Reviews of The National Civil War Museum (Museum)

Tina Sturm

Very interesting. The videos that they showed were very interesting to view the life of people from different points of view.

Michael W.

Worth going. 12 bucks. I spent 2 hrs walking through. Lots of interesting facts I didn't know. Lots of things to see

Tim Mick

Staff is great, very helpful. I would recommend touring Gettysburg Battle Field first,you will have more of a feel about what you are seeing. When you experience some of the artifacts, you will be able to place exactly where it happened, and you have stood in that area. I thought it was better than the Museum at Gettysburg. Although both are worth seeing. Many different discounts, ask when you purchase the tickets.

John Baker

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I visited with some friends, who in turn were visiting me from abroad. They wanted to see the museum so we all went along. The signage could be a little better. We approached from route 322 from the north and at first the signs were good, but seemed to suddenly disappear when we needed them most. Thankfully Google Maps guided us for the last mile or so. The grounds are impressive, and there was plenty of parking. The parking is a short walk from the museum and I believe there are a few spaces for disabled visitors to use so they don't need to walk. The price to enter was reasonable (if I recall it was $11 when I visited) and the range of exhibits is impressive. It looks at the issues leading to the war, shows how they split between states' rights and slavery, and also covers many aspects of the war from uniforms to weapons to battle tactics. It's always a good sign to have to leave a museum due to running out of time, and wishing you could stay longer to see the exhibits in more detail. This is a place I expect to revisit.

John Reichard

We attended a meal hosted for the 104th Legislative District Veterans by State Representative Sue Helm. The facility was outstanding as was the turkey dinner.

Dwayne Spears

Heart wrenching tribute to the darkest chapter of American history. A must for every American. The only reason it did not get 5 stars is because of the atrocious spelling errors on many of the display placards. These errors need to be addressed and remedied.

Floordua Ross

Being a disabled veterian and serving my state Pennsylvania for twenty years i feel as though i should would and will have access too this stadium until they day the lord calls on me

gary sunderland

Great time with my grand daughter. A lot I never knew...War, what is it good for? Bathrooms up and down stairs..Friendly staff too.. They could use a little snack bar, there's a couple vending machines but they weren't working Some one needs to get the flag pole fixed..The very flag this war was fought over is not visible Hmmm? Hardware broke off the top. .No flag....They need a very very high bucket truck.

Keith Garner

Very well laid out tour, a must for school age children.

Maria Durham

Nice place to visit not much to see great history trip

Bruce King

Very pleasant surprise for our group. Must see in Harrisburg.

Sherry Farmer

Neat and interesting facts.

Robert H

Very Educational! Great visit...

LoVW !

Nice place to visit. Enjoyed my time here.

William Austin

The National Civil War was absolutely phenomenal! I will be honest and say that i'm not a fan of war nor slavery But!!!!! As soon as I started walking through the museum I was captivated. I found myself reading the the placks and looking at all of the displays. I would have normally walked through a place like this. Not really caring. But with all the information that was given I literally spent like 4 hrs reading and watching the short but informative videos. You can honestly feel the way the men woman and children's feelings. When I looked into the jail cells I could feel the African American men's emotions as they were in there. The anger and hatred for the white man as they waited in the cell before they were sold to the slave owners. In the next display it was the auction block. They had an auctioneer and a African American woman and young son in each other's arms being sold. The tears running down their faces and the fear in their eyes. You can honestly feel and see how scared the young son and mother felt. I can honestly say that I was impressed with the museum's capabilities of showing the public the unfortunate facts of the Civil War. I could right a book on it .

Shawn Winpigler

Learned alot!

Russ Argo

A beautiful location on top of the hill. The building fits it well, the low levels of patronage keeps you from being hurried through the exhibits. The strength of the exhibits are the produced audio and visual presentations. Several very detailed dioramas help tremendously.

Brett Axelberg

So glad we found this museum. We learned so much, and that's even having been to Gettysburg battlefield a number of times. Friendly staff.

Stephen Graham

Even handed presentation of both sides of the war

John Bucher

Very nice display

fran B

It was informative have a great collection, but I would not go out of my way again. The organization and labeling of items is very unappealing. I also thought they left out various informative events.

Stephen Mcneil

Good for flying kite's that's about all

Matt Worrell

Very nice display of history and struggle. Definitely worth the price of admission!

Candy Mesecher

It's a good place. Beautiful view of the area around from the balcony. So much stuff to look at and read and watch. Enjoyed our visit and we will be back in the future.

Abigail W. Snyder

Great learning experience about our nations history. So many senior men to learn from,

Prabhakar Deosthali

Nicely arranged history of Covil war with appropriate audio visuals

Wyatt Cavall

My wife and I took dance lessons and attended a victorian/civil war ball dance. Everyone is welcoming and the event was very fun!

Raymond Ellis

This is a very good museum with many interesting artifacts and exhibits. I especially liked the talk given by Wayne Motts.

Kevin Anderson

Lots of History everyone should visit it

Jim Bach

Was a great way to get educated about a troubling time in our history...Even for someone who is not a history buff. Lots of artifacts and audio visual displays... Not boring like many history museums.

robert deskins

Excellent museum. As good or better than the museum in Gettysburg. Great collection of rare revolvers and rifles.

Owen Simiele

Loved it!!! Spent three hours there trying to see it all. Not as good as Gettysburg. But pretty awesome itself. Some of the displays were hard to match the description number to the displayed item. Some displays have mis-spellings, but obviously much effort went into it. Loved it. Wish there was some kind of Stonewall Jackson items for sale. ..sniff sniff..but I'll get over it.

Dale Johnson

I was really impressed at how many artifacts they have. A good museum, very well done. There was even a story narrative as you go through in order.

Chris Sarago

It was an enjoyable and informative adventure. Very interesting artifacts and exhibits. Brings out a lot about the civil war.

Robert Nulton

We enjoy the historical Learning experience that is offered here. We have enjoyed being members of this museum.

Mark Pflum

There is always a good reason to visit this amazing museum!

Sharon Brown

Very nice museum about both sides of the civil war. Go through at your own pace with a video that shows at different times throughout explaining the aspect of the war from different people. To enjoy all of it should a lot 3 to 4 hours. They do have senior, kid and military prices. I forgot to check groupon which was an even better price for family of four.

Lynda Vernon

Surprisingly well done! Definitely recommend for all ages

Douglas Bozung

Hardly anyone here on a Monday afternoon. Nice exhibits and artifacts. Screen in theater could be higher off floor and larger.

Prashant Manral

A great look at America's history

mary thomas

Fabulous. Awesome. Compelling. Intense. Not to be missed!

Amanda Weir

Very thorough, nice park area, helpful staff

Shamm Kirby

Interesting group of artifacts. Good price for a few hours.

Stephanie Griffin

Excellent experience! Smithsonian affiliated museum. Full of artifacts from the Civil War. Well done historical videos... great for families. Extremely impressive!

Shawnee Spencer

Love love love this place. Me and my dog.

Ralph Fetrow

This is one of the Best Civil War Museum in all US. Better than Gettysburg except for Cyclorama....for real civil war lovers.

Beth Wisniewski

Smaller than we thought but incredibly well done!!

Yamileth Karina de Merchak

A very well arranged museum about the Civil War. They talk about slavery, Abraham Lincoln, and life as a soldier of the north and south. There are a lot of sad stories to tell. There are even people dressed in that period whom you can ask questions about the Era. You can truly understand the struggle families went through.

Annette Franklin

This museum does an excellent job of explaining a little known aspect of the Civil War. The exhibits are very well done. Plan on spending an hour or two and it's worth the time. It is close to downtown Columbus and highly recommended for anyone interested in history and certainly the Civil War.

Joseph Clark

Very interesting and well curated. Plan on spending several hours.

dragon heart

Very nice museum and grounds atop a hill. You can see for miles.

