Courtesy Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg, Mississippi
For a moving historical experience, steer your groups toward Vicksburg, Mississippi, where guided tours of the Vicksburg National Military Park help to illuminate the monumental battle that took place there 1863.
“A Vicksburg visit isn’t complete without going to the Vicksburg National Military Park,” said Bill Seratt, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s America’s most monumented military park and also home of the largest cemetery of Union soldiers.”
There are some 1,300 monuments throughout the park, ranging in size from small stone carvings to huge stone domes. Licensed guides take visitors to see the most noteworthy of the monuments and give an overview of the siege of Vicksburg and the battle that took place at the site.
For groups, guides can provide step-on service, taking the motorcoach on a drive along the park’s 16-mile route and through the national cemetery. Tours also include a stop at the USS Cairo, a Union ironclad warship that sunk near Vicksburg in 1862.
www.nps.gov/vick
Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park
Sophia, West Virginia
The mountains of West Virginia’s New River Gorge offer abundant opportunities for outdoor adventure. For a thrilling trip and a look at some beautiful scenery, the folks at Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park take visitors out on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for guided trail rides.
The four-wheelers are powerful machines; guests get outfitted with complete safety equipment at the beginning of the tour and receive training on how to safely operate the vehicles. During the expeditions, riders control the throttle and brakes with thumb and finger switches on the handlebars, and there is no need to change gears.
More than 100 miles of trails crisscross the mountain at the adventure park. The staff’s expert ATV guides take visitors out in a caravan, pointing out natural wonders and sharing some of the area’s history along the way.
But the trips aren’t all scenery — ATVs are configured to traverse rugged mountain terrains, and this adventurous tour climbs over mud holes, logs, ravines and ridgelines.
The staff guarantees that riders will finish their adventure tour carrying satisfying splashes of mud and dirt.
www.burningrockwv.com
