Stones River National Battlefield: plan your visit
Free to visit, about two hours to see well, and 35 minutes from Nashville. Here's what's there, what's open today, and how to see it right.
Dec 31, 1862 to Jan 2, 1863. About 81,000 soldiers. The Union army held on outside Murfreesboro and kept Middle Tennessee.
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- About 2 hours
- Drive it?
- Yes, self-guided tour road
- From Nashville
- About 35 minutes
Why go
Over three winter days, from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863, about 81,000 Union and Confederate soldiers fought along the Stones River just outside Murfreesboro. The Union army held its ground. Keeping Middle Tennessee gave the North a base for the push toward Chattanooga and, later, Atlanta.
It's a compact park. The places that matter are close together, so you can understand the whole fight in a couple of hours. And the Hazen Brigade Monument here is the oldest Civil War monument still standing where it was first put up, built by the soldiers themselves in 1863.
Alerts and closures
Last checked Oct 30, 2026Plan your visit
| Cost | Free. No entrance pass required. |
|---|---|
| Hours, March–October | Visitor center 9:00–5:00 · tour road 8:00–5:00 · grounds sunrise to sunset |
| Hours, November–February | Visitor center closes at 4:00 · tour road closes at 4:30 |
| Can you drive it? | Yes. There's a self-guided driving tour on the park road. |
| Start here | Visitor center, 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 · 615-893-9501 |
| Strollers and wheelchairs | A lot of the paths here are paved. |
| Summer | Hot and humid. The park itself warns about it. Bring water. |
What to see
Visitor center and museum
Get the lay of the land first. The museum makes the driving tour make sense.
The Slaughter Pen
Photo: Gary Todd (CC0)Rocky cedar woods where Union troops held on during the first morning. The ground looks a lot like it did.
Hazen Brigade Monument
Photo: National Park Service (public domain)Built by the brigade's own soldiers between June and October 1863, on the ground they held.
McFadden's Ford
Photo: Gary Todd (CC0)On January 2, massed Union artillery broke the last big Confederate attack near the river. Good place to end.
Stones River National Cemetery
Photo: Hal Jespersen (public domain)Quiet and shaded, right by the battlefield. Thousands of Union soldiers are buried here.
Fortress Rosecrans
The huge earthen fort the Union army built in Murfreesboro after the battle. Separate stop, a short drive away.
Bringing the grandkids?
- Stop at the front desk first and ask what they have for kids.
- Start at the Slaughter Pen. Kids like walking through the big limestone rocks, and the story is simple: Union soldiers took cover here and wouldn't give up the ground.
- Keep it to two or three stops, then let them burn energy on the greenway trail.
Nearby
More battlefields within a short drive
Where to stay
Murfreesboro has plenty of hotels within 10–15 minutes of the battlefield, and Nashville is close enough for a day trip.
Read before you go
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Questions people ask
Is Stones River worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you're anywhere near Nashville. It's free, it takes about two hours, and the key spots are close together, so it's one of the easier battlefields to understand on the ground.
How long do you need at Stones River?
The park suggests about two hours for the museum and the self-guided tour. One hour covers the highlights. Add Fortress Rosecrans and the greenway for a half day.
Can you drive through Stones River battlefield?
Yes. The tour road is open to cars from 8:00 to 5:00, and until 4:30 from November through February.
Does Stones River cost money?
No. There's no entrance fee and no pass needed.
- National Park Service. "Current Conditions." Stones River National Battlefield. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
- National Park Service. "Fees & Passes." Stones River National Battlefield. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/fees.htm.
- National Park Service. "Plan Your Visit." Stones River National Battlefield. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/index.htm.
- National Park Service. "Hazen Brigade Monument." Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/places/hazen-brigade-monument.htm.
- Cozzens, Peter. No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990.
- Daniel, Larry J. Battle of Stones River: The Forgotten Conflict between the Confederate Army of Tennessee and the Union Army of the Cumberland. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2012.