Visiting Gettysburg
- Thread starter growr
- Start date
Lived in Harrisburg for close to 10 years.... Gettysburg is a great place.... getting even better as they are "restoring" areas to reflect the area as it was in 1863......clearing trees and planting peach trees and wheat.
Take your time.......... walk as much as you can..... they did!
There's no downside to watching the movie "Gettysburg" a week or so before you go....IMO it blends nicely/and gives depth to what you see on the battlefield.
My boys loved to talk with the re-enactors...just plain fun.
Devils Den.... has become a kids play area..... dawn is good/dusk is better....
Little Round top gets crowded...... there is a path to the top of Round Top.... last time we were there a flock of vultures still called it home (roosted there). Kinda scared the ............out of me......having 10-12 Turkey vultures....looking back at you!!!
I'd go early June vs. July 1-3......a bit cool and a whole lot less crowded.....
Don't forget to start in Cashtown......6-7 miles NW or Gettysburg on the Chambersburg Rd (US 30). .....it's the only way to come into town...LOL...will bring you into the 1st days battlefield like a barefoot Southern boy!!! Also the Hotel there serves a good meal IIRC
Also the short drive to the Calvary battlefield (july3rd) just east......3-4 miles or so out of town .....where Custer became famous!!
Take your time.......... walk as much as you can..... they did!
There's no downside to watching the movie "Gettysburg" a week or so before you go....IMO it blends nicely/and gives depth to what you see on the battlefield.
My boys loved to talk with the re-enactors...just plain fun.
Devils Den.... has become a kids play area..... dawn is good/dusk is better....
Little Round top gets crowded...... there is a path to the top of Round Top.... last time we were there a flock of vultures still called it home (roosted there). Kinda scared the ............out of me......having 10-12 Turkey vultures....looking back at you!!!
I'd go early June vs. July 1-3......a bit cool and a whole lot less crowded.....
Don't forget to start in Cashtown......6-7 miles NW or Gettysburg on the Chambersburg Rd (US 30). .....it's the only way to come into town...LOL...will bring you into the 1st days battlefield like a barefoot Southern boy!!! Also the Hotel there serves a good meal IIRC
Also the short drive to the Calvary battlefield (july3rd) just east......3-4 miles or so out of town .....where Custer became famous!!
Last edited:
Philadelphia Patriot
Member
Definitely check out the museum at the Lutheran Seminary. It's 4 floors and filled with a lot of artifacts. I agree, watch the movie Gettysburg before going. It'll give you a great idea of what happened while you're visiting the battlefield. The car tour cd (you can obtain that in the gift shop....remember no guns INSIDE federal buildings. CC/OC is good to go on the battlefield. I OCed without any issues at all. ...actually had a conversation about OC with a nice Johnny Reb from the land of CajuanLawyer). Get the tour CD that is the longest duration. Expect to spend at least 4 hours doing the tour, and remember to get out of your car at stops to see the statues and views of the battlefield. I usually had breakfast, started the tour at 10AM, had lunch at 12:30 or 1:00PM, resume the tour and finished around 4:00PM or 5:00PM.
MOST IMPORTANTLY.......
1) Go to the Gettysburg Heritage Center (formerly the wax museum) and watch the video they have set up. It explains just prior to the battle, THE WHOLE BATTLE, and just after the battle. THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO START YOUR TRIP!!!
2) La Bella Italia has some very delicious Italian food
3) Check out "Blue and Grey" in the center of town. They have burgers named after Union and Confederate generals. They are very delicious!
4) Do some haunted tours. Some tour companies are better than others. Don't do it expecting to see ghosts, but listen to the tour guides stories. They are very interesting and there is a lot of history involved in them (example: churches were used as field hospitals. They had to drill holes on the floor to drain the blood).
5) Lastly, if you are going to hike Big Round Top, don't do it directly after eating a big lunch in 90+ degree weather. ....trust me
MOST IMPORTANTLY.......