Anna Norwood

Informative with eye-opening surrounding outdoors to give a good idea where and how all of this took place

Kevin Heath

It is a precious one. Thank you for this kind of place.

Alan Fox

Well produced, vernacular museum covering the entirety of the civil war. Wish there was more coverage of motivation from both sides of the war.

Rod Rabuck

Beautiful museum. Brings you face to face with history. Reminds you that, they were all Americans fighting the most horrible battles, in our own back yards.

Terry McPartland

Great experience. Good for all ages. Enlightened and inspiring

dave c

For someone that isn't especially interested in history, I enjoyed the exhibits. Especially the medical tools and slavery exhibits. Beautiful building and great view of the Capitol dome from the pathway.

G Aquino

I’ve been to a couple of Civil War museums (some in the South where the narrative is more Confederate-centric) and I thought this was one of the better curated ones. There were a few exhibits that I thought were implicitly favoring the Union but the presentation seem balanced overall. The floor space is huge but has just the right amount of exhibits so it doesn’t get too overwhelming. I’d say allot two hours to see everything at a leisurely pace. The museum grounds are well-maintained and offer scenic nature views. Be sure to walk around before or after your museum visit. There is also an equally stunning view from the second floor of the museum.

Bill Podszus

This is a very well laid out, informative museum. My only issue is that the lighting when combined with the display cases that project from the wall in certain galleries makes it difficult to read the text under the projected display cases. Otherwise a very nice museum!

Deborah Swan

I like the museum; however, the owner needs to do a better job of lighting... on one exhibit, it was so dark I could not read the signs. On many of the others, the over heads lights reflected off the glass so badly, I could not see the artifacts.

Pàul Lepore

Very informative with a great collection of artifacts and displays.

Ashok Ramani

Amazing a must see for any American

Forrest List

Actually worked here for several years. I considered it a privilege to work at a museum of this caliber. The facilities are nice and the exhibits were mind blowing. My personal favorite is the armory. They offer event rental space as well, we saw a lot of weddings. The grounds are one of the better views of Harrisburg. I miss being here it was an awesome job.

Denise Wienand

If you want to get a good overall understanding of the Civil War then this is the place to go. The museum starts with what started the war and then covers the major battles. There is one floor completely dedicated to Gettysburg plus they have rooms that have rotating exhibits so you get to see something new if you visit regularly.

Eva

What a hidden gem! This was a joy to visit and learn about the Civil War. There is definitely a lot to read about so wear comfortable shoes because many things you can't read from the few benches there. It was not very busy when I stopped by on a Monday. I hope there is more business on the weekends so this story of history stays open.

Sid Bergman

Excellent museum. Logical layout, compelling exhibits.

Claudia Finley Bowalick

Very educational and view points equally represented.

Bob Steele

Very interesting with lots of diverse exhibits and great information.

Darrell Pace

Very interesting. The museum lays out a clear chronological progression of events preceding and throughout the civil war.

K Cromwell

Very interesting and a great deal of detail into more specifics that they do not have time to teach you in grade school.

Jay Barnoff

The exhibits are nice, but could be geared towards teaching young people about the war. You can't tell it has anything to do with the Civil War except for the statue out front.

Robert Quinn

Great place wonderful staff. Learned a lot about our nations history.

WiseManWhite

Fantastic information at this place! I easily spent 2 to 3 hours in here, even without reading everything. There are even l bullets, clothes, bayonets, etc that you can hold (things were very heavy back then). It does a great job of telling the events from beginning to end. Don't leave the area without experiencing the museum.

Jose Reyna

Amazing museum! It is definitely a hidden gem in my opinion. It explained the complete history and more of the Civil War. There is an entrance fee but once you are in and see the quality of the site and information assembly and objects, it's more than worth it. There is a gift shop with plenty of items and books for souvenirs.

Frank T

Learned much more than I thought I knew

Dave Hardek

Great place to see. They have a lot of things to see. Well worth the time and cost.

