New Market combines battle history and historic buildings with golf and baseball. When planning your trip, it helps to make an initial choice based on your interests: Would you like to focus on the battle, the townscape or sports? Options range from exhibits and a walking trail across the battlefield to a golf resort and a baseball team.
Battle History: Exhibits and Reenactment
The Battle of New Market is reenacted annually in mid-May on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of the Civil War in New Market. The museum features exhibits about the role of the Virginia Military Institute cadets in the battle and about families affected by it. If the reenactment is the deciding factor for your trip, plan around mid-May and check the specific event date.
The New Market Battlefield Visitor Center & Museum covers a different span of history. Its collection ranges from the French and Indian War to the Vietnam War, with an extensive focus on the Civil War. The Center also provides information about tours of the battlefield and town. The collection's broad historical span thus differs from the Virginia Museum of the Civil War exhibits, which focus on the battle, the VMI cadets and the families affected. When choosing, it helps to know whether you want to explore multiple periods of war or focus specifically on the battle's history.
Historic Buildings and Public Streetscape
The New Market Historic District is one of the best-preserved examples of historic linear towns in western Virginia. Along the highway are brick, half-timbered and log buildings dating from the 19th century. These terms refer to different construction methods: brick buildings are masonry, half-timbered buildings are built around a wooden frame, and log buildings are made from logs laid one on top of another.
Many buildings and properties in the District are visible from public streets. At the same time, many properties are privately owned and not open to the public. Visibility and access are therefore two different things: a building you can see from a public street is not automatically open to visitors.
Battlefield and Memorial Park
The Commonwealth maintains about 160 acres of the battlefield as New Market Battlefield Historical Park. The park commemorates the cadets who fought and died there. A walking trail crosses the battlefield. Alongside the exhibits, this offers another way to experience the history: the trail takes you across the site, while the park serves as a memorial.
Food Truck Festival, Baseball and Golf
New Market Community Park hosts an annual food truck festival. If you plan to travel for it, check the specific event date in advance. Rebel Park is home to the Valley League baseball team, the New Market Rebels. The festival is a recurring event, while Rebel Park adds baseball as a separate interest.
Shenvalee Golf Resort in New Market has 27 PGA golf holes across three separate nine-hole courses. As a sporting attraction, golf is clearly distinct from the museums, the Historic District and the battlefield. The layout of the facility gives you a concrete basis for deciding whether golf or the historic attractions should be the focus of your trip.
Explore more destinations: Mount Jackson, Strasburg, Edinburg, Basye, Woodstock
Return to the main travel overview: Shenandoah Valley.