1) Go to the Gettysburg Heritage Center (formerly the wax museum) and watch the video they have set up. It explains just prior to the battle, THE WHOLE BATTLE, and just after the battle. THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO START YOUR TRIP!!!
2) La Bella Italia has some very delicious Italian food
3) Check out "Blue and Grey" in the center of town. They have burgers named after Union and Confederate generals. They are very delicious!
4) Do some haunted tours. Some tour companies are better than others. Don't do it expecting to see ghosts, but listen to the tour guides stories. They are very interesting and there is a lot of history involved in them (example: churches were used as field hospitals. They had to drill holes on the floor to drain the blood).
5) Lastly, if you are going to hike Big Round Top, don't do it directly after eating a big lunch in 90+ degree weather. ....trust me
Last edited:
Kronos
Member
Skip the tours and most of the other nonsense,just bring a book on the battle and read it then go to each spot,there's always a lot of people but you can find times that are less crowded.
Also if you go late in the year you can go on the battle field at night...the park stays open until ten,so in the fall you can go out at say seven thirty or so and wander around with nobody around.
The ghost tours are fun if you believe in that (I do) but again if you know the history you can just wander the town after dark-there are some rather creepy places there.
If you're really nuts you can bring a ouija board with you....
Don't miss the graveyards either,there's some big,and old,ones there I've seen graves that go back to the early 1800's.
And some of the shops are fun,there's a couple shops that sell civil war surplus i.e. really expensive antiques and there's a couple three surplus stores.
There is also a couple stores that sells civil war reenactment gear that is fairly legit as far as I can tell (I don't get arguments over how many nails are in a pair of boots)
And in some spots you can feel something if you take a moment and realize,for example,that upwards of six thousand people were either killed or wounded there...for sure you realize just how crazy some can get over a set of ideals and how little fun a full on revolution would be.
So have fun and enjoy yourself I love Gettysburg myself and I enjoy how the town still feels "old" kinda like stepping back a hundred plus years.
Also if you go late in the year you can go on the battle field at night...the park stays open until ten,so in the fall you can go out at say seven thirty or so and wander around with nobody around.
The ghost tours are fun if you believe in that (I do) but again if you know the history you can just wander the town after dark-there are some rather creepy places there.
If you're really nuts you can bring a ouija board with you....
Don't miss the graveyards either,there's some big,and old,ones there I've seen graves that go back to the early 1800's.
And some of the shops are fun,there's a couple shops that sell civil war surplus i.e. really expensive antiques and there's a couple three surplus stores.
There is also a couple stores that sells civil war reenactment gear that is fairly legit as far as I can tell (I don't get arguments over how many nails are in a pair of boots)
And in some spots you can feel something if you take a moment and realize,for example,that upwards of six thousand people were either killed or wounded there...for sure you realize just how crazy some can get over a set of ideals and how little fun a full on revolution would be.
So have fun and enjoy yourself I love Gettysburg myself and I enjoy how the town still feels "old" kinda like stepping back a hundred plus years.
Growr,
One of the benefits of living here in the Peoples' Republic of Maryland is that we are so close to so many major tourist attractions. I can drive to either Philadelphia or Washington in about 1 hour, 20 minutes. New York City is only three hours north, straight up I-95. And Gettysburg is a pleasant one-hour drive away, on back roads and through farm country.
The town is packed, and traffic is gridlocked, during the summer months. It will be very hot and humid. Plan ahead for your visit. If you are a AAA member, get a Tourbook and maps for your trip. There is so much to see, and so much to take in, that you will need several days.
When you go, if you eat only one meal there, you must go to the Farnsworth House Inn, located at 401 Baltimore Street. (According to the Inn's website, it sheltered Confederate sharpshooters there during the Battle, and to this day, you can see the bullet holes in the walls of the building.) It is the only place other than Williamsburg, Virginia, where I've seen authentic peanut soup on the menu. It's great!
Below is the link to the Inn's website. In addition to their menu and whatnot, there are links to many things to do and see in Gettysburg.
