Reviews Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site (Museum) in North Carolina

Kevin Roberts

Great Historical site. No "frills" just documented history

Elizabeth Black

The park is well worth visiting. The film is excellent and the displays are well laid out and informational. It's was nice to walk the battlefield grounds and read the sign posts as the battle unfolded on March 19-21 in 1865. It was quite a significant battle.

Catherine Hutchinson

Interesting

Nichol Tate

History is important and the battlefield helps us remember. Enjoyed the tour of the field hospital, it was very informative. Also cool hike around the trenches.

Dave

Very knowledgeable staff. Interesting displays. This was the first civil war site I've been to, so I don't have a basis for comparison.

Billy Lane

Wonderful weekend for 150th anniversary for important Civil War battle role in North Carolina.

Drew Neill

Great site! Knowledgeable and friendly staff!

cameron hudson

What an amazing experience. The staff are extremely accommodating and very knowledgeable. The site is very well kept and they have public bathrooms too. This is a great family stop and they have a decent gift store. They take care and cash at the shop, but there is no ATM unfortunately.

Paula Perry

Love history and this place is amazing .can't wait to go back

James Hill

Does anyone know why they stopped selling the Battle Flag at the gift store?

John Hemphill

This battlefield is a sight to see it's so cool everybody should come here and get a taste of what the Civil War was like one great place to stop I'll be back

William B

I arrived on a Monday and the place is closed on Mondays so I can only talk about the grounds. The parking lot is inaccessible so I had to park on the side of the road and take pictures of the monuments in a large field adjacent to the historic site visitor center.

Rob S

Great site, well maintained and incredibly informative and helpful staff. Museum was free but took donations and the house was opened for tours every hour. The had clean bathrooms and plenty of parking.

Ray Rivera

Excellent place to take our youth for accurate educational purposes. Staff, volunteers and everyone associated with this venue are very professional and helpful. They answer questions and have a good grasp on our state and nations civil war history. The General Johnston's Memorial is an interesting site on grounds that should also be explored.

Ricky Watkins

Beautiful in spring time.. buggy in summer

Mari Mari

Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Offered their services to my family even when we got there at almost closing time. Follow instructions and you'll get a pretty cool audio tour. Will definitely come back to visit when we have more time to explore. Loved bringing my kids here to learn a little history. Highly recommend.

Bryan Hammons

Great way too spend a day. The audio/driving tour is a great option.

Andrew Pobrica

It's a wonderful place to visit if you are passing through the area.

damon green

Great docents. Really great knowledge of the specific history.

Brett Bradshaw

Excellent historic site, with wonderful facilities.

Christopher Bishop

This July was my second visit and I was pleased to see the battlefield trail near the visitors center had been expanded. This site is a work in progress, but it's worth a visit, especially for the Civil War buff. The battlefield is probably one of the better preserved because of the rural nature of the area.

Andy Stetzinger

Very peaceful. Nice driving and walking trails.

Matthew Crain

Great historic site with a really interesting tour of a house that was converted into a Civil War field hospital.

Elena & Randy Garza

We decided to stop by on our summer 2019 vacation road trip to Wilson, NC. Our son is a fan of History. We learned a lot as a family and it sparked great conversation about American history. You can also drive through this historic town, connect your cell to Bluetooth and listen at every marker sign a story of what happened in that area during the Civil War. We all enjoyed. Great place to come and get educated or experience what you already know up close and personal. The staff was very helpful and kind. Thank you.

Kim

A great place to learn more about the Civil War. They had guided tours and demonstrations. There was even a fact scavenger hunt for the kids and a driving tour. Call ahead so they know you are coming to get the most from your visit.

Brandon Strickland

Really interesting place full of history. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to answer everyone's questions. The visitor's center has a lot of informative displays and does an excellent job explaining the battle and history of the grounds. A must see for any civil war buffs!

Theressa Evans

Great family outing if you love history..worth the drive..

bls txi

Visitor Center in hospital buildings were most informative however without the audio tour the drive tour would have been rather on informative as there are few if any remaining landmarks buildings or like except for the trenches along the federal area

Emma Adkison

A five star is not enough when you realize exactly how young these men/boys were. Very moving experience.

Michelle Tobell

Great place to learn history. The volunteers know what they are talking about. The house was whell preserved.

Melissa Chapman

The audio tour makes it. You need a lot of imagination to get something out of the tour and the audio helps

Jennifer Alexander

Very knowledgeable staff and great history lessons that came behind visiting this Civil War site.

