Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

It’s more than just the artifacts! Join us for a special tour of our Visitor Center museum where our Rangers or volunteers take you on a journey through the entirety of the Civil War (with heavy focus on the Western Theater and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain). We’ll discuss the causes, biggest battles, blunders and how the war still affects us today over 160 years later.

After the Civil War, the places that were once the sites of unimaginable carnage and violence began to take on a new significance. These former battlefields were gradually preserved as places to educate, inform, and honor the memory of those who fought. Join one of our rangers in a short talk on the importance of these sites in telling the story of the Civil War.

Almost a month after William T. Sherman's forces enter Savannah, the general would issue Special Field Orders No. 15. During the early years of the war, many southern planters evacuated the Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina coast in response to U.S Navy presence. Sherman's orders would redistribute captured southern land on the coastline to the enslaved people that were still present. This short ranger talk dives into the background of these orders as well as the reaction and realities post war. 

It’s more than just the artifacts! Join us for a special tour of our Visitor Center museum where our Rangers or volunteers take you on a journey through the entirety of the Civil War (with heavy focus on the Western Theater and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain). We’ll discuss the causes, biggest battles, blunders and how the war still affects us today over 160 years later.

"And from the earth there sprang a host of men..." On June 27, 1864, some of the heaviest and most desperate fighting of the American Civil War would take place on a spur in rural Georgia. This Ranger-led history hike will be moderately difficult, so be sure to bring plenty of water and comfortable shoes.

Come out and enjoy a ranger-led program on the beautiful red-tailed hawk, one of Kennesaw Mountain’s birds of prey. During the presentation, the ranger will help visitors become more familiar with this majestic animal by understanding their habitat, family dynamics, and how we can help protect them for future generations. *This program will be held at the Big Kennesaw Mountain overlook. Shuttle service will be available.  

This Ranger-led hike will take you rougly one mile up to the peak of Big Kennesaw Mountain. Along the way, you'll learn about the flora and fauna of the area and the history that shapes us from pre-history, through the Civil War, and into today. The hike is semi-strenuous, so bring plenty of water and comfortable shoes!

In recognition of Abraham Lincoln’s 217th Birthday, this program discusses Abraham Lincoln prior to his presidency and what shaped the 16th President of the United States of America. This program will be held at the Visitor Center patio. 

On June 27, 1864, nearly 9,000 Union soldiers made an historic charge into what they believed would be death or capture. Follow in the footsteps of these brave men as this ranger-guided tour explores the heaviest area of fighting during the battle.

*This hike begins at the parking lot for Activity Area 3 and ends at the Illinois Monument. 

Life for the infantry soldier (Union or Confederate) was anything but easy. Long marches, bad food, and worse living conditions made it tough going for these young men. Join us as we lay out the gear that made such intense campaigning possible.  You will see period-correct uniforms, weaponry and even get up close and personal with artifacts from the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain!