This is a very nice museum. It’s well organized, flows nicely and it is a gorgeous location. Walking around the outside is beautiful. The artifacts in the museum are surprisingly nice and very relevant. This museum is worth the trip.

For people who love history and reading its a four hour visit. There is so much information and details down to the stitching, literally.Bring a picnic for either before or after and walk the path find a spot and relax. You will enjoy a relaxing day of history.

We were with too young an audience, which was our mistake. What I enjoy about this museum is the factual way in which it presents the facts, while not directly stating a political agenda. It is an easily self guided tour, however I would wait until 2nd or 3rd grade for kids to fully understand and get the most out of the experience. This museum will provoke thoughtful questions and provide a stage for parents to nurture kids natural curiousness and self reflection. Please see the QR code below for the most current map and exhibit list.

Was so disappointed. Drove 1.5 hours to visit yesterday (11/01/20) and arrived at 3:30. We had checked the website and it had said they would be open until 5pm. Walked in and was informed that their hours had changed and they were closing at 4pm. They checked the website in front of us and it still said 5pm.

The layout is easy to follow. Nice to see a museum not scared of the entire story. They lay out evidence as it is available which points to an embarrassing period in American history, yet was the precursor for a time filled with so much hope. I have been several times and will probably return in the next year to fully examine exhibits I have only been able to peruse to this point. Take the family -- you will enjoy!

Visiting a museum is always a thrill. . For me, this place is like having a crash course in American History.Please note; wearing a mask is required and social distancing is observed. They have sanitizer all over the place as wellA good way and a safe place to get out of isolation .

Need to escape the world you live in? Get a hold of the real life that out there. This brings it home real quick. Great views.

Great museum, has alot of artifacts from the era. If youre the kind of person who appreciates seeing J.E.B. Stuarts sword, this museum is for you

Excellent service, good information, i recommended.

A nice museum that in todays competitive museum environment falls a little flat. The exhibits are OK, but feel a little older and are very poorly lit at times. Interactive items sometimes dont work and the grounds outside the museum are poorly cared for. Brick walks are overgrown with weeds and overall the place could clearly use renovations and more passion. If you are around the area you should check it out.

Really good place, lots of information and well laid out. Harrisburg on the other hand looked a little tierd. The museum was worth the drive and six hours is not enough.

This was a very detailed museum which we enjoyed visiting to kill time before we could check into our hotel. It did take us a bit to find the museum but I think that was more of a GPS issue. The views of the mountains were at first approach breathe taking. I wish I was able to spend a little bit longer checking out the museum. Beware of bees in the parking lot, my husband who is severely allergic was bitten when he was in the car feeding our daughter with the door and Windows open. Will still go back.

What a hidden gem of a museum! Kept three 12, 9, and 5-year-old boys busy for hours. They wanted to revisit each of the dioramas and interpretive scenes again. Impressive collection of artifacts and well-balanced portrayal of both Union and Confederate aspects.

This place, although hard to find, is an excellent source of our American history leading up to the war . Why , who and the results with amazing artifacts

Amazing museum! It is definitely a hidden gem in my opinion. It explained the complete history and more of the Civil War. There is an entrance fee but once you are in and see the quality of the site and information assembly and objects, its more than worth it. There is a gift shop with plenty of items and books for souvenirs.

We spent about 3 hours here, read maybe 1/2 of the plaques and watched most of the short films. There is a tremendous number of unique war artifacts. The short stories are well told and show how opinions changed over time. We didnt spend much time looking at weapons, that would add a lot of time if you are interested. Great details on various battles. Overall very balanced and well presented.

Very striking and thorough...educational. If you are a history buff or enjoy the Civil War period in our nations past this is a must stop.

Really learned a lot about history. The museum was very beautiful and well done. I was pleased about all the information and historical value that was available. So glad we took the time to go.

Great museum. The views are fantastic. I learned alot

Very well done. A lot of information that was organized nicely.

Very good museum that places the civil War in its proper historical and human context. The artifacts and displays are absolutely stunning. Highly recommended.

Its like touring a capital site. Really impressed by the size of the Museum. Took lots of pictures. I am very glad I found this place on Google!!

Interesting......worth the entrance fees.

Friendly staff, some great exhibits and great price.

My entire family enjoyed our visit to The National Civil War Museum. The layout is perfect. Walking through the exhibits flows beautifully, and the artifacts and stories are excellent. There are plenty of videos on screens to stop and check out. There are benches to sit on while you watch the videos, which was nice, because if you go through the entire museum, you’ll be here for a few hours.

Very informative and the life size exhibit were great. Friendly and laid back and the staff was awesome.

It was a perfect place, thanks to the people involved who clearly described the era.

Great museum - very well maintained and on the top of hill which has breath break view. 4 stars just because I am not a fun of war museum even very special ones.

Interesting museum, the perfect place to learn a lot about the civil war.

