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Historic Tours & Programs

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Historic Tours

Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House guided tours for all ages are provided on a walk-in basis by a knowledgeable docent at the oldest residence in Fairfax City (10386 Main St.). The house is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays from April through September, as well as during many city-sponsored events, such as the Fall Festival.

Old Town Fairfax Guided Walking Tours .  2025 Schedule to be announced in the Spring!

Self-guided tours of Old Town Fairfax are available with A Walk Through History, a free brochure available on the city website (click here) and from the Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main St.

Group Tours

Guided adult tours for groups of eight people or more at any city historic sites may be reserved for a $25 fee per group.

Guided youth tours for students and scouts are available; please make reservations at least one month in advance. Cost is $3 per child, chaperones free, no charge for schools located within the City of Fairfax. Programs are tailored for different age groups and educational needs, and incorporate hands-on activities. Space and staff scheduling limits apply.

  • Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center tour information: email, 703-385-8414
  • Historic Blenheim and the Civil War Interpretive Center tour information: email, 703-591-6728
  • Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House tour information: email, 703-385-8414

 

Freedom: A History of US — A Traveling Exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History

  • Date: -  
  • Location: Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim
    3610 Blenheim Blvd.
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
  • Introduction: This traveling exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History documents and illustrates critical figures and events while tracing the evolving concept of freedom in the United States from the country’s founding through 1968.

This traveling exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History documents and illustrates critical figures and events while tracing the evolving concept of freedom in the United States from the country’s founding through 1968. 

Among the highlights:

  • a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence
  • a printed draft and the official copy of the US Constitution
  • Lincoln’s handwritten notes for speeches
  • letters by leading figures such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Some of the more poignant descriptions of the meaning of freedom to the common person are found in the personal letters of Civil War soldiers, which speak to the pain and pride of fighting for national ideals.

Free. Please note: The Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim will be closed Nov. 24-25 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Return to full list >>

 

Educational Programs

 The Office of Historic Resources offers a wide variety of history-related programs.  Programs are free and in person unless otherwise noted.

'I have no doubt...He will Prove Himself an Able Commander,' George Armstrong Custer’s Path from Lieutenant to Brigadier General

Historic Blenheim
Nov. 23, 2 p.m.

Join author Robert O'Neill as he discusses his book George Armstrong Custer’s Path from Lieutenant to Brigadier General.  Through in-depth research, the author will focus on Custer’s soliciting support to become a general in the Fairfax Court House area. O'Neill most recently published Small but Important Riots: The Calvary Battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. He also runs the Civil War Cavalry blog, Small But Important Things. Free; books will be available for purchase.

Freedom: A History of US — A Traveling Exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History

  • Date: -  
  • Location: Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim
    3610 Blenheim Blvd.
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
  • Introduction: This traveling exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History documents and illustrates critical figures and events while tracing the evolving concept of freedom in the United States from the country’s founding through 1968.

This traveling exhibition from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History documents and illustrates critical figures and events while tracing the evolving concept of freedom in the United States from the country’s founding through 1968. 

Among the highlights:

  • a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence
  • a printed draft and the official copy of the US Constitution
  • Lincoln’s handwritten notes for speeches
  • letters by leading figures such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Some of the more poignant descriptions of the meaning of freedom to the common person are found in the personal letters of Civil War soldiers, which speak to the pain and pride of fighting for national ideals.

Free. Please note: The Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim will be closed Nov. 24-25 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Return to full list >>