Marcus Riddell

Love this place. They staff does an awesome job!!! Keep up the great work

Keith J Oshman Jr

A great collection of artifacts and knowledge about the Civil War. We visited on this particular day because they have visiting artillery companies demonstrating musket firing and parrot gun firing.

Oreo

Excellent information and amazing artifacts!

Thomas Allsteadt

On the first floor, around the back, near the bathrooms is a crate that a black man mailed himself to freedom. Makes you think about what someone will do for freedom.

Rox Brous

Great place to refresh your mind understanding how important it is for us ALL to be CIVIL HUMAN BEINGS to each other.

Nancy Grayson

Wonderful museum. It showed both sides of the conflict. Tons of amazing artifacts. I would recommend a visit but give yourself plenty of time.

Jodi Diego

This is a hidden treasure! Love it!

Dustin Sherburne

Great experience, and the gallery tour is free. The museum is on several acres of maintained grounds and the brick walkway itself is a memorial overlooking Harrisburg. Highly recommended.

joe griffith

Nice place with many historical artifacts!!

Linda Bodero

This is a great museum. We always bring visitors here. Beautiful museum, well presented, great parking and lovely views. Definitely recommend.

Ronnie Carmel Kasan

Made really good. You can understand what happened. They could add headphones for tourists that do not read English so good or fast. That would help.

Glenn Harvey

Great place to visit.

Doc Nitty

Very informative and the life size exhibit were great. Friendly and laid back and the staff was awesome.

Ed Shaffer

Does a great job taking you through the timeline of one of the most difficult periods in our Nation's history.

safety steve

Wonderful museum. Very impressive collection. You can either breeze through quickly or take your time. Definitely a must-see for all history bluffs and students. Deeply affecting stories.

Patti Bushman

Very informative and pleasant

Bob Borderline

This is a must visit if in the area. The layout and quality of the exhibits were outstanding.

Tina Spaulding

Good for school groups, gives an overview of the conflict, without blogging down in details of specific battles. I enjoyed it

Matt Lyman

Comprehensive history of the Civil War. Well done exhibits and kind staff members. Would recommend a stop if you're in the area.

Patricia Cates

The visit to the museum was very educational. I truly enjoyed the variety of artifacts displayed throughout. The place I was clean and well maintained.

Timothy Fay

Nice facility. Same old narrative. Lee is a good.. Grant who.. please.. Was the narrative created by Lost Cause sympathizers? Shame on them for continuing this tradition. What a shame!

Charlotte Russell

This museum does an excellent job of explaining a little known aspect of the Civil War. The exhibits are very well done. Plan on spending an hour or two and it's worth the time. It is close to downtown Columbus and highly recommended for anyone interested in history and certainly the Civil War.

James Buckley

A nice museum that in today's competitive museum environment falls a little flat. The exhibits are OK, but feel a little older and are very poorly lit at times. Interactive items sometimes don't work and the grounds outside the museum are poorly cared for. Brick walks are overgrown with weeds and overall the place could clearly use renovations and more passion. If you are around the area you should check it out.

Reggie Pfister

Beautiful museum and surrounding grounds. We spent about 90 min here but you could easily spend more time here. Some videos were a little loud and made it difficult to read some of the nearby signs, but otherwise it was a lovely place.

Etowah

Had to run through quickly before leaving for airport. The few things I read seemed well balanced. There is an error regarding the Confederate flag that first flew over ft. SUMTER. They indicate it was replaced by Confederate battle flag, which is incorrect. Battle flag was a soldier's flag for rallying on battlefield, never was a national flag. 1st national, or stars and bars, was replaced by the 2nd national or stainless banner.

Vicki Morgan

Not outstanding, but still good. A nice, brief timeline of the war. Displays were nicely spaced, lots of room for sitting and reflection. The kids in our group, 2 and 5, were not impressed though.

John E

I don't feel that it's in a safe enough area. It's very secluded.

TERRY Neumyer

Mayor Reid's greatest contribution to Harrisburg. Thanks Steve.

Vivian Oaks

There are lots of displays and interesting artifacts. Self-guided tours with the information provided, so go as fast or slow as you want. Talking exhibits and an occasional tv screen with short films full of information. If you're a civil war buff, you'll enjoy yourself.

mike g.

Old school exhibit, gives a good historical overview.Nice Collection of soldiers everyday possessions. 90 min to 2 h

thomas Shelder

Wow. Combines with Gettysburg in a profound way. Visiting will enhance your knowledge of history.

katherine brennan

Well laid out. Detailed dioramas and interesting videos.

billy minter

My entire family enjoyed our visit to The National Civil War Museum. The layout is perfect. Walking through the exhibits flows beautifully, and the artifacts and stories are excellent. There are plenty of videos on screens to stop and check out. There are benches to sit on while you watch the videos, which was nice, because if you go through the entire museum, you’ll be here for a few hours.

Micah Yoder

The museum was very interesting. Although not very big and I certainly didn't take the time to look at everything in display it still took me over a hour to see it all. The only drawback is that the outside like most of the park it is in is in need of some landscaping and repairs. But if you are in Harrisburg and you care about our American history please check it out!

Terry Hanson

Loads of great info, we'll presented. Several video discussions summarizing different phases of the war, others that speak from different viewpoints. Very well done.

kim cubbage

I learned so much more about the civil war than was ever taught in school and the live band was awesome. Alas my rating was based on how far you had to walk depending on where you could park.I was way in the back and it was definitely a workout.

James Palmer

Very well presented from a neutral perspective. Well worth the time for civil war buffs.

Beth Weaver

It's a lot to see but a great museum.

Charles Barhite

The layout was very good and easy to follow as you moved throughout the exhibits. A definite must for any Civil War buff. There are interactive features for all.

Eric Jacques

Very good museum that places the civil War in it's proper historical and human context. The artifacts and displays are absolutely stunning. Highly recommended.

Philip Peloquin

Wonderful place to visit. Very reasonable price. Excellent collection.

Susan M

Loads of history to read. Lots of artifacts from the war. Very interesting.

Connor

The best civil war muesum I I ever been to. Great exhibits with tons of information. Host reenactment events in the large field behind the main building

Bryan Burns

The building itself is a gorgeous, commamding presence. The museum is arranged chronologically, beginning with slavery and then moving throughout the war. There are exhibits of various battles, an exhibit on uniforms, (room divided with Union on one side, Confederate on the other). The Museum notes a lot of "firsts" about the Civil War, such as it being the first time that clothing was made in standardized sizes. There is much much more. I spent about 3.5 hours here.

James Davenport

Great place to remember those who gave their lives for the betterment of future generations.

Alvin Webb

Very informative, doesn't really pick sides. Nice to find a place that tells a pretty unbiased history of the conflict.

Lynell Bartosek

Excellent presentation of the entire period from pre-to-post. Highly recommend if you are interested at all in this period of U.S. history.

Ingrid Hakala

Great museum. The views are fantastic. I learned alot

Jason Reuschlein

Well worth a visit. Detailed account of the Civil War and independent presentation.

Ann Warneka

Amazing. Packed with historical information.

Phyllis Todaro

Wonderful place for history buffs Very well displayed and informative not to be missed if in the area

Uplifting Comments

I really enjoyed it very informative if you have the time to read everything.

Audrey Townes

Wonderful day trip activity. I loved the layout of the Museum and there were so many interesting artifacts.

Adam Blough

I was in town for work and stopped to spend an afternoon. It was a very beautiful place that was amazingly put together. It was surprising and the staff was very pleasant. I’d go back to walk through again if I’m in town again!

Beth Ireland

Gorgeous museum, beautiful displays, and a ton of education.

Tanya Aquilone

Many interesting artifacts, friendly staff, informative tours!!!!

