Vicksburg National Battlefield — Attraction in Vicksburg

First of all, before coming here you need to do some research first. I've read several reviews where individuals had written or posted comments describing how the park has removed or shut down the only portion of Confederate avenue to the general public. Neither is the case. The only portion of Confederate Avenue that is currently closed is the part from Fort Hill to Graveyard Road. This road is currently closed due to soil erosion which has affected that part of the road. I believe it's currently under construction to have it reopened. But don't be fooled. This is not the only part of Confederate Avenue. While entering the park you begin your tour on Union Avenue which stretches a good distance. If you stay on Union avenue you will eventually end up at the Cairo museum and the national cemetery. The only problem is that you can not re-enter the park due to construction on Confederate Avenue past Ft Hill. In the past, this is where you would continue the tour to see the Confederate view or portion of the battlefield. If you go back to where you entered the park, Union Avenue, you have options to cross over to Confederate Avenue which is open and remains open for your tour. If you want to see Confederate Avenue in the beginning you will have to cross over by using Pemberton Avenue or Graveyard Road. There are just as many Confederate statues and memorials to see as there are Union. Why some individuals believe or think that Confederate Avenue is closed is beyond me. Stop at the visitor center and pick up a map. Orientate yourself accordingly. Go to the NPS website for information. Ask questions if you don't understand. Since there is a small section of Confederate avenue that is closed, approximately a mile or so, you still have 15 miles of tour road to drive on. Since Confederate Avenue is closed from Ft Hill to Graveyard Road it is somewhat inconvenient to see everything. In some cases, if you desire to do so, you will have to circle back around to the front entrance and retrace you route back to where you crossed over to Confederate avenue to continue the tour and see the rest of the park. But to say that there is nothing Confederate to see is solely based upon someone's inability to read a map or ask questions prior to starting their tour. There's still plenty to see outside the park. Confederate Avenue practically stretches through town which leads you to the river batteries. Some areas are closed due to soil erosion, but there is still a lot to see. If you plan to see the park, do some research and ask questions. You could easily spend a whole day. There are walking paths through the woods where some locations are unknown to most. There is no getting lost. Remember, if you follow the map you will either end your tour at the visitor center or the...

Very disappointed in the battlefield side of this park as its overgrown and not well maintained. It became very clear when we traveled to the other side of the park to see the USS Cairo and Ironclad Gunboat where the money is being spent.

The battlefield side of the park is a drive through section of the park and the USS Cairo side is the walking section of the park. It takes a couple of hours to drive through the battlefield and see the the USS Cairo and the adjoining museum. Its pretty awe inspiring to see the USS Cairo up close and personal. There are a couple of picturesque stops in the park which give you a view of the river which separates Louisiana from Mississippi. These are located towards the end when you switch sides of the park.

Be forewarned that Vicksburg is not a great place to stay and visit. Highly suggest staying in Jackson and driving in to town to see the park and going back to Jackson. The park is on the border with Louisiana, so there maybe more suitable towns across the water. Also, suggest bring snacks, drinks, etc, with you when you visit the park as food stops are sparse...

It was much larger than I expected. Lots of archonic symbolism & numerology all over the park if you know what to look for. Kinda tells you who were really behind that war or any war for that matter. The final aim of that war was a lot more sinister than most people come to believe. It wasn't so much a war between the slave owners and those who wanted to abolish it. In fact most of the young men who fought and died for the confederate side never owned any slaves. The rich and large slave owners were exempted from taking part in that war. That left the poor non slave owning young men to go to war against the young & poor of the Union states. In the north if you could pay a large sum or hire a substitute then you didn't have to go to war. Yet again that left overwhelmingly the poor and the immigrants classes to fight for the...