On a recent company conference trip to Prince William & Manassas, Va., I received an education in Civil War history. With the thick, heavy thunderclouds rolling in, our group tour of the battlefield grounds took a detour indoors for a thorough history lesson. Our guide was very knowledgeable on battle strategy and took us through each battle in the area with a large map for visual reference. The lesson was very eye-opening for me as someone who needs geographic visuals to see where battles took place and how and where generals chose to move all over Virginia. Once the storm passed overhead, we were able to head outdoors and explore the historic grounds. The land is very open, sprawling and unencumbered by statues, touristy information stations or memorials. They have kept the battlefield truly as a field with one statue, a historic farmhouse and grave plots. The park was so vast we could have explored for miles and still missed a large portion of it. It was very interesting to explore a part of Civil War history which, for me, is a topic I often do not seek out myself. — Angelique Platas, assistant sales and marketing coordinator