Colonial National Historic Park – Yorktown Battlefield – Visitor Information
Colonial NHP – Yorktown Battlefield
The following information is from VisitYorktown.org local museums and attractions page –
Begin your visit at the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center, where an orientation film, museum exhibits, and bookstore are available. Explore the fields, earthworks, and historic buildings where American independence was won. Driving tours of the battlefield include siege lines and encampment areas. Ranger-led tours of the battlefield and historic town leave from the visitor center daily, and Junior Ranger Programs are available for younger visitors. Administered by the National Park Service as part of Colonial National Historical Park. There is an admission fee to enter the Yorktown Battlefield.
Other points of interest are included with a National Park Service Admission ticket. Please note these sites are open seasonally as volunteers are available.
- Cornwallis’ Cave – While legend places Cornwallis’ headquarters here, he was actually located in a bunker near Tobacco Road.
- Moore House – Site of negotiations that led to the British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781
- Nelson House – Restored mansion of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Virginia, and commander of the Virginia Militia during the Siege of Yorktown.
- Poor Potter Archaeological Site – Described as a “poor potter” by Royal Governor William Gooch in 1732, William Rogers actually operated a large-scale pottery in Yorktown from 1720 to 1745 in violation of English trade laws.
- Yorktown Victory Monument – Commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1781 to commemorate the great victory at Yorktown, this monument was constructed between 1881 and 1884.
Business Hours:
Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 757.898.2410
Many of the museum exhibits are also available, while COVID-19 modified operations restrict access to some tight spaces in the exhibit area.
The park grounds and tour roads are open seven days a week and close each day at sunset.
The Moore House, Nelson House, and Poor Potter structures remain closed; however, the grounds of each structure remain open for visitation.
The Visitor Center Gift Shop is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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