Results

Virginia has a coherent, centrally managed, statewide story about the Civil War to tell visitors. The signs, brochures, and wayside stops provide a quality, tangible product that the tourism industry can sell to individuals as well as groups. The program is even expanding beyond the state’s borders to Maryland where the same distinctive Civil War Trails logo will be used in that statewide effort.

The in-depth experience provided by VCWT encourages repeat visits and provides more attractions to keep visitors in Virginia longer. Eighty percent of the trails are in rural areas, bringing tourists to previously unvisited parts of the state. This is a most significant fact, says Bowman, who defines a trail as an interpreted, chronological progression along a historic road trace. “ In other words,” he says, “the trail system takes travelers along rural roads, just as the soldiers traversed the countryside.”

The increased attention that the trails have brought to Virginia’s Civil War sites has helped to build community pride and grass-roots support for Civil War preservation efforts. Of the 260 sites featured on the trails, 193 had never been interpreted before becoming part of the trails program.

Visits to Civil War sites in Virginia jumped from 500,000 in 1996 to 580,000 in 1997. A statewide study shows that Civil War driving travelers spend more than other pleasure travelers, ($71 per day as compared to $50). Nine percent of all Virginia travelers included a Civil War site in their travel plans.

Fifty motorcoach waysides have been created to provide vantage points for groups to view significant Civil War sites. The addition of these parking areas for motorcoaches has helped to increase the appeal of the trails for large group tours.

Virginia Civil War Trails: www.civilwar-va.com

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