Been to Gettysburg? Tell Me More!

I think you know we drove up last year on the anniversary of the battle. We stayed in the Gettysburg Campground (http://gettysburgcampground.com/sitemap.html)
My dad was in his motor home with his best friend and husband, boys and myself in a cabin.

It was easy access to Route 15 and VERY EASY to get to Gettysburg National Park.

We went to the main lobby at the National Park and purchased the Gettysburg CD - it was a $45 purchase - with 3 discs that guided us around the park. I think the drive took us about 4 hours. We stopped and looked and read signs.

We chose NOT to do the horseback tour (it's 2 hours long and $75 per person). My dad's back most likely wouldn't have been able to handle it.

There are PLENTY of restaurants in Gettysburg for food - lots of choices! There are great stores around too.

My kids LOVED Gettysburg! They were 12 and 15 when we went last year. They stopped and looked at everything they could as well as read all the signs/placards. They love history so this was a GREAT time for them!

About an hour away is a Distillery - http://www.destinationgettysburg.com/members/old-republic...

about an hour north east of Gettysburg is Hershey - more history - but it also has the Hershey Theme park that has a water park too.

There's also the Yeungling Brewery (Oldest Brewing company in America) and it's about 2 hours away from Gettysburg and on your way to New York City.

are you going to be driving out or flying out?
how long are you going to be out here? DC is not far from Gettysburg either. And we have a guest room here!!

We've been to Gettysburg!

We done the driving tour. You can get a CD or DVD from the gift store and then start your journey!

I would start in the morning and you should be done by 4pm.

If you come in the summer, expect humidity. Winter will be cold. The best time is in April or May, if you want my opinion. July is the anniversary of the battle and it can be very hot and humid, but it will give you a sense of what the soldiers went through in wool uniforms.

There's much to do in Pennsylvania! Pittsburgh has a GREAT zoo!! And the Carnegie Museum! We have Hershey park, which is about 1.5 hours from Gettysburg. Lancaster is Amish country.

We went two years ago with our three year old. We bought tickets for a bus tour that, when combined with a movie in the visitor center and lunch at the canteen was about 4 hours total.

I am not a military history buff. Hubs is. I've seen more cannon than I'd care to recall at his side. The field itself is pleasant enough to look at and the back stories on the regiments and leaders were sometimes quite engaging.

Enjoy.
F. B.

My husband said the best time is when they do the re-enactments, usually in the summer (July). There's lots to see and many historical sites to visit.

I would check out tripadvisor for things to do in Gettysburg, that site usually has be best ratings.

I like the tripadvisor link from Elaine B below, those reviews ARE specific, current experiences from other parents. A whole lot more than you'll get here I'm sure!
Hopefully your kids enjoy history, we did DC/Williamsburg in 2009, my son was pretty into it (15 at the time) but my daughters hated it, they were 12 and 9. So sad, I remember wishing we had left the kids at home :-(

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60798-Activities... Never been but have fun! My boys are the same ages and they'd love this!

Will you have time to travel at all in the area? If so, I'd recommend Lancaster & Strasburg. They are the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch & Amish/Mennonite country and are about 1.5 hours away. You can take the highway or you can take local roads (Route 30). The time is about the same, so it's a question of whether you want to enjoy local scenery. We had a great time with our son in Strasburg at:

the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania http://www.rrmuseumpa.org
the National Toy Train Museum hype://www.nttmuseum.org

We also went into some antique places and looked at a lot of local Amish and Mennonite culture. I don't remember exactly which places we went to - we just stopped along the way. There are many ways to do it without intruding on the real Amish citizens of the area. It's really a trip back in time and makes the kids appreciate their electronic devices! It's also an interesting contrast to the history lessons of the Gettysburg battlefield when you look at an unarmed culture.

If you take the highway route from Gettysburg, you will go through Hershey. There's an antique auto museum there - good on a rainy day maybe?

Have fun!

My parents took us when I was 8 and my brother was 10. With all due respect, it was one of the most boring trips I can ever recall. Perhaps since yours are a little older they'll have more patience and interest in the whole trip. I'm not trying to dissuade you but just share my recollection. And I love the word "gajillion." Have fun!!! :-) S.