Gettysburg National Military Park

I visited Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA on 8÷16÷1988 (it’s stamped in my National Park Passport). It was my 1^st time there. It was one of the highlights of the 1988 trip across the USA that my dad an me took in our R.V. — The Trojan Prince. Simply the site of the biggest battle of the Civil War. Not to be missed.

I have visited Gettysburg PA twice and both times loved every minute of my stay. My suggestion is to get a licensed historian guide for 4 hours. I did 2 hours my first trip and wanted more. The price is worth the amount of information you are getting and being at the very spot history took place. The shops tend to be on the touristy side but there are some cool obscure places to shop and eat at. Museums with very interesting pieces are scattered throughout the little town and most of the surrounding area has been restored to look as it did in 1863. I will definitely visit again.

WOW WOW WOW, what an epic battle Gettysburg must have been!!! The historical significance of this time in American history is truly one of the most important events that made America what it is today. The entire town and the history that is ingrained in to it is just amazing. My friends and I only had one day to take in Gettysburg and all its glory and I can say that it’s definitely not enough time to really take in everything. The entire battlefield and story is just too much to fully enjoy in one day.
We first started the day at the visitor center with a 30 min film and 30 min Cyclorama which was only $ 12 with AAA discount. The short movie was narrated by non-​other than Morgan Freeman which really made the whole thing super dramatic and intense. The Cyclorama was a first time experience for me and according to the narrators its one of the largest works of art on canvas in North America which is really a sight to see. I would also opt for the CD self-​guided tour which has a lot of background and narration of each part of the battle and give you detailed descriptions of what actually took place.
Since we opted for the self-​drive tour we just got a map and followed the signs and directions. The battlefield is larger than you might think and is actually around 6 – 7 miles long and something like 3 miles wide but it can take all day to drive around to all the major monuments and viewpoints. Scattered all over the battle field you will see 1300 monuments and which were erected by the surviving veterans at the time or the cities and towns of the fallen soldiers. Really prepare yourself because you will be doing a lot of driving and every single one of the monuments will validate how epic of a battle Gettysburg really was.
If you are a history buff or have kids I would highly recommend coming to Gettysburg and really spending a couple days and fully experience Gettysburg for yourself. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

I did this in 1-​day and felt horribly rushed. Plan 3 days: 2-​days for the National Park including Eisenhower Historical Site and 1 day for exploring the town itself which has its own museums and shops.
This battlefield is extensive. Much to see. Much to learn. It’s well-​done with 1300 monuments (many placed by the Civil War vets themselves) plus 200 structures. A car is a must. The battlefield stretches 6 miles long and 3 miles wide and includes the town of Gettysburg (you’ll see a showering of bullet holes alongside a building). Be prepared for impassioned people and history buffs; you’ll learn it’s in the details, a most-​studied battle indeed.
Enter the Visitor Center and plan your itinerary by noting the times of the free Ranger Guide Walks (not to be missed). The 2-​hr Gettysburg Bus Tour, the ~30 min film, museum, and ~30 min cyclorama (the $ 36 was worth it). The museum is e x t e n s i v e. It’s absolutely phenomenal. I did just an ¹⁄₈ of it, but learned so much. You could spend a full day in the museum alone.
Prep yourself with foreground knowledge by listening to an audio CD on the battle en route to the park. Consider coming July 1 – 3; I hear the Park expands its events (talks, walks, programs). I didn’t have enough time to shuttle over to Eisenhower’s farm. .. that’s for next time.

The battle that turned the tide of the Civil War. We spent about 2 days here and didn’t see everything. Some of the most beautiful country going (and that includes Denali and Grand Teton). We visited the «new» visitor center, saw the film, cyclorama (the IMAX of it’s day) and got about halfway thru the museum. Excellent displays, very thorough, although some of the dim lighting made it tough to read the explanations. We bought an audio driving tour and got all the way to the Wheat Field. Very enjoyable. A quick visit to the Nat’l Cemetery and that was it. We need to finish the museum, battlefield tour and wander around town on another visit or two or three.

The cyclorama was absolutely amazing, I felt like i could reach out and touch the painting. The museum has so much history and made me actually feel like I had stepped back and was part of the war. The monuments throughout the park were surreal. We ended up around an Irish infantry memorial and there were people sitting there playing bagpipes and it brought tears to my eyes.

An amazing park. One of my favorites in the whole of the USA. It’s truly incredible how you can walk or drive for miles and miles through the park, and you’ll come across monuments and memorials where this group fell and this group was attacked and this skirmish was fought…
All of it was so unnecessary. So many lives lost. And the wound is still deep today. The bloodiest battle of the bloodiest war in the history of the USA.
Walk the battlefields and feel thankful that truth prevailed. But appreciate the sacrifice given by all.

