“You can’t describe a battlefield unless you walk it.” – Ed Bearss

“We recently asked Tom Spivey to put together a custom Civil War tour for us. We had one day available, and we wanted to see tourist highlights of the war in the Richmond area. Tom put together an excellent itinerary (he sent us a copy in advance), and he did a superb job of covering the important Civil War locations in Richmond. Here’s where he is different (and better) than other professional guides: he showed us some places that are off the mainstream tours — interesting highlights that shed new light on our understanding of the Civil War. For example, he took us on a walk along a sidewalk on Main Street; there he pointed out an obscure plaque embedded in the sidewalk that marked the location of an important event in the war. In all of my prior Civil War tours, no one had shown this piece of history to us. Tom’s mind is the “wikipedia of Civil War facts,” in our opinion. He gives you the facts, and he adds local “color” since he was born and raised in Richmond, and he went to Virginia Military Institute, a college which has close ties to Civil War history. As a personal guide, Tom won’t be herding you off and on a tour bus with 30 other people. He will guide you at your pace. If you need to stop for a cooling drink or snack, he knows the best local watering holes. We’d recommend Tom to anyone who wants a Civil War tour that will be unforgettable — far better than any of the commercial tours.”
- Ken Gassman

“I had perhaps the best tour of a city ever with Tom Spivey, who showed me places of civil war action in Richmond, which were interesting and totally new to me. Tom really knows his history and his love of it is infectious. Our 4 hours together seemed minutes as we traveled in his car throughout the city and environs to see important places in the city’s civil war history. Tom was also very flexible with his itinerary, adding locations that I mentioned as we drove. I’m sure that he could create a personalized tour to meet anyone’s tastes. I highly recommend a half day or more with Tom.”
- Lee Willis