A Daytrip to Shiloh National Military Park
Parents, church groups, teachers, and scouting clubs are always looking for new activities and organized group outings that are either daytrips or overnight adventures. One idea for those located in the northeastern part of the state is a visit to the Shiloh National Military Park. Part of the U.S. National Park Service, it’s just over the state line from Alcorn and Tishomingo counties, in Shiloh, Tennessee. The drive isn’t far, adventure is possible, and history abounds.
The park contains the 5,000-acre Shiloh Battlefield, the United States National Cemetery, the Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark, and more. Depending upon time of year, there are various ranger-led tours; programs; demonstrations; films; museums/interpretive centers; in-depth hiking tours and living history events; and for those who prefer to enjoy it all in air-conditioned comfort, a self-guided auto tour.
While there’s no camping in the park itself, there are several local campgrounds in the Shiloh area that attract campers who are coming to town to see the park.
This past fall, Timothy L. Arnold – Park Guide and Volunteer Program Manager for Shiloh National Military Park – told Parents & Kids all the reasons groups from Northeast Mississippi should consider a visit both to his park and to the site in Corinth.
“Shiloh offers a Jr. Ranger book at both the Shiloh Battlefield and the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center,” he explained, of a feature that adds fun for kids. “If you complete both books earning a badge for each site, you then get a special Shiloh patch.”
A Shiloh visit is a special and common event for many Boy Scout troops, and Arnold explained one of the reasons why.
“A local Boy Scout troop out of Memphis, Tennessee created different Scout hikes that traverse the battlefield,” he said. “The hikers are required to use monuments and tablets to answer historical questions. These hikes have been around for several generations.”
Info for the hikes is available at Shilohmilitarytrails.org.
Although many families and groups will visit the park during summer vacation – and this busy time for the park also includes more program choices – Arnold said fall and winter are also nice times to take it all in. Now might be the right time to begin planning a fall adventure if preferred to a visit this summer.
“Fall and winter are great times to visit the park due to the changing colors of the trees, and the winter months allow for a greater visibility through the trees,” Arnold said. “Also during those months there is a lack of ticks, mosquitos and snakes.”
So there you have it…nature and history are a perfect combo for keeping kids busy and keeping all-ages educated during summer, but offers a different, and perhaps easier visit if done off-season. Whenever you decide to organize either a family trip or group event, it’s an option for immersing kids in important lessons in some of the struggles of U.S. history without having to drive too far.
Kara Bachman is an author, editor, and mother. Her father used to be a troop leader for Boy Scouts, and her brother was a scout through his entire childhood. Shiloh was one of the places they both visited time and again on her brother’s long journey to eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. They both had fond memories of those adventures.