This historic town is surreal. A little outside away from the Harrisburg area. I decided to stop by during my brief visit through Pennsylvania.
Lots to see here from the cemetery to the battlegrounds. Old artillery to monuments. Parking and drive thru areas of the town
My personal favorite was cemetery. People and visitors say the area is haunted. You can almost get a sense that it is just by walking through checking out various parts of the cemetery. I didn’t realize how many lives were lost in the area. Plenty of tombs and memorials to acknowledge those lives. Placards to indicate significant historic relics.
Good family educational area.
Bad just the amount of life lost
A must visit if you ever get a chance.

A must-​see in the Mid-​Atlantic! Definitely make your first stop the Visitors Center, and see the well-​done film and incredible cyclorama. Then do the auto tour, and stop wherever you’d like. The countryside is beautiful no matter what, and it is mind-​boggling to consider the carnage that happened here.

The Gettysburg National Military Park is a cool place to check out when you’re in G-​burg. Start off at their Visitor Center, where you can watch ‘A New Birth of Freedom,’ narrated by Morgan Freeman, which depicts Pickett’s Charge, on an impressive panorama screen. There are plenty of exhibits, a resource room for research, books at their Bookstore, and even a little ‘saloon’ for sandwiches and other refreshments. You can check out the David Wills House, where it offers information on Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address, as well as galleries featuring Will’s letters and the room that Lincoln stayed at. Make sure you reserve a tour with a licensed battlefield guide, as the 2 hours are totally worth it with all the historical knowledge they provide. In addition, you can do hiking, biking, and even horseback riding on specific trails. Plenty of free parking in the lot!
+‘A New Birth of Freedom’ at the Visitor Center
+tour with the licensed battlefield guide
+free parking

Gettysburg is a great FREE national park. I do recommend paying for the museum at $ 12.50 per adult ($ 11.50 with AAA discount) which has relics, videos and lots of information about the battle. We skipped the movie because we were short on time but were encouraged to do the cyclorama and we were glad we did.
We opted to just pick up a map and do the self guided auto tour which was great for us because we could spend as much or as little time at each stop taking photos. We spent a couple hours but you could easily spend days exploring the area. I would highly recommend Gettysburg to not only history buffs but also photography nerds and anyone in general.

The Gettysburg Park is an excellent place to visit to better understand our country’s heritage along with how the Civil War re shaped our country.
I would recommend starting in the morning when the visitor center opens. Parking is easiest then and go in and buy your tickets. Your first activity is watching the excellent Morgan Freeman narrated movie that lasts about 20 minutes. Then you exit the theater and go up the escalators to the famous diorama of the battle. This historic painting that comes to life in the 360 degree viewing platform is a real treat. After that is over its best to go thru the informative museum that chronicles the War and especially this game changing battle.
When you are finished its time to tour the battlefield in your car (unless you purchased one of the bus tours). The drive thru the Park is about 20 miles with about 16 historical spots to stop to see some part of the historical battle. They also have 3 observation platforms that you can climb to get more of a birds eye view. The countryside is beautiful here and you will pace yourself thru the Park at your own speed. At the end be sure to visit the cemetery by walking around it. This takes about 10 minutes unless you stop to look at some of the graves or monuments.
I have been to Vicksburg to see the Park there. They are both very impressive. Vicksburg has more monuments along the road and also some impressive vistas of the Mississippi River and those Vicksburg Hills… Gettysburg consists of the peaceful looking pastures and rolling hills of Pennsylvania and has a bigger Visitor Center. I also like the town of Gettysburg. I thought it was very charming and right next to the Park.
This is a great place to visit and warrants spending one night in Gettysburg and almost a full day in the Park.

