Historic Western and Atlantic Railroad Tunnel

Thomas was a fantastic tour guide! The experience was super informative and intriguing. Totally worth going to!

What a great experience! We stopped because of the «road sign» on the highway. Not knowing what to expect, we opted for a «self directed» tour of the museum and railroad tunnel. You can choose from either the guided tour or self guided tours. Once inside, we were warmly greeted by Thomas, the Director and he is without a doubt one of the best civil war «story tellers» I’ve ever met. He shared many local stories about the battles and the brave men behind them. The smaller scale museum has some interesting displays, including bullets with teeth marks in them, as in «biting the bullet!» Amongst the exhibits for «Key’s Battery» and «The Great Locomotive Chase» they have soldiers love letters and a green and black wedding dress on display. On the 87 acre property is the museum, battlefield, general store, hotel, covered bridge and the famous railroad tunnel.
Since it was the end of the day, Thomas invited us to go with him to «lock up» and see the property with him. We climbed on the golf cart and went along for the ride. We went through the tunnel and along the way Thomas explained how the «hand dug» tunnel was built in 22 months by two teams, digging through rock, because dynamite was not invented yet. The tunnel was built in 1848 and is really very cool. We then toured the hotel and found out it is haunted. Apparently, this was once a Mecca for ghost hunters. The general store is not open yet, but we were treated to a «behind the scenes» look. I really must recommend paying for the guided tour, especially if Thomas is the guide. He is knowledgable, engaging, and full of colorful local stories. Awesome experience!

This a great little historic gem! The tunnel itself has been nicely restored and the guided tour is excellent and involves very little walking (unless you prefer too) thanks to the golf carts. The staff is friendly and well informed and will assist you with any and all questions. The small museum is well done and cost for the tour/​museum is minimal and well worth the time!