Home
Enjoy your trip!
One of the benefits of living here in the Peoples' Republic of Maryland is that we are so close to so many major tourist attractions. I can drive to either Philadelphia or Washington in about 1 hour, 20 minutes. New York City is only three hours north, straight up I-95. And Gettysburg is a pleasant one-hour drive away, on back roads and through farm country.
The town is packed, and traffic is gridlocked, during the summer months. It will be very hot and humid. Plan ahead for your visit. If you are a AAA member, get a Tourbook and maps for your trip. There is so much to see, and so much to take in, that you will need several days.
When you go, if you eat only one meal there, you must go to the Farnsworth House Inn, located at 401 Baltimore Street. (According to the Inn's website, it sheltered Confederate sharpshooters there during the Battle, and to this day, you can see the bullet holes in the walls of the building.) It is the only place other than Williamsburg, Virginia, where I've seen authentic peanut soup on the menu. It's great!
Below is the link to the Inn's website. In addition to their menu and whatnot, there are links to many things to do and see in Gettysburg.
Home
Enjoy your trip!
I'm a war history buff and was so excited to tour Gettysburg and it was somewhat of let down. We listened to the CD in the car and stopped at all the places and all you see are fields and a few cannons and statues. The CD briefly describes what was going on but it left me yawning, but I didn't visit the museum maybe I would have liked that more.
You really need to go to the National Park Service Visitors Center there, and/or take a guided tour, to be able to understand and appreciate it all. For example, in a previous post I mentioned the Farnsworth Inn...if you didn't know what you were looking at, you would think it was just another building in town.
Last edited:
I grew up within 30 miles of Gettysburg. Parents took me and got to run around a sit on cannons for pictures as a kid and crawl through the rocks at Devils Den. Now have taken my Granddaughter twice and she enjoyed the visitors center, Diaorama, and even touring around the battle field in the rain.
If you are even a little bit of a history buff, you will have a great time (if as others said traffic and crowds are not overwhelming on the anniversary).
If you are even a little bit of a history buff, you will have a great time (if as others said traffic and crowds are not overwhelming on the anniversary).
Kronos
Member
The Farnsworth Inn is interesting not only for the bullet holes but on one of the ghost tours you learn that the only civilian killed,a miss Jennie Wade,was shot from the Fransworth house it seems the sniper thought her a union big shot,fired and,whoops,not a union big shot.
The wade house I believe is the ghost tour I took with my maw and they took us up to the attic where the sniper was,the hole he used is still there.
The wade house I believe is the ghost tour I took with my maw and they took us up to the attic where the sniper was,the hole he used is still there.
gdnagle
US Veteran
Gettysburg Personally I don't like tour's with a lot of people. You're on the time schedule of the tour people and others but you have question and answer time. That being said you get a lot of information from the tour people, I would follow the tour bus on my motorcycle and listen to their comments. Even if you take a tour I would get the CD and map and follow up with a motor tour of my own. You can spend as much time at any stop you feel interesting you can even walk the Pickett's route. There are picnic areas along the route if you feel you would like to eat on the battlefield, stop at KFC or such and pick up a meal. The museum use to have a large selection of period weapons but IIRC last time I was there it was downsized or maybe it was not set up yet as they had just replaced the old buildings with new ones.This is one of my favorite battle field places. Horseback riding tours of the field are offered by a commercial company near Gettysburg make reservations. I remember in the 50's walking the fields and once in a great while finding a musket ball there were plenty used there, I think illegal to pick up now unless on private land, but I could be mistaken.
http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/eise/learn/management/upload/Compendium-GETT-EISE-8-15-12rev-1.pdf
Antietam The Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History. Note here On October 10 the Burnside Bridge will be closed for major repairs to the historic structure. Antietam is about 19 miles from Gettysburg another good battle field to visit but in MD so don't carry even in your vehicle if you plan to.
