Our family still gathers once a year but we don’t always get to go. This year things worked out for us and we were able to use it as an excuse to camp!! Rolling in on Friday gave us Saturday to explore, Sunday for the reunion and Monday for a drive home. What made things even better is the campground was only minutes from our destination and only an hour from a national park!!!!

SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

Just North of the Tennessee/Mississippi state line lies Shiloh National Military Park. Sitting on the banks of the Tennessee River made Shiloh a key location in the Civil War and the North knew that taking control of it would further secure victory. This realization was also readily apparent to the Confederacy making it the deadliest battle in the Civil War to date.

Today many of the major battle areas have been preserved by the National Park Service to ensure history is never forgotten. There is a detailed auto tour and many areas to hike inside the park. Memorials, monuments and cannons are spread throughout the park with many placed in the actual battle locations.

Our timing couldn’t have been better for arrival to the park. As we pulled into the visitor center parking lot we noticed a ranger standing under a tree by the national cemetery. As we got out of the car we heard an announcement telling visitors that a ranger led program was about to begin. We quickly made our way to the area and learned we would be attending a program titled “Why Shiloh.” This short program took us through portions of the cemetery as the ranger explained how the battle at Shiloh had not been accidental. She detailed several accounts of the battle along with pointing out the only two known Confederate graves in the cemetery.

After the program we made our way to the visitor center to collect the junior ranger supplies for the park. This is something the kids usually complete in every park to get badges for their collection.

Our “excuse to camp” turned out to be a wonderful weekend. Shiloh is rich in history, which I LOVE, and the Parkers Crossroads RV Park was nice. The new owners are definitely keeping the camp pristine and they will most definitely see us again!!

In addition to the actual reunion we were blessed with some quality time in camp with members of our family on two of our three nights! From there it was back home for a quick week celebrate K becoming a teenager 😭. Be sure to take a moment to check out our last adventure to America’s Newest National Park because we’re heading right back to highlight more of that state this week. You’re not going to miss it!! Also make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel because there’s some serious content hitting there that you’ll LOVE. Until next time……….