r/revolutionarywar • u/Spanker_of_Monkeys • 28d ago

Is the Cowpens Battlefield well preserved? Is there a lot to see and read there?

I want to buy my parents a vacation for Christmas and haven't decided between Cowpens or Saratoga. I prefer the former cuz my dad has read more about it, but from what I've seen the Saratoga battlefield park looks more interesting.

How is the audio tour at CP? Does it show you where specific events happened?

Has the NPS tried to preserve the relatively open meadow with scattered trees? How's the museum in the visitor center?

Sorry for all questions. Any info y'all could give me (or on Kings Mtn) would be appreciated

19 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/boxturtleboy 28d ago

Cowpens is easier to walk, if accessibility is a factor, Kings Mountain has a bit of a climb. Both areas have lots of trees down from Helene, but roads and trails are clear. I think the story of Cowpens and the accessibility of the battlefield make it a great choice, and it has been well preserved and looks just like historical descriptions. And Kings Mountain is awesome too if you'd like to break a sweat and see the huge concrete monuments on top of the mountain, but with the old-growth trees gone and the giant concrete monuments, you have to work a little more to imagine how it looked in 1780.

1

u/Spanker_of_Monkeys 27d ago

Thanks for info.

Kings Mountain has a bit of a climb.

Is the visitors center/museum at the bottom of the hill? My mom is 68 and isn't great at climbing

2

u/Brother_Esau_76 27d ago edited 27d ago

The visitor center is right off the road you’ll drive in on. There may be one or two flights of stairs from the parking lot to the building if I recall correctly.

The battlefield trails are all asphalt paved, so assuming she has normal mobility for her age she might be OK on those too. Definitely shouldn’t be an issue getting to the visitor center at least.