Things to do in Gettysburg
Gettysburg decided the fate of the nation. Gettysburg is a place where I had long wanted to experience its place in American history. I found that being only 140 miles (about a 2.5-hour drive) from my Philadelphia home would be an easy trip.
Gettysburg decided the fate of the nation. The epic battle that to be sure settled the path of the Civil War and thereby preserved our Union. Two great armies faced each other and consequently, the North was the victorious one. History would have been quite different if however, the South had prevailed.
The Visitors Center
An excellent place to start would be the Visitor Center https://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm, which has a museum where you can see many artifacts and exhibits. The center also houses a movie theatre which features an informative introductory film. Another outstanding feature was the Gettysburg Cyclorama where you would see and hear a production of the battle with a 360-degree view. This proved to be a highly realistic portrayal of the fight. As you prepare to exit the building you are back in the reception area of the Visitor Center where you can make your plans on touring the vast (6,000 acres) battlefield. Also, the center contains a gift shop (coffee mug and refrigerator magnets, anyone), a bookstore plus a reference center.
Touring the battlefield presents several options where you could arrange for a bus tour or hire a licensed guide. Another option would be to use our car and download a GPS-style app to play on our car’s audio system. We decided to go with the last option. I was quite pleased since you could do this at your place and at a more economical price. I got this app (Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour} from the Google Play Store) where you can activate it for $14.95.
The Battlefield
The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 to July 3, 1863, with roughly 165,000 soldiers facing each other. Casualties would total 51,000 with about 7,000 dead. This proved to be the bloodiest battle on American soil. We embarked on our tour following our GPS battlefield app which followed a well-marked route and narration synched with numbered stops. Many states have contributed monuments that paid tribute to their contributions. The Pennsylvania Monument (1910) at 110 feet was the tallest as well as the Virginia Monument (1917) which included a magnificent equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee. You can also see Cemetary Hill where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. Another important location is the sight of Pickett’s Charge which proved to be the last futile Southern assault on Union positions. It was all over after that point.
Eisenhower National Historical Site.
The Eisenhower National Historical Site https://nps.gov/eise/index.htm consists of the Eisenhower home and its farm. Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th President of the USA in addition to being a great Army general in World War II. Eisenhower purchased the home and property in 1950 where he made it his permanent residence after leaving the White House in 1961. Eisenhower donated the property (230 acres) to the National Park Service in 1967 where subsequently it was opened to the public in 1980. The Eisenhower National Historical Site is adjacent to the battlefield and should be included in your Gettysburg tour. Park Rangers were on hand to guide us through the property and provided many interesting anecdotes. Many famous visitors to the home included Khrushchev, De Gaulle, Churchill, and Reagan.
A Word from Steve
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott just 10 minutes from the battlefield site. It’s always good to collect Marriott Points. You can visit Booking.com as I do and take care of your hotel and other travel needs. Save, save, and save.
A shout-out to a cozy Gettysburg restaurant named Gettysburg Eddie’s https://www.gettysburgeddies.com/index.php.You can enjoy anything from a burger to a full-course meal at this delightful bistro with a very cheerful wait staff. Dining in Gettysburg at its best.
