Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site

I never miss if any historic place around me. Fort Ward and other historic places were in bucket list since landed at Washington DC. Come to Fort Word and dive into our great history.

Nice little place full of historical artifacts. It’s free and there were only few people inside. You are allowed to take pictures. The staff is friendly. There is a lot to learn if you are interested in history! Remember to also visit the historic site, if the weather is nice you can have a picnic in there, there are lots of tables and benches. Pets friendly.

This is historic site and also a park, the headquarters building is a small museum. There are artifacts and interesting stories about the forts located around the DC area. This is the best preserved civil war era fort in the DC area. They have rebuilt one of the bastian's to the original specifications and armed it with period replica cannons. Admission and parking are free.

Really nice outdoor exhibits, inside museum had too much to see in the time we alloted so have to go back. Very interesting place!

Ford Ward Park has a walking path, museum including small gift shop, picnic areas(covered tables can be reserved in advance), some grills and a small historic cemetery. In addition, has an Amphitheater which is part of Virginia State Parks.

Found this little park in the middle of the city, not knowing it had so much history. Took a wal around the fort and the canons were in amazing shape. Then I saw the history and how black slaves came here to fight for their freedom. It has a old cemetery , that they ask you to respect.

Nice little historic stop in the Alexandria area. Museum historian was very informative. Museum is well laid out. Nice quiet place to step back into history.

Cool grounds with some historical signs. The museum packs a lot of cool stuff in a small space.

In addition to the museum at Fort Ward there is also the park. And it is a nifty little park. There are rifle trenches and bombproofs and historical stuff like that going on. Then there are practical things too, like a 0.6 mile loop paved looped that goes around the park that sees a decent amount of foot traffic - walkers and runners getting some exercise in. They also have pavilions for picnics and an amphitheater. They often have free events at the amphitheater (like a Jazz show over Memorial Day). The park section also has a dog park. According to websites online, the dog park is the grassy area to the east side of the entrance. It is large and semi-fenced. But don't bother to look for signs that specifically designate the dog park area when you are there. I lived close by and was there almost every day and never found any signs that designated the dog park. Regardless, it is a good place to take your dog to play fetch and allow for a nice space to run. Of course you have to trust your dog off leash because it isn't totally fenced and it is right along Braddock Road. There are typically people coming in and out with dogs. Not normally many, but during nice weather, particularly on weekends, the whole outdoor park can get a bit busy with people. There is also free and easy parking access. I recommend the park at Fort Ward as a nice place for a stroll (with our without your dog), a picnic, some relaxing, & enjoying good weather.

I was not too keen at first to be taking a group of 50 odd 8th graders to see a fort. And neither were they. I was presently surprised! While there isn't much left of the fort walls themselves, they have a good stock of military instruments and displays that are interesting reminders of the struggles our country has faced. And the kids ended up pretending that they were back in the Civil War fighting! =P Its worth the trip out as a nice outing for kids.

I love walking and running here in the mornings. Very safe, always pleasant experience and bonus is the bathrooms are open and clean! The parking lot also feels very secure to leave a car here without fearing a break in.

Fort Ward was one of the many forts that protected D.C. during the Civil War. Accordingly, the on the grounds is a Civil War library as well as a museum that offers changing exhibits about the Civil War . The museum has a bunch of original Civil War stuff on display like uniforms and letters. Most of it is from Union soldiers.You can either take a tour with a guide or do the "Meet and Greet" option where you get an an overview from a staff member, then take a self-guided tour. This place is a popular place for school tours so you may want to go in the summer or while school is on break. There are Civil War re-enactments at the fort if you are into that kind of stuff.

Great place with good history of the DC area during the Civil War era. Nice touch with the park!

I visited Fort Ward museum on 11/29 when I was in Alexandria. The tour of the museum is free for everyone. In terms of an intended audience, the park is meant for everyone who enjoys the civil war. Surrounding the museum is a walking trail with a few history markers along the trail. The overall mission of the park is to inform the visitors about the history of the Civil War specifically the Union Army. Overall, it got a 5 stars rating mainly because it's free and has plenty of volunteers who will give you a nice historical overview of the Civil War.

I am a disabled veteran and my girlfriend is still in ,we pay taxes in Alexandria and yesterday was one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life. we wanted to share the rich history of our town of Alexandria with some pictures of our newborn in our uniforms that we had a friend help us with out of the kindness of her heart. all I did was give her gas money for coming to help but she was willing to help us share this moment for free .and yesterday we had a rude employee of the museum confront us and in a very rude and combative and comfort time way kick us out as if we had done something wrong . their were no visitors in the center and no one was bothered . we made no mess and were keeping things quiet. it was cold outside and he kicked my family and I Into the cold my son being so tiny it was sad as a father that after doing my part for this country and paying taxes that I have to have a rude employee be so nasty and rude. I hope the city of Alexandria does a better job training their employees . I'm so sad that Alexandria hires such rude nasty people. the entire time we were their he was giving my girlfriend me and our baby the nasty look. . this site is not veteran or family friendly