The National Historical Park was created to protect several historically significant locations in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, notably the site of the American Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek and the Belle Grove Plantation.

Nearly all of the remaining land (approximately 1,500 acres) and buildings are preserved and administered by partner sites which predate the park.

Since summer 2010, the park has offered interpretive ranger programs at key partner sites, including Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation headquarters, Belle Grove Plantation, and Hupp's Hill Civil War Park.

[5] In 2012, the park acquired land on which sits a monument to the 8th Vermont Infantry and now offers access through semi-regular programs at the site.

The plantation house of Belle Grove (1797) is open to the public and operates independently as part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.