Chatham is the only house in American to be visited by both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In the 1700s it was a owned by William Fitzhugh, a wealthy planter and politician. Fitzhugh employed 100 slaves some of whom revolted in 1805, when an overseer tried to get them to go back to work after the Christmas holiday. Three men died in the incident. Chatham is best-known for its role in the Civil War when it served the Union army as both a headquarters and hospital. Clara Barton and Walt Whitman were both at the house during the war.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont - The richly furnished country house and working studio of American impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) can be seen as they appeared in the 1920s. Explore the colorful formal gardens and wooded hiking trails of the artist's 27-acre retreat. Enjoy special exhibitions of the art of Melchers and his contemporaries. We invite you to consider the Gari Melchers Home and Studio as the setting for your wedding, reception, bridal luncheon, evening event or business meeting. The stunning Studio Pavilion at Belmont, situated in an elegant woodland setting, is connected to the artist’s original studio building and opens onto the estate’s gardens.

This 18th-century building restored as the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop presents a vivid living history interpretation of Colonial medical practices. Visitors can hear about the popular treatment of the day for a lady's hysteria or a medicine so potent that it would, according to one wealthy plantation owner, "cheer a man with a bad wife." Adult admission, $5; age 6-18, $2. Group rates available. March 1-Oct. 31: Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm. November 1-February 28: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm; Sunday, noon-4pm. Closed January 1, Thanksgiving, December 24, 25, and 31. Please allow 45 minutes for your visit.

Kenmore, famous for its ornate plasterwork ceilings, is one of the most elegant colonial mansions in America, and lies in the heart of historic Fredericksburg. Built by Fielding Lewis for his wife Betty, the sister of George Washington, the house has recently undergone a major restoration. The gardens at Kenmore were the first restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia in 1924, beginning Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Landscape architects Charles Gillette and James Greenleaf designed the colonial revival plan. Today, visitors stroll the Wildernesss Walk, designed in 18th-century style with native plants, or rest on the open lawn imaging a bustling 1700's plantation yard. The boxwood-lined terrace, Virginia's largest yellowwood tree (dripping with white rain-like blooms in the Spring ), and perennnial flowerbeds offer an atmosphere to relax and escape into American history. There is no charge to enjoy the gardens. House Tours: Adults $8, students (6 to 17) $4, under six free. Group visits available by appointment, (540) 370-0732, Ext. 24 . Group rates available. (540) 373-3381 1201 Washington Ave Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Built by Charles Washington in 1760 as his home, this building was later operated as a tavern, the only "proper" tavern in the bustling port city of Fredericksburg. The "tavern wenches" and male indentured servants at the Rising Sun Tavern today entertain visitors as though they have just stepped off a stagecoach in a lively interpretation of 18th-century tavern life. Adult admission, $5; age 6-18, $2. Group rates available. March 1-Oct. 31: Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm. November 1-February 28: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm; Sunday, noon-4pm. Closed January 1, Thanksgiving, December 24, 25, and 31. Please allow 45 minutes for your visit.