This place completely changed my outlook on the Civil War and what it meant and did for our country. I could go on and on about the wonderful aspects of this National Park, but I really don’t want to ruin it for anyone. It is truly something everyone, anywhere, should experience. However, I will give a few tips that really made our trip to this wonderful place great:
1. Understand the size: This is a huge park, it’s not one monument or one museum. You are meant to check in at the Visitor Center but then drive along the auto tour route that is very clearly marked. Your car will LITERALLY drive along the fronts of the Union and Confederate armies and through battlefields.
2. Understand the context: Stop by the visitor’s center first and purchase a ticket for the movie, narrated by Morgan Freeman, the cycolorama, and the museum. For me, this really helped me get back into my history mode and helped wrap my brain around what I was about to see. It’s also a great place to grab an audio tour (see #3) and/​or a map.
3. Understand what you are seeing: Get an Audio Auto Tour. We got the TravelBrains 2.5hr, guided, CD audio auto tour based off of two staff members’ recommendation and it was definitely worth it. ($ 26)
4. Understand the Price: The park is free, the ticket to see the film, cyclorama, and museum is only $ 12.50. This amazing piece of American history is literally free except for this charge to see the largest, oil on canvas painting in North America, a brief video about how the Civil War began and the movement of troops over the three days of fighting, and a museum. There are not many places where I feel like I should have paid more and this was one of them.
In summary, everything about this park is so well maintained and done with a sense of respect to those who lost their lives. Never did I feel that the museum or park was pushing a pro-​Union or pro-​Confederate agenda, such a fine line to walk. I believe those whose ancestors fought at Gettysburg on either side would feel that their relatives were honored and respected.
Note: If I were to go back, I would try and schedule a private guided tour which they offer for only $ 65 for up to 4 people (additional charge for more people) and they drive your car. Sightseeing in the comfort of your own (or rental) car.

If you are into history in the slightest, this needs to be a stop on your travels. It is one of the best organized and well designed museums that I have been to in a national park. Please give your self plenty of time to do all the tours and museum. It is a somber place and should be treated with respect. We were there for the better part of 6 hours and I could have easily done a few more.
If you only have a bit of time, you should visit little round top and devil’s den. you can’t appreciate how difficult that was until you are standing there. The walk to the 20^th Maine’s marker is impressive too.

What can you really say about a place so important in American history that is really fitting of a review on a social media place.
This place is amazing. I love to visit and each time I do I find myself to be emotionally overwhelmed by all of the history that I am surrounded by. Go here, learn and live.

An absolute gem of a National Park. Seriously. For any Civil War buff, this is a must on the trek of battlefields. This is my 4^th battlefield, and by far, this one is my favorite.
When you get to the visitors center (extremely clean, and very large), you can pick what you would like to do. When I went, I preferred to do the self-​guided driving tour. That consists of 16 stops, you follow the signs, and you stop at the marker, look and read what happened, take some pictures, and go to the next one. The whole thing takes roughly 2.5 — 3 hours, but you get a lot of history and a wealth of knowledge, plus the backdrop of it all is tremendous. I did the tour in the rain, but its still worth the visit.
The last stop on the tour is the Gettysburg cemetery, which says it all about how many men died fighting on that land. Plus, you get to see where Lincoln issued his famous Gettysburg Address, as well as the monument and soldiers where they are buried. It is a sad way to end it, but properly fitting (as Lincoln said).
I highly recommend taking a day to go here. It’s certainly an experience never to be forgotten.

We went in Dec. So the crowds were not a problem. Monuments were in great shape. Park rangers were nearby. Huge open fields. I wish there were more statues with storytelling than there was. But from what I hear… the summertime is much better in terms of the scenery and folks outside discussing the events.
It is a weird feeling to be standing on the grounds that so many lost their lives and limbs.

An important part of American history. You can feel power and spirit of those fallen as you walk through the terrain. Monuments are placed at key parts of the battlefield.
I would recommend bringing along a book or map (or both) and following the progress of the battle. Day 1 of the fight occurred in town, so one can go there and see where the skirmishes happened.
The most powerful point I think is standing at Cemetery Ridge and looking towards the Confederate lines where Pickett’s Charge came from. You can see the distance they had to cover. What a scene that must have been. There is a marker noting the furthest point the Confederacy penetrated the Union lines — «the high-​water mark of the Confederacy.» That was probably their best chance of achieving victory in the war. Crazy to look at and think about.
I encourage everyone to visit this hallowed ground if they are on the east coast.

I highly recommend visiting this place! Start at the visitor’s center because the video is pretty good and informative, plus the Gettysburg Cyclorama is something you need to see.
We brought our bikes and had a wonderful time biking all around the park and through the cute little town of Gettysburg.

I am not going to be that informative. Just know it is a really awesome and historical place to visit that is something you should put on your bucket list to do before you die… no pun intended.
If you LOVE Civil War battlefields, this is the royal flush of battle fields. I grew up not too far from Shiloh in Tennessee, and it is always interesting visiting there, but honestly the two do not compare in what the offerings are when issuing information or drawing a larger number of visitors.
You are able to drive through the park, get out and walk around and explore all the memorials left by all the various states that fought during this battle. It is a huge field and all memorials vary in size. Some you can walk up in and get a great glance of the entire field simply by the height of the memorial.
It is only an hour and a half from DC, so this can easily be a day trip for those who enjoy this sort of stuff.