Beautiful museum! We spent only a few hours here, but you could easily spend the entire day looking at everything. It will take you back in time. The curators did a great job with the layout, some of it is a bit redundant, but all worth seeing. We went on a Monday when they first opened, it wasnt busy which made the experience more reflective, as youre not trying to hover or read around a crowd, also it was very very quiet and peaceful, which I imagine it would not be on a busy day or if they had a field trip of kids.

Very informative with lots of artifacts.

Fabulous. Awesome. Compelling. Intense. Not to be missed!

This is a very nice museum. There are so many interesting artifacts that I was very impressed to see. It is very nicely laid out and you could certainly spend a few hours here learning more about our Nations history.

Very interesting and a great deal of detail into more specifics that they do not have time to teach you in grade school.

Very impressive. Give yourself plenty of time. The exhibits are quite immersive.

This museum so far has been one of my favorites to visit!

Learned alot!

They got big guns, they got little guns, they have roughly medium sized guns that are not quite as big as the big guns. It is also important to note that the roughly medium sized guns are not quite as little as the little guns. If the little guns are a 2 and the big guns are a 18, the roughly medium sized guns would be a 9. If you like guns, you might lile this place, no promises.

Excellent museum. As good or better than the museum in Gettysburg. Great collection of rare revolvers and rifles.

Good Learning ExperienceI enjoyed my tour of the museum! It was very informative with actual Pre and Post Civil War artifacts! Being a Southern Black American, and seeing the real chains and clothing worn by slaves that could have been my ancestors was a very moving experience. I would have liked to see more exhibits about the contribution made my slaves to the winning of the war.

Smaller than we thought but incredibly well done!!

Great museum, i had no idea that it was there, and so glad I found it. The staff were super knowledgable and friendly. Worth the trip!

Clean very informative friendly liked it

Amazing! So much to see. It is inspiring to be there. It will move you to laugh and cry.

It was a good museum. The short video stories of people from different walks of life that progressed as you moved through the museum timeline were very well done.

Incredible experience! Smithsonian affiliated museum, multi-media infused intake. Was almost like living it. Learned so much!

This is a top notch museum. Not crowded on march 12. We walked through it in about 3 hours.

Comprehensive history of the Civil War. Well done exhibits and kind staff members. Would recommend a stop if youre in the area.

A little tricky to get to. Big, bright, clean. Lovely views from their property.

Not outstanding, but still good. A nice, brief timeline of the war. Displays were nicely spaced, lots of room for sitting and reflection. The kids in our group, 2 and 5, were not impressed though.

Came on their community day. Live cannon demos and more! Definitely a great museum. Clean, lifelike displays, and hands on displays too. Lots of artifacts. Be prepared to spend half a day there.

It was after hours late evening. Just went there to walk around and that was beautiful!

It was great a lot of history about the wars of this country

Good parking and staff. Wasnt crowded during my visit. Lots of artifacts particularly weapons and equipment. Seeing Grants wooden traveling chest was incredibly cool.

This is my favorite museum. They take great care to be impartial and show all sides of a difficult story. The location is beautiful, both the building and the surrounding area. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I make a point of visiting any time Im near Harrisburg.

Very interesting! Contains a wealth of Civil War history information and artifacts! Definitely not the best time in U.S.A. history- brother fighting brother- but it will leave u sympathizing with the slaves for th horror they had to endure.

Very well set up. Love the audio tour. A great stop on our way to Pittsburgh

Great museum with a great layout. Its self guiding, but very informative.

Nice facility. Same old narrative. Lee is a good.. Grant who.. please.. Was the narrative created by Lost Cause sympathizers? Shame on them for continuing this tradition. What a shame!

This is definitely worth a visit. The visual depictions of the times are stark and moving. This is the reality of our history. Books are great, but this museum will make a lasting impact on how you view the Civil War. Reading the many posted handbills delivers authenticity and clarity to the urgent nature of war. The museum captures the treatment of slaves as property and the call to arms on both sides.

Wonderful museum. Very impressive collection. You can either breeze through quickly or take your time. Definitely a must-see for all history bluffs and students. Deeply affecting stories.

Nice lay out and the view from outside is special.

Actually worked here for several years. I considered it a privilege to work at a museum of this caliber. The facilities are nice and the exhibits were mind blowing. My personal favorite is the armory. They offer event rental space as well, we saw a lot of weddings. The grounds are one of the better views of Harrisburg. I miss being here it was an awesome job.

Does a great job taking you through the timeline of one of the most difficult periods in our Nations history.

Very accurate and engaging. I found it very cool to see one of the only civil war ambulances.

A well balanced portrayal of the Civil War. Both sides are represented well. There are a large amount of artifacts and information available to review. My family and I enjoyed it very much.