Michael E Bailey

Great historical park. Plenty to do, and a lot to learn. The Visitors Center is a must, as well as the car tour..

Christopher Huddleston

Great piece of history here. They have really great events and reenactments as well.

Doug Mauldin

Nice facility, friendly well informed staff.

Lacy Rundell

Beautiful place to visits and full of information

Robert Durham

Pros: Wonderful easy hike through the woods to visit original trenchworks. Paths are well cut. Museum is free. Donations encouraged . Great place to let kids run around. Cemetery is well kept. Ample parking. Clean bathrooms, facilities and grounds Cons: Only driving tour was suggested from staff. End of walking trail marked, but despite marking, trail continues on with more markers, and things to see Next thing you know you are on a farm road off the tour. I was told it's a new unopened portion, but we found no markers indicating it was not ready for viewing and continued to follow the trail. Some might get slightly lost if they continue. When we mentioned this, we were told that we were on the new, unopened section, yet there were no signs to denote this. There are many faux paths that are unmarked and likely used for clearing crews.. Driving tour is not well marked at a few spots where one might make a wrong turn. GPS and driving tour amenities are unusable if you don't have a cell signal, like us. Random numbers are posted throughout the woods that don't correspond to the tour map. Tour map has no geographic indicators of events at the battle or battle progression. Only loosely accurate trail info and an explanation of what land has been acquired by the Civil War Trust and the state on map. All other explanations left to audio tour, which is by cellphone only. Tour of the house is supposed to occur every hour on the hour. We showed up at the house and waited. When we inquired about the tour we were told that they weren't expecting anyone. So we had to wait another hour with another couple. The house tour was nice, but the tour guide stumbled over her words and used loose facts and figures she seemingly made up on the spot or couldn't recall properly. Such as "the mortally wounded officers were put in this room to recover." Well, some recovered, maybe. But if they didn't recover they were left here to recover." Or "43 Confederate soldiers were treated here in this house and only 19 died from wounds." Then you count the tombstones, of which there are 20 and read in several locations about the 23 who died at the house of which 20 are marked. Nothing is mentioned concerning the almost 400 buried in the mass grave there. The staff member was sweet and kind, but could have a little more confidence in speaking and done a little more specific research. I held my questions out of fear of embarrassment for her as it seems she would make up facts from assumptions. Suggestions: Mark the trails more effectively with more of an idea where not to go. Clearly mark the driving tour where the road comes to a T. Have a staff member either present at the house, or checking on it when yours begin, or place a sign identifying the check-in location of the tour. Mention the walking tour to visitors. We had to find it ourselves as it was not mentioned. Throw up a portapotty near the turnaround point. My kids had to go in the treeline. Have signs identifying private property or farmland roads and where trails intersect them. Offer an alternate means for the audio tour. Other battlefields use a rentable audiobook-style keypad-input device with headphones. Great trip. Worth the visit. Friendly staff. Clean grounds. Great way to spend the day, but do your own research extensively beforehand because you may have no cell signal from which to benefit from the audio tour or navigational aids.

arlene winters

Love this place really cool place

A. G.

As we were driving on 1-95 we saw the sign to the battle field and decided to enter.. 14 miles off the highway but worth the detour.. Knowledgeable and friendly staff.. because of time we did an unguided tour and a few stops for the driving tour.

Amanda Underwood

One of the few historical exhibits to be found in Johnston County. It's very interesting to see the way people lived during that time when they hold the reenactment, and a tour of the inside of the Harper House is available.

Lindsay Barlow

As a lover of American Civil War history, and a frequent battlefield visitor (including Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Manasses, Chattanooga, Vicksburg and several others), I found Bentonville Battlefield to be charming, calm, but not very well preserved. The audio driving tour was quite confusing and there were very few maps to show where troop lines were. The museum was extremely small, but decently put together. We received a personal tour of the Harper house (which was used as a Union hospital) and really enjoyed seeing the different original and ‘of time period’ aspects of the property. The staff was very friendly and personable! Though the battlefield itself does not really compare to some of the larger more well preserved battlefields, it is still a must see for Civil War enthusiasts.

Kelly Romero

Would have been better if we did the tour to understand better the history

Kenneth J Clapp

Nice warm day today and enjoyed my visit.. Brought back some souvenirs.

