The Colonies RV Travel Park & Country Store

• Reservations can be made in-person, by phone, or on-line and it is recommended well in advance. No advance reservation is required for tent-only sites. For reservations or more information: 757-722-2200.

Algernourne Oak

The impressive live oak tree on Fort Monroe’s parade ground is about 500 years old. It sprouted when Kecoughtan people foraged and fished at Old Point Comfort. The Algernourne Oak became part of Fort Monroe National Monument in 2011. This storied resident of Fort Monroe still watches as American history unfolds.

• Large live oak tree rising in three large trunks from a central base growing to a height of 58 feet and reaching a breadth of 88 feet. The growth of this individual tree is open and clear at the base with an impressive mass and full evergreen canopy.

Building #1, Quarters No.1

The US Army built Quarters 1 in 1819. Quarters No.1 housed the ranking officer or post commander of Fort Monroe. It also served as the fort headquarters. In 1861, US Major General Benjamin Butler made his controversial "Contraband Decision" at Quarters No.1. Other occupants were the Marquis de Lafayette, George B. McClellan, Abraham Lincoln, and King David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Māhinulani Nālaʻiaʻehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua of Hawaii.

• Built in 1819, this “large three-story, white painted brick, central block, double pile residence with flanking, two-story winged residence,” predates the fort itself. Prevalent of Quarters No. 1 is the federal-style architecture – symmetrical sides and exterior columns – but within the structure, the home is presented with southern grandeur. The entrance hall is 10-foot by 20-foot with a grand spiral staircase that leads up to the second floor. Painted on the entrance ceiling is a blue oval pinned with 27 gold stars. Off either ends of the main entrance are two symmetrical multi-purposed rooms.

Building #17

The US Army built Quarters 17 in 1823 to house bachelor officers. One well known resident was Lt. Robert E. Lee who lived there with his wife from 1831 to 1834. Lee oversaw construction work on the fort.

• Four-story pale variegated-color brick building with full width white painted porches on the second and third floors. The roof is modern roof shingles with copper down spouts. The main entrances are on either side of the building accessed by a straight staircase leading to the second floor.

Casemate Museum

The brick and stone walls of Fort Monroe house the Casemate Museum. Exhibits chronicle the 400-year history of seacoast fortifications at Old Point Comfort.

• Housed within the brick and stone walls of Fort Monroe, it is lined with a series of doors and flanking windows trimmed in white separated by copper gutters.

Chapel of the Centurion

The Chapel of the Centurion is the only religious structure within the walls of Fort Monroe. It stands on the edge of the Parade Ground facing northeast. Construction finished in 1857. The chapel was consecrated the following year. It is one of the oldest wooden churches built on an army post. The chapel remains in use for civilian religious services today.

First Africans in Virginia Marker

The Commonwealth of Virginia placed a historical highway marker in 1994. It stands on the seawall at Old Point Comfort. The marker represents and commemorates where the first enslaved Africans came to Virginia.

• A historical marker stands along the seawall of Old Point Comfort. It represents and commemorates the landing place of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia.

Fort Monroe Main Gate

The Main Gate is one of the most prominent and identifiable features of the fort. It is along the western wall known as the Seventh Front. Built in 1823, the Main Gate had four casemates, a sally port, stockade, and within the gate a guard house.

Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center

Start your visit and get oriented at Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center. Exhibits and videos tell of people and events that shaped fort's historic landscape. The Visitor & Education Center is in the former Coast Artillery Library, built in 1909.

• Beaux Arts architectural style building with a classical façade featuring medium brown Flemish bond brick walls on a half-basement limestone foundation, trim, and accents and a central stairway with lamp posts flanking the front doors. Inside you’ll find skilled craftsmanship in moldings and ironwork, terrazzo flooring, marble stairs, two-story skylight, and a colonnaded hall.

Fort Monroe Water Battery

The Army designed Fort Monroe to concentrate fire on the shipping channel. The Water Battery was a long block of single-story casemates outside the main part of the fort. The 40 cannons of Water Battery along with those atop the main fort enhanced its fire power.

Lincoln Gun

Cast in 1860, this cannon is the first 15-inch Rodman gun produced. It was named for President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The gun was last fired in 1864. The US Army moved it to the Parade Ground in the late 1800s.

Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

Aids to navigation at Old Point Comfort may date back to the 1500s. The 54-foot white octagonal structure was built in 1802. It is the oldest structure at Old Point Comfort. The US Coast Guard operates the lighthouse today. It is closed to the public. 

Pet Cemetery

Atop Fort Monroe’s stone walls is a pet cemetery. Fort residents buried dogs, cats, and other animals on the earthen parapet.

• Encircling the top of the fort walls is a Pet Cemetery that has a variety of headstones and markers denoting grave locations. These stones may be concrete, granite, marble, or homemade. They often resemble low knee-high or flush foot markers in a traditional cemetery. The number of graves vary in density as one walks around.

Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center

• Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center
• Start your visit at Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center. Get oriented, see exhibits, and pick up visitor guides. Find national park passport cancellation stamps. Kids can ask for Junior Ranger Activity Books, and dog owners for BARK Ranger programs. Get your ticket there for the Casemate Museum. The building has public restrooms and a water filling station. Admission is free. Park in the rear.

• Commemorate the First African Landing
• Come together at Fort Monroe each August to commemorate the landing of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia. Their historic arrival still has a profound impact on the United States and its people.

• Discover Fort Monroe's African American Heritage
• Immerse yourself in over four hundred years of African American history. That story begins in 1619 with the arrival of the first enslaved Africans at Old Point Comfort. It continued through the age of slavery and abolition, and into the 2000s.

• Join a Guided Tour of Fort Monroe
• National Park Service and the Fort Monroe Authority offer guided walking tours year-round. Tours may answer questions about different aspects of Fort Monroe's history. What peoples came to this area and what were their legacies? Who built the fort, why, and how?

• Be a Fort Monroe Junior Ranger
• The Junior Ranger program helps kids explore, learn about, and protect Fort Monroe National Monument. Anyone can become a Junior Ranger by completing activities during a visit to the park.

• Start at the Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center
• Start at the Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center Pick up a park brochure, ticket for the Casemate Museum, and a self-guiding walking tour. Stamp your Passport to Your National Parks. Kids can get their Junior Ranger activity book. Plan your visit with the information desk staff. See exhibits to learn about the fortification and history of the monument. View the 15-minute film that highlights over 400 years of history. 

• See Exhibits at the Casemate Museum
• Exhibits at the Casemate Museum chronicle the military history of Fort Monroe. Get your free museum ticket Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center. The Casemate Museum is within the stone fort. Information desk staff will give direction when you get your ticket. 

• Take a Self-Guiding Walking Tour
• Start by getting a self-guiding walking tour brochure outside the Visitor & Education Center at 30 Ingalls Road, Fort Monroe, Virginia.