VICKSBURG, Miss. - As of May 1, Vicksburg National Military Park has increased access to the African American Monument, outdoor area of the USS Cairo and reopened restrooms at the Visitor Center and USS Cairo. Park rangers are available throughout the park to engage visitors and help them with their visit. Rangers will be bringing the visitor center outdoors and staffing information stations on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, depending on staffing levels and weather conditions.
Access to the African American Monument had been closed from the storm damage of early 2020. The park has reopened the section of Grant Avenue from Union Avenue to the African American Monument for all vehicles. Cars will be able to turn around at the Monument and follow Grant Avenue back to Union Avenue and then turn onto Graveyard Road to continue on the tour road. Buses and RVs will need to continue on Grant Avenue and exit out onto Sherman Avenue, where they will be able to turn around and re-enter the park to follow Grant Avenue back to Union Avenue and then turn onto Graveyard Road to continue on the tour road. North Union Avenue and Grant Circle remain closed to vehicles and pedestrians.
The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one priority. Face masks are required in all park buildings and outside on National Park Service-managed lands when physical distance cannot be maintained.
Visitors should follow CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and recreate responsibly. For the health and safety of others, please choose another time to visit if you are not feeling well.
The National Park Service (NPS) is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic to increase access on a park-by-park basis. With public health in mind, the Visitor Center and USS Cairo Museum remain closed at this time.
Plans to re-open the Visitor Center are tentatively set for later in May, in collaboration with our non-profit partners, America's National ParksTM and the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign. The park has hired five seasonal park rangers and three interns who will join the park in May. This staff will support a continued increase in visitor services for the public.
America's National ParksTM online store, a non-profit partner of the National Park Service, operates the Vicksburg National Military Park bookstore. Some books and item are currently available online. The NPS App, the official app for the National Park Service, is available for free download to your mobile devices through the App Store and Google Play. The NPS App offers tools to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
