Ranger-led tour of the Yorktown battlefield near the Visitor Center
Rangers conduct a one-hour Siege Line Walking Tour just outside the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center. While the tour does involve walking around the immediate area, which was the location of the left flank of the British inner defenses, it is more of a lecture than a tour. The battle history is covered in great detail, and after the discussion you will most likely know a whole lot more about the battle than you did an hour earlier.
Tours are held multiple times each day during the tourist season, which typically runs from April through the end of October. Tours are still given in the winter, but the schedule is scaled down. There is no charge or need to register; just be at the Visitor Center come tour time. Yorktown is a major battlefield tourist attraction on par with a place like Gettysburg, so expect large crowds during the tourist season. There were nearly 50 people at the lecture that I attended.
A tour of the actual battlefield is self-guided and requires a vehicle. The roads through the battlefield are not exclusively park roads but busy highways used by everyone traveling through the area. Thus, I do not recommend using a bike unless you have one that wins out over large vehicles in an accident. See the Yorktown Battlefield Tour web page for complete information.
The Nelson House in historic Yorktown is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the summer, but only as staffing allows. Rangers are on hand to answer any questions you might have as you walk through the house.
For a list of other events held at the park, see the National Park Service’s official Calendar web page for Yorktown Battlefield.
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Last updated on July 9, 2024
