Civil War Adventures

I'll admit it.  I'm trying to be Auntie Mame to my 15 year old nephew.  Of course, he has visited me before, but always with his parents and his sister.  But in a couple of months, he will visit me by himself.  That means that I have a few weeks to become immersed in the Civil War, identify some battlefields, and come up with a week of activities that will knock his socks off.  It's not going to be easy.

We will visit Harper's Ferry, WV for sure and besides being the location of some major historical stuff (I'm still working out what all of that "stuff" is), it is also a place for outdoor "recreation" like ziplining, white water rafting, and something called an aerial adventure tour.  This last one sounds like the most dangerous of all.  From what I can tell, you pay $79 per person to scare yourself silly by climbing rock walls, ziplining above the trees and walking across VERY small bridges and by that I mean VERY SMALL [SEE PHOTO].  As one who has trouble keeping the tree pose in my yoga class, I am not so sure that I'll garner his favor by screaming and falling into the gorge below.  The website assures me that this tour "is suitable for most guests ages seven and up of average physical ability who do not have an extreme fear of heights and weigh less than 265 pounds."  I'm not so sure.

The Harper's Ferry Ghost Tour sounds a bit more for me.  Or, maybe he will think it is cool if we bike along the C&O Canal.

Next we will visit Antietam Battleground, the site of the famous battle between the armies of General Robert E Lee and General George "Little Mac" McClellan.  The battle actually ended in a draw, but was a pivotal moment in the war and in Lincoln's ability to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.   Now don't get the idea that I'm just learning about this to impress Andrew.  I've become interested in the Civil War since my friend The Judge took me on a tour following the path of John Wilkes Booth after he shot Lincoln.  This led me to read the book Rise To Greatness Lincoln and the Civil War in 1862.  And this then led me to the idea of a Civil War-themed trip. 

Next will be Gettysburg.  The Judge told me we could take a horseback tour of the battlefield, but unfortunately for Andrew (fortunately for me) they are not offered on the day we will be there.

Anyway, if any of you have ideas for me, please send them in the comments.  I'll update this story as the trip unfolds in October.