That is an awesome family place its so educational wow it was so great to go there this country is trying to hide our history and this place is a gem

This museum has a lot of artifacts and information. It was a lot to read, that I can not emphasize enough. You can spend 2-4 hours here.The collection of guns was impressive and so was the detail of battles. Very good job putting a lot of that together. A lot about Robert E Lee but no confederate battle flag although it was a part of history, I assume because it offends people.They don’t allow you to take in water bottles. That is something they should change. One poor lady was having a coughing fit while we were trying to watch one of the videos, she probably needed some water. Dumb rule considering there is nothing that can be damaged with water.

Coming to the Civil War Museum was the first time that I have ever been there. We had an excellent time. Very educational

Nice place but the grounds need better upkeep

Very well put together. New state-of-the-art facility. Friendly staff.

Very well laid out tour, a must for school age children.

The visit to the museum was very educational. I truly enjoyed the variety of artifacts displayed throughout. The place I was clean and well maintained.

Its a good place. Beautiful view of the area around from the balcony. So much stuff to look at and read and watch. Enjoyed our visit and we will be back in the future.

A little smaller than the Gettysburg museum but I enjoyed the tour .

Nice place with many historical artifacts!!

Very interesting. The museum lays out a clear chronological progression of events preceding and throughout the civil war.

Really amazing location, the views are beautiful! It is a little rough getting through some not so terrific areas of Harrisburg to get there. Once you are in the campus of the Museum it was safe and clean in the morning and afternoon i was there.If you prefer objective, none opinionated presentation of the Civil War (rare right?) this is the museum is for you. Who ever curated this place took the time and care to not villainize one side or another and really strove to present material to share how yes this is the A B and C of the north, but the south thought X Y and Z about this same issue.I noticed a common trend of look at the log in your own eye, before looking at the spec in your neighbor at times.Yes slavery is morally wrong, Yes the south officially was defeated meaning they are wholly part of the US of A once more, and yes we live in one of the greatest countries God has ever put in power on this beautiful earth.p.s. I am a native of New York State 20 years with ancestors on both sides of the family tree that fought for the Grand Army of the Republic.

The N.C.W. is an unknown treasure right here in Harrisburg. A treasure trove of artifacts, and history. Hey! This was the American Civil War people. Where Brother fought brother. Hundreds of deaths in an effort to free America from slavery. Bring your family the for afternoon of higher learning. You wont regret it.

Great depiction of the War between the States

A beautiful location on top of the hill. The building fits it well, the low levels of patronage keeps you from being hurried through the exhibits. The strength of the exhibits are the produced audio and visual presentations. Several very detailed dioramas help tremendously.

The National Civil War Museum is well worth the visit to see the views from the hill upon which it sits. The museum takes you on a linear, sometimes interactive tour of the events leading up to and after the war, combining video, interactive exhibits, and lots of artifacts to look at. Its easy to do in a couple of hours and would be great for elementary school kids on up...and is a worthy addition to the roster of Americas national museums.

I love this museum, beautiful and great exhibits. Awesome gift shop and very friendly and knowledge staff.

An excellent museum that tells the story of the Civil War through very interesting displays. Take the time to watch the many videos that follow the lives of some northern and southern people showing the impact of the war on their lives.

We had plans to visit Gettysburg and came across information about the museum. It was very informative for our 13 year old son who has an interest in US history. The exhibits were a moving tribute to our history. Well worth the visit.

Great place!

Very educational.

They say two hours... took us over four. Loved it.

Well produced, vernacular museum covering the entirety of the civil war. Wish there was more coverage of motivation from both sides of the war.

Great experience, and the gallery tour is free. The museum is on several acres of maintained grounds and the brick walkway itself is a memorial overlooking Harrisburg. Highly recommended.

This museum is a must see for anyone wanting to learn about the Civil War. They cover everything for both the military and the civilian sides. If you are a history buff you will love this place.

On the first floor, around the back, near the bathrooms is a crate that a black man mailed himself to freedom. Makes you think about what someone will do for freedom.

It was informative have a great collection, but I would not go out of my way again. The organization and labeling of items is very unappealing. I also thought they left out various informative events.

Beautiful museum and surrounding grounds. We spent about 90 min here but you could easily spend more time here. Some videos were a little loud and made it difficult to read some of the nearby signs, but otherwise it was a lovely place.

Is so much information we love it

This is a well designed and beautifully built facility that pays close attention to the intricate details of this pivotal time in our nations history.

If you want to get a good overall understanding of the Civil War then this is the place to go. The museum starts with what started the war and then covers the major battles. There is one floor completely dedicated to Gettysburg plus they have rooms that have rotating exhibits so you get to see something new if you visit regularly.

A very nice museum with plenty of interesting artifacts and Civil War history from both Union and Confederate perspectives. I thought the slavery exhibition set the stage for the rest of the tour very well. A great learning experience!

Nice place to visit

Come early so you can slowly go through the whole museum. Very interesting and informative.