4478. Go to Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro

 Someone posted in one of my Facebook groups that they stopped at Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee on their way to Florida. I realized it wasn't that much of a detour and actually helped us by-pass Nashville. We really didn't want to get stuck in Nashville traffic on a Friday afternoon. The only problem was going to be timing. I wasn't sure if we'd get there before it closed. On paper it looked good possible, especially after we changed our travel plans due to weather, but you never know.

Stones River National Battlefield is a Civil War Battlefield located about half hour southeast of Nashville. The Visitor Center is open 9-5 and the Park Tour Road is open 8-5. 

As we were driving to the Visitor Center, I noticed the road was part of the Trail of Tears which means the Trail of Tears goes almost through the battlefield. I did get my Trail of Tears stamp.  Even though we didn't spend much time on that road, it was a still a piece of history I was able to briefly visit. One day I hope to explore more. 

After checking out the visitor center, we were short on time. So we drove over to the cemetery which I really wanted to see. A tree from the windstorm earlier in the day fell over but didn't do any damage.

We then drove over to stop 2 on the Park Tour Road to see the Slaughter Pen which was the big battle. There is a nice trail (short) trail through the slaughter pen but due to time constraints I briefly checked it out and snapped a few pictures.

We did not get the full experience of the battle field and that's okay. Maybe another trip. We made use of the time we had. The hubby got a stretch break and I got another passport stamp. It was a much better experience than I expected as I am not one to seek out battlefields. I did manage to do the things I wanted: See the cemetery, the Slaughter Pen, and a cannon. It was a good stop.

If you are in the area check it out. It's not that far off the beaten path and you can explore as little or as much as you want. Even the displays in the Visitor Center are very informative.