Kev Ovi8

Fantastic artifacts and information. Lincoln's hat case is there.

Aaron Lockwood

Cool place but a bit expensive

Violet Blake

It was a great place for the family

Kathleen Turk

Short handed on staff. So noone to help us. But the staff that were there were very pleasant. And helped as much as they could.

Shannon Jones

Enjoyed how the museum was later our chronologically.

SvarnaGaurang Das

People working there are really helpful. Nice ambience

Elizabeth Gebert

Great place to visit ! Everyone was so helpful.

Stu Myers

While the wife and kid decided to go to Hershey Park, I decided to spend some time here at the national museum of the Civil War. It has a nice collection of artifacts. It does a good job of following the sequence of events from before the war all the way to the end including Lincoln's assassination. The collection of artifacts is pretty large and includes the only known surviving ambulance from the Civil War. If you are a civil war enthusiast it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Joseph Castrovillari

Interesting and informative. Well worth the price

Lynne Beaudry

We had plans to visit Gettysburg and came across information about the museum. It was very informative for our 13 year old son who has an interest in US history. The exhibits were a moving tribute to our history. Well worth the visit.

Laurie Mavoureen

This is definitely worth a visit. The visual depictions of the times are stark and moving. This is the reality of our history. Books are great, but this museum will make a lasting impact on how you view the Civil War. Reading the many posted handbills delivers authenticity and clarity to the urgent nature of war. The museum captures the treatment of slaves as property and the call to arms on both sides.

Dennis Pohle

We spent about 3 hours here, read maybe 1/2 of the plaques and watched most of the short films. There is a tremendous number of unique war artifacts. The short stories are well told and show how opinions changed over time. We didn't spend much time looking at weapons, that would add a lot of time if you are interested. Great details on various battles. Overall very balanced and well presented.

Clark Faus

Very interesting! Contains a wealth of Civil War history information and artifacts! Definitely not the best time in U.S.A. history- brother fighting brother- but it will leave u sympathizing with the slaves for th horror they had to endure.

Roberto Morales

It's like touring a capital site. Really impressed by the size of the Museum. Took lots of pictures. I am very glad I found this place on Google!!

Regina Martin

Did not feel welcome there. Very disappointed

William Lambert

Fantastic museum. Many interesting displays.

timothy wienand

If your in to the civil war , then you need to check this museum out . It has artifact from Gettysburg battle and other items from those who fought in it and story's of there adventures threw the war. Am a big civil war buff and I really enjoyed it as well.

Darrell Dearing

Learned a lot very educational plus it was very hot nice to be in the air condition!!

ID Cruiserman

Overall an enjoyable visit; however, be prepared for lots of reading. There are some video displays of characters discussing their thoughts as well as a Gettysburg reenactment and 75th anniversary with FDR. Many of the battlefield sites have few actual artifacts, so it was nice to see so many on display, including those from slavery.

Trenton Long

Just a great museum. Go to see the cannons fire if you can. Worth the trip

Ryan Dusharm

I like the chronological structure of it. Was a real pleasant walk while learning some of P.A's contributions to the war.

Marcus LaManna

The most complete Civil War Museum I've been to.

don madar

What a jewel in the Harrisburg community and surrounding area. Class act and beautifully laid our museum with facilities that allow for the dialogue of the Civil War era along with cuurent groups that gather routinely there. Congrats to a wonderful Community Day to all involved.

Neil Touchet

World class! Magnificent was my original review. I am editing that because of the Alonzo Cushing exhibit. There is no mention of the our nation's highest military award, The Medal of Honor, given by President Obama. I contacted Brett Kelley, the curator who gave me some huma huma about funding. I find this totally inexcusable. Of all exhibits in the entire museum, this one should have been updated on November 7, 2014 the day after President Obama awarded the MOH.

Jenielle Ryan

Lovely place

D. Duplichen

Great museum, i had no idea that it was there, and so glad I found it. The staff were super knowledgable and friendly. Worth the trip!