mountain. There is an excellent museum and a breath taking view from the park.

Consider this if your schedule and budget can accomodate it.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/buttonwillow-civil-war-dinner-theater-near-chattanooga.133941/

Enjoy your visit to the "Western Theater"

 

[bdtex]

I will offer a little about Chattanooga area. There is so much ACW related stuff to see. You will only be able to see a small part of it due to your schedule.

Chickamaugua battlefield is HUGE. The visitor center very nice with an impressive exhibition of firearms. As for touring the battlefield you can spend a half day or a week depending on your intensity of study.The highlights are accessible by car.

While in Chattanooga you MUST visit Point Park on the north end of Lookout Mountain. There is an excellent museum and a breath taking view from the park.

Consider this if your schedule and budget can accomodate it.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/buttonwillow-civil-war-dinner-theater-near-chattanooga.133941/

Enjoy your visit to the "Western Theater"

Yes. Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga National Cemetery and Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery was a full day of touring for me one day last June as was following in the footsteps of Hood's Texas Brigade and the Visitor Center at Chickamauga.

 

[ErnieMac]

Enjoy your trip, sounds like a whirlwind tour. Some day I hope to return to Franklin now that the pizza place is gone and it's become a real park. Assuming you're staying in hotels - plan ahead for accommodations around Shiloh, there's not much nearby. Corinth is not too far and you can take in the Visitor Center / Battlefield there.

 

[KLSDAD]

If you get a chance, consider a couple of hours at Parker's Crossroads which is about an hour directly north of Shiloh.

 

[tonijustine]

I, too, tend to be a breadth not depth traveler in a lot of situations. I want to see as much as I can and if that means I don't get to walk in the footsteps of every unit that fought, it is a tradeoff I am willing to make.

The Civil War Trust has done great work in Franklin lately, but there are really only three areas that are well preserved and not developed over: Carter House, Carnton Plantation and Winstead Hill. The first two have tours you can take that range from 45 minutes (I think) to an hour and a half. All tolled, I could do a visit there in a couple of hours (heresy to some here, I know).

I have done a day and a half at Shiloh, but there is also a great museum run by the NPS down in Corinth that is worth a visit. It's a half-hour's drive between the two, and the museum itself probably can be done in an hour. If you had extra time, which you probably won't, there are lots of isolated parcels of NPS land to be hiked, a walking tour of town and the Corinth Contraband Camp.

Chickamauga is not something that can be rushed because it is huge. And the action is confusing. If it were me and I needed to apportion out my time, I would save the biggest chunk for Chickamauga because this is one of the battlefields where the driving tour provided by the NPS is confusing. At least I found it so.

Fort Henry is in the Tennessee River now, but I understand that you can hike back to the sight-ish and there is a plaque. Fort Donelson is a nice little tour and again, you could spend more time there, but a couple of hours will give you a feel for the action.

I second (or third, or whatever the number we are up to) Point Park in Chattanooga. Right next to the Visitor's Center up there is a little museum with an electric map. And my personal favorite way to get to the top is to take the Incline up from the St. Elmo station. The Visitor's Center and the Park are a very nice two or three short block walk from the top station. My son, who is 4, loves this ride. It is not for those scared of heights, though. http://www.ridetheincline.com/

 

[SLD228]

Well I guess the other important question in preparing for the first adventure into the western theater is what would be some good books to prep up on Shiloh and Chattanooga/Chickamauga?...I've read a bit specifically about Shiloh but just overviews of the Chattanooga campaign.....any suggestions?

 

[tonijustine]

Well I guess the other important question in preparing for the first adventure into the western theater is what would be some good books to prep up on Shiloh and Chattanooga/Chickamauga?...I've read a bit specifically about Shiloh but just overviews of the Chattanooga campaign.....any suggestions?

I liked Six Armies in Tennessee for Chickamauga.

 

[bdtex]

I will offer a little about Chattanooga area. There is so much ACW related stuff to see. You will only be able to see a small part of it due to your schedule.

Chickamaugua battlefield is HUGE. The visitor center very nice with an impressive exhibition of firearms. As for touring the battlefield you can spend a half day or a week depending on your intensity of study.The highlights are accessible by car.

While in Chattanooga you MUST visit Point Park on the north end of Lookout Mountain. There is an excellent museum and a breath taking view from the park.

Consider this if your schedule and budget can accomodate it.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/buttonwillow-civil-war-dinner-theater-near-chattanooga.133941/

Enjoy your visit to the "Western Theater"

The Hood's Texas Brigade Association Re-activated 2016 Battlefield Tour was Chattanooga/Chickamauga. I remember our tour bus passed through Ringgold,GA about 3 times and I wanted to stop so bad.

 

[Nathanb1]

Civil War Trust has some great stuff if you're traveling... civil war.org

And the traffic going to and from Nashville and Franklin can be very, very slow...

 

[bdtex]

And the traffic going to and from Nashville and Franklin can be very, very slow...

No loop?

 

[Nathanb1]

No loop?

I think we left Franklin at 4...it was after 6 by the time we passed the airport exit on the way to Knoxville. I never minded the loop... but that was a while back. Lol....I don't have problems in San Antonio, either.

 

[JerseyBart]

Tip your tour guides.

 

[bdtex]

I think we left Franklin at 4...it was after 6 by the time we passed the airport exit on the way to Knoxville. I never minded the loop... but that was a while back. Lol....I don't have problems in San Antonio, either.

IOW, stay out of rush hour traffic between Nashville and Franklin. Got it.

 

[KLSDAD]

Civil War Trust has some great stuff if you're traveling... civil war.org

Sure does! Another good one is civilwaralbum.com