Stafford’s History Itinerary

The following is a guide to how you could spend two days taking in the rich history in Stafford, Virginia.

• Begin your day by visiting George Washington’s childhood home at Ferry Farm, where he lived and grew up from ages 6 – 22. George Washington was 6 years old in 1738 when his family moved to a farm in Stafford County, Virginia. The Washington’s called this place the Home Farm but it later became known as Ferry Farm because people crossed the Rappahannock River on a ferry from the farm to the town of Fredericksburg.

• Stop in for lunch at Amy’s Café in the historic port of Falmouth.  Enjoy the ambiance in this historic tavern building, dating to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Exposed brick interior walls and wood timbers line the room. Also, take a look at our list of local restaurants to your taste buds.

• Discover Chatham Manor, a Georgian mansion used during the Civil War as it played a vital role as a Union headquarters, hospital, and soup kitchen.

• Visit the Stafford Civil War Park, where more than 135,000 soldiers occupied Stafford County while their new commander, General Joseph Hooker rebuilt his army. This critical time has been referred to in soldier’s letters as “The Union Army’s Valley Forge.”

• Stop by one of our local breweries or wineries for food truck nights, bingo night, trivia night, or local music and live bands.

• Stay in one of our 29 hotels throughout the county.

• Honor the brave men and women who have given their lives for their country through military service by visiting the Stafford Armed Services Memorial. For more than 200 years, residents of Stafford County have served honorably in our nation’s armed forces to preserve freedom and democracy. From the Revolutionary War to the present conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the world, many of these men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. We recognize and remember their sacrifice.

• Experience the charm of this small diner in the center of Stafford, Mason Dixon Café, or take a look at a list of our local restaurants.

• Spend the late afternoon visiting the Rowser Building, marked as the only place where Black students could receive an education beyond the 7th grade in Stafford County. This building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and, as a Virginia Landmark. Discover other rich African American History by learning more about the Trail to Freedom.

• Walk around Government Island, the quarry where the U.S. Government’s most famous buildings were born. Government Island, a historic 18th and 19th-century quarry site provided Aquia sandstone for the construction of the U.S. Capitol and the White House and other historic buildings in Washington, D.C.

• See a show from the wonderfully talented actors and actresses of Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. Enjoy a Broadway-quality production and a three-course meal at this renowned dinner theater. This theater is part of the Fredericksburg area’s thriving cultural arts community, and just off of Interstate-95.