Peggy Valenza

Great place to go for some history employees helpful knowledgeable and courteous

bill cole

The character of the battle field and area is well preserved and well marked by signage. The area is undeveloped with farmland and some houses nearby. You can truly get a sense of the battle with the signs and an audio tour available for cellphones. The house on the property is well worth a visit if you can listen to the tour guide and the little museum is informative with some nice displays, relics and such. A very short walk down the trail and you can see surviving entrenchment earthworks. One of the last important battles as the CSA was stubbornly resisting the inevitable upcoming surrender to end the war.

Carol Frankewich

Educational, easy to read informational signs along driving tour of battlegrounds! A must for any history buff. Tour of Union hospital, Harper house, period kitchen and period slave home. Free but donations accepted.

jerald flygare

Very informative about last major battle between North and South.

Bud Conner

Very informationally and well preserved place of history.

Red Carr

Truly enjoyed our visit there. Nice guided tour of the house used as a hospital during the battle

Eric Johnson

Well upkept beautiful battlefield

Timi Hallstrom

Really good guide on house tour.

Kristey Black

Tucked away in Bentonville this battle was the last major battles in NC, with over 4,000 casualties. Complete with a historical film, walking paths, great museum with a visual battle board that is very cool. There is also an audio driving tour, although our cell phone dropped the tour a couple of times, it was still informative. Good prices at the gift store.

Paul Fowler

Totally awesome experience!

Denny Dietrich

Interesting. Visitors center nice with 15 minute film. Union hospital in Harper house and out buildings interesting. Self guided driving tour of key battle field locations. Audio tour also available.

Bill Ralph

Learned a lot going and visiting there

Craig Hammond

It's for the love of History

Victor Venjohn

Very surreal battlefield, with plenty interesting educational monuments to see, as well as artifacts and a small Museum. They also provide free audio tours, and walking trails.

Josue Batista

Cool place to learn history. The gentleman at the museum was very nice and educating.

Matt Amber Dennison

Had a great time with son on his fourth grade class trip to this historical and informational site. Felt welcomed and it was educational for all. Thank you for that experience!

Debbie Schneider

Free civil war museums worth seeing

Brian Wehner

The largest battle of the civil war in North Carolina. Wish they had more cannons and earthworks there.

Tim W

The staff here are extremely helpful and full of knowledge. Great sites to see.

Scott Hamilton

This park is a well-kept will preserved Battlefield Memorial area. It is not a federal Park, so you can get the true history of the battle and leaders instead of the modified version. The additional side points of History provided by the staff or phenomenal.

Ana B

The people working here are very nice and well informed about its history. There is a public event held every year about the history here and on good weather is a nice place to tour the battle trails. Recommend for a family outing and learning about history.

Eric J

Nice facility. Got a private tour of the house from a very nice lady. Lots of interesting stops on the driving tour.

Gene Renollet

Psrt of Civil War history.

Jacob Ocker

Great informational kind staff excellent experience great trail's bring the off locale camping and cabins at Howell woods environmental learning center

Mitchell DuRant

Well maintained

Jim Farr

This is an off the beaten path place but well worth the trip. Who knew that this area had so much history involved here. Our tour guide of the "Harper House" (Amanda) was nothing short of amazing. She knew much more than just the essential facts of this site. She knew SO much more. Many back stories and additional facts that it really made our time with her extremely enjoyable. Especially during the Q&A time at the end of the tour. She joked with us that she felt she knew more about the Harper Family than she did about her own family. There is a free movie in the visitor center which was very helpful to understand all that went on here during the Civil War. Several displays of artifacts as well as a narrated LED map that showed the logistics of the two armies as they fought. It was very helpful as you watched the movement of these armies unfold before you. You need to then go and do the driving tour of the other important sites and battle fields. We saw a lot but there are several areas we want to come back to hike and explore. Just remember the visitor center and the Harper House are closed on Mondays as well as N. C. state holidays. The other sites are available just not the visitor center. It's all worth the trip and the time.

car of peace

Lovely

Tara Huyghe

Went for the Fall Festival. It was very informative and beautiful. Definitely something we'll do again

naplesnole77

Very historical

windy stringer

Museum is not as big as some I've seen but still impactful .Person working was very informative and helpful .thete is a ten mile spread driving tour with free audio .

Dan O'Sullivan

The history is awesome. The video and all the displays are highly detailed so pn ed can get the feel of the battle. So kool and driving tour is very informative.

Shana Martin

It was busy when I went so I didn't get a decent tour of the Harper House. However, the place was beautiful. I loved the trip and recommend it!

Kyle Harris

We were just driving by and stopped in. Pretty cool place. We're from the north so we don't get to see battlefields from the civil war all that often.

Bill Murphy

The driving loop was nice but too short. The whole area seems to have an indelible mystique about it. Felt a presence there like I was trespassing and you know what? We are. Let them rest in piece. Battlegrounds are not and should never be tourist attractions. You don't see a themepark at Normandy, do you! Those soldiers, minutemen and volunteers made the ultimate sacrifice for their beliefs and to have it turned into a place of amusement, is a crime against all they faught for. It's really a humungous cemetery that these people are dancing on. Shame on you!!! Have respect for the dead.

Victor Dillard

Great staff great learning experience

Crystal Rainwater

If you forget your past, you are doomed to repeat it. Take some time and explore this amazing site.

Angela Sim

Nicr

Bryce Card

Great museum, enjoyed the house tour.

Dan Baehr

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Fascinating site for history lovers.

Cathy Snovel

Nice restrooms. Friendly folk runn8ng the museum.

John Kanich

Really enjoyed the museum and the driving tour. I did not realize how large the battlefield was.

Brad Borba

Lots of great North Carolina history

Anthony McNulty

The museum is a great read and has a modest relic collection. The Harper House is really the main attraction here. The cemeteries and earthworks are nice to visit but take the time to tour the house. Excellent.

Carrie Munoz

Visited while visiting our son stationed in Goldsboro. It was a great little get away. Very well maintained site. Looked like they had a special event a couple of days prior. It was reading while we were there, and the hostess still offered to let us in one of the houses even though she had to walk in the rain. Loved learning about the history here. We visit these types of venue as often as possible. Recommended for history buffs like ourselves.

Daniel Young

Very fine exhibit. I was enlightened about a key event in the Civil War that I did not know about previously. Staff was great, gave me a personal tour and site interpretation.

Yadi Gonzalez

All I can say is that I went there to have a family photo taking. It's amazing place for wedding anniversaries family pictures it's an amazing place I recommend it to anybody who would like to have beautiful pictures out there thank you once again

Rhonda Nemmers

Nice picnic area and museum with very informative video. Driving tour was interesting..

Liz Bernhard

Very nice

Nick GJ

A wonderful place to walk through history in a time of great crisis for our nation.

Bryan Gower

The Bentonville Battlefield is a good outing on a good weather day. There is a short walking trail and a driving tour that tells you the history of the largest civil war battle in NC.

Joseph Parkton

Always a good time

Sean Sayers

Great staff! Mindblowing to step on a civil war battlefield.

Leslie LoAlbo

Good for families and educational

Backpackerwdogs 1

Nice place to visit the last large scale battle of the Civil War.

David Rowe

History at its Finest!

Micailen Solis

This place was pretty cool actually

David Mingia

Plan on spending a day. Take time to learn all three days of the battle. And Bragg screwed up again LOL

Glenn Mraz

Great historical site of the south

Melva Melendez

The period actors were very knowledgeable about their character's role and the history of that time. They all were very approachable and eager to share about what they knew of various civil war battles. Costumes and activities were very realistic. The small gift shop had civil war replica toys for children such as Union and Confederate hats, muskets, fife, revolver. There was some food being sold but it was limited to drinks in cans and bottles. Better to bring your own food in portable containers as you will be walking around from one site to another.

Nickolas Justice

Great day on the Battlefield with the wonderful staff and a great tour with Dean from the "Friends of Bentonville Battlefield.

Dave Harding

The visitors center provides guests with a short video of the Civil War leading up to the Battle of Bentonville. They also have a small museum with exhibits from that time period including artifacts from the actual battle along with a gift shop. There is no fee but donations are appreciated.

Cathy Spiker

Great map

Alan Austin

Nice day trip. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. I especially enjoyed the "LED" map board that cleverly animated the battle timeline-made it easy to understand what happened here. Audio tour was helpful- listened to it on my motorcycle helmet Bluetooth headset; it'd be even better with "sounds of battle" in the background. Will be back to watch a reenactment.

rex eure

Great Civil War history to learn! My son loved it!!

Phyllis Briles

A great Battlefield to visit. The hospital tour provided lots of information about how both Union and Confederate troops were treated. It was humbling to see the mass grave of Confederate troops.