http://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm
Harpers Ferry small and really not much to do there, I live 10 minuets away maybe it's because I've been there so many times. There are horse racing and Summit Point raceway close by. Harpers Ferry is about 55 miles from Gettysburg
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
If you plan to carry OK to carry in PA and WV if you have a permit if honored WV has open carry. I would not even carry a handgun in the trunk in my vehicle in MD as there laws suck and heavily restricted just leave in a hotel while in MD. Park buildings are marked if no firearms allowed but you can carry in the parks.
http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/eise/learn/management/upload/Compendium-GETT-EISE-8-15-12rev-1.pdf
Antietam The Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History. Note here On October 10 the Burnside Bridge will be closed for major repairs to the historic structure. Antietam is about 19 miles from Gettysburg another good battle field to visit but in MD so don't carry even in your vehicle if you plan to.
http://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm
Harpers Ferry small and really not much to do there, I live 10 minuets away maybe it's because I've been there so many times. There are horse racing and Summit Point raceway close by. Harpers Ferry is about 55 miles from Gettysburg
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
If you plan to carry OK to carry in PA and WV if you have a permit if honored WV has open carry. I would not even carry a handgun in the trunk in my vehicle in MD as there laws suck and heavily restricted just leave in a hotel while in MD. Park buildings are marked if no firearms allowed but you can carry in the parks.
won the war but lost the country. Now we start again.....It is-- I as well lost some relatives there, who I believe were on the right side,and have gone through many times down through the years-- The older I get the more I realize the waste of so many lives and realize even more it was the beginning of the downfall of this country--- you never were taught the sadness of all this in school-- not even today -- needless to say we are in deep trouble today- but I won't elaborate any more.
reddogge
Member
I live 45 minutes from Gettysburg and used to be a salesman who traveled So. PA so stopped there many many times in my travels. We just took my brother and sister in law there last summer. I'm also a history buff so had read tons of stuff on the battle since the 60s. I'd go in May or early June.
I recommend reading as much as you can on the battle before going and viewing the movie "Gettysburg". For me the car tour and CD would be good since you can take your time at each stop. Believe me, walking around the high water mark is an erie feeling no matter which side you are on. I did it one cold March day when it was deserted and it brought chills up my spine. A guided tour with the guide in your car might be worth it too. A must do is climb the observation tower near Eisenhower's farm. You get a great bird's eye view of much of the battlefield. The main thing I stress is the whole battle field is much too vast to do a walking tour so you need to see it by car or bus.
Visit the new visitors center, diorama (cyclorama), museum. If you have time visit Eisenhower's farm which is very interesting.
Can't help on restaurants since I never ate there. It's a great battlefield to see though.
I recommend reading as much as you can on the battle before going and viewing the movie "Gettysburg". For me the car tour and CD would be good since you can take your time at each stop. Believe me, walking around the high water mark is an erie feeling no matter which side you are on. I did it one cold March day when it was deserted and it brought chills up my spine. A guided tour with the guide in your car might be worth it too. A must do is climb the observation tower near Eisenhower's farm. You get a great bird's eye view of much of the battlefield. The main thing I stress is the whole battle field is much too vast to do a walking tour so you need to see it by car or bus.
Visit the new visitors center, diorama (cyclorama), museum. If you have time visit Eisenhower's farm which is very interesting.
Can't help on restaurants since I never ate there. It's a great battlefield to see though.
Last edited:
The Preacher
Member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2003
- Messages
- 238
- Reaction score
- 580
Have at least one meal at the Dobbin House. The basement Tavern for maybe lunch or in the evening the upstairs dinning rooms. Make reservations for evening dinning! And...expect a wait for the Tavern (no reservations) at lunchtime. Excellent food and period atmosphere, fair prices. And...if you like french onion soup there's none better.
The Preacher
The Preacher
reddogge, isn't that the observation tower that got taken down a few years ago? Or was that a different tower?
I am not local there any longer but remember them taking down something to minimize the commercialism impact.
Similar threads
