Bed and Breakfast Tour of the Civil War Sesquicentennial

Online, March 24, 2011 (Newswire.com) - This year is the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, but you don't have to go back to school to study its history. Inns and bed and breakfasts across the country are getting involved in the commemorative events. For many, it's their history, too; they were involved in the original events.

Whether inns were built near important battlefields and landmarks, are themselves living history, or were important stations on the Underground Railroad, B&Bs are participating in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Everyone remembers Gettysburg for its famous address, but the first shots of the Civil War were actually fired of the coast of South Carolina at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. This April 12, 150 years later, Union re-enactors will portray Companies E & H, 1st US Artillery Regiment and the regimental band. Living history programs will be offered to visitors arriving on each tour boat. Within walking distance of the tour boat, in the historic Market in downtown Charleston, is Palmer's Pickney Inn (www.BnBFinder.com/PalmersPickney), a pet friendly bed and breakfast built in 1868, just after the war ended.

Also in Charleston, the 1843 Battery Carriage House Inn (www.BnBFinder.com/1843Battery) doesn't just boast a legacy that predates the war; it also has its very own Civil War ghost. Guests have sensed and even seen a headless torso, likely a man from the Civil War era.

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, was a turning point in the Civil War. This July 21 - 24, Prince William County will commemorate the battle complete with a reenactment on the 23rd and 24th of July. Events in Manassas will continue all year long. If you're looking for a place to stay, just 12 minutes down the road is the Manassas Junction Bed and Breakfast (www.BnBfinder.com/Manassas). This B&B is located within easy walking distance of Old Town Manassas, museums and the train station.

The first major battle west of the Mississippi, the Battle of Wilson's Creek led to the secession of southern Missouri. On August 10, it will be 150 years since that event and Springfield, MO will be the place to be and the place to stay in Springfield is the Walnut Street Inn (www.BnBFinder.com/WalnutStreet). Located in the Nationally Registered Historic District of Springfield, this Queen Anne Victorian Inn is less than 10 miles away from the Wilson's Creek battlefield, where a reenactment will take place August 12-14.

Although the Battle of New Market wasn't fought until May 1864, the Mayne View Bed & Breakfast of Luray, VA (www.BnBFinder.com/MayneView) was a part of the historical events surrounding the Civil War. This 1865 hunting lodge was a historic station on the Underground Railroad.

Here are some sample Civil War Packages, check out www.BnBFinder.com/CivilWar for more:

Mayhurst Inn, Orange, VA (www.BnBFinder.com/MayhurstInn)

Civil War Tour - Madison and Green Counties

Link up with renowned Madison County Historian - Harold Woodward for two 5 hour tours of events and landmarks surrounding the Battles of Jack's Shop and James City; enjoy an 1860s period dinner; receive a Self-Guided Driving Tour packet with information about other nearby Civil War sites and signed copies of books by local authors featuring Orange County during the war (books include: Frank Walker's, Remembering: A History of Orange County, Virginia; Virginia Morton's Marching Through Culpeper; Harold Woodward's For Home and Honor.)

Holladay House Bed and Breakfast, Orange, VA - (www.BnBFinder.com/HolladayHouse)

Civil War Tour Package

The Holladay House is a pre-civil war structure (ca. 1830) and even housed a Civil War wedding in February 1864 that was attended by major confederate generals. This package includes three days and nights of touring and activities conducted by local historians; the Culpeper Civil War Historical Walking Tour with author Virginia Morton; guided battlefield tours; a period 1860s dinner; a Self-Guided Driving Tour packet with information about other nearby Civil War sites and signed copies of books by local authors featuring Orange County during the war (books include: Frank Walker's, Remembering: A History of Orange County, Virginia and Virginia Morton's Marching Through Culpeper.)

Grace Manor Inn, Richmond, VA - (www.BnBFinder.com/GraceManor)

Civil War Package

Just one block from Richmond, VA's historic Monument Avenue is the beautifully restored, Historic Grace Manor Inn. A private tour guide will pick guests up there and take them to the Museum & White House of the Confederacy. The driver will take them on a customized tour of other Civil War sites. Guests will receive a complimentary Civil War Traveler Guide to Civil War Richmond and a map of the battlefields.