Joel Bof

Never knew about this great battle. 80,000 soldiers,Gen. Johnston and Gen Sherman. It was fought the week the war ended and just before the president was shot by Booth. As a result it was not in the headlines. Nice film, visit to the field hospital and driving tour of the battle.

Joseph Earp, Jr

It was OK. But not what it's made out to be. My son was very disappointed with the reenactment.

Nate Makanoff

Staff very friendly. Not well lift inside, but I shouted to see the movie and they happily played it. The trails aren't well marked, but the park was interesting and the site of the largest military surrender of the Civil War. If you're in the area check it out. It's about 20 minutes off 95.

Counselor Twenty17

Absolutely loved it! If you are into civil war battlefields, this an excellent place to sleep hours and hours.

Linda Priest

Very pleasant but disappointed that therr was no online notification the visitor center was closed.

Tony Lee

Learn alot bout history. Good area to live.

Juan Diaz

Excellent learning experience about the last great civil war battle that happened at this site. Over 80,000 soldiers at this site for freedom four our country. They also have reenactments where you can experience live how people lived and coped with the difficult decisions made during civil war times.

Ken Fisher

Love the "living history" during reenactments

Sam White

Great museum, knowledgeable staff. Great walking trail. And the gift shop is pretty good too.

Jeffery Szalaj

I have been several times. Nice place to relax.

john doe

Always a great place to visit

Tommy Beatty

A great learning experience. Learn from history instead of trying to bury it.

preston white

Great staff and very knowledgeable.

Louis Kelly

An amazing place to learn about one of the key battles towards the end of the civil war. There is an original house that was used as a Union army hospital during the battle, tours are provided on the hour. There is also a chance to view a short film about the events leading up to and including the battle at Bentonville. Jane gave us our tour, she was both enthusiastic and very knowledgeable.

Preston White

I love this place. The tour is great! If you just want a place to have a nice picnic or learn some history, this would be the perfect place!!!

Eric L

Very nice lady gave us a private tour of the house used as a hospital.

Kim Jordan

Great experience, awesome staff

Danny Parrish

Nice pretty civil war house. furnished in time period of civil war opererating facility, for soldiers wounded in war. Summer kitchen, outside well, 1 room house & museum with civil war artifacts, shows film every 29 minutes. Have civil war events several times a year. Big event every 5 yrs. paid employees & volunteers.

Eric Williams

Fantastic preservation of this long forgotten major battle. Proves that Confederates other than Robert E. Lee's army still had fight in them. Kudos to the state of North Carolina for preserving this important battle.

Aaron Thompson

Very educational step back into the last days of the Civil War. The grounds are beautifully preserved taken care of. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Nicole Thornton

This historic site is beautiful and well preserved. They have walking and driving tours. We learned why NC is called the tar heel state, saw a spinning wheel, a real apple press and more. It was fun and educational.

Larry Pluss

Come relive history.

Brandy Valdez

We happen to show up before the tour so we were able to see inside the house. The homestead is small but the driving tour is very informative. It will take a couple of hours to read everything but well worth the road trip.

Bob Smith

Creepy..much death and suffering leaves it quiet and spooky..

Joan Towey

Great stop for history buffs! Several points of interest and some easy (historial) walking trails right there.

Jacob Aldridge

It was interesting but it did get a bit boring after awhile. There were lots of things to look at and learn about. They offer tours, information sessions, a museum that plays a free movie. It also has a gift shop. There's a trail nearby to walk around as well.

Ben Carlson

Staff provided excellent tour, very informative. Audio tour was confusing at first but very interesting. Great place to visit.

Autumn Buckner

Enjoyed the Military through the Ages immensely.

Deanna Hogan

Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and present history is a respectful way. Bathrooms and facilities are well maintained.

Wanda Mcnew

Interesting g information about this battle location union hospital

Brad&Alesia Owens

Great place to visit

James Carroll

Really good introduction film and nice small exhibits. The monuments and house near the visitor center are great. Be careful the driving tour stops sneak up on you and the road is a regular state road.

Don Bebee

Interesting...biggest battle you never heard of.

Dwayna Guthrie

Nice trip with the kids. Nice for them to learn about times of the past.

Margaret Behling

Great history.

Maxwell Lloyd-Eriksen

A great free tour of a vintage civil war hospital

don wheeler