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1195 Baltimore Pike
Hours of Operation
June-August: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
September-October: 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.
November-March: 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
April-May: 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Hire a Battlefield Guide:
A Licensed Battlefield Guide may be hired at the Visitor's Center. This is a must do if you are new to the Gettysburg battlefield!
To reserve a Guide please contact the reservations department at least three days before your planned visit. Reservations phone number: 877-874-2478. Current rates as of 8/7/08: For 6 people in vehicle or less 2 hrs - $55, 3 hrs - $80, 4 hrs - $105.
These guides are all self-employed. They do not work for the Park Service. They are ALL excellent and will take you on a guided tour of the battlefield in your car. Tours can vary from 2 - 4 hours in length. You'll learn more about the battle in two hours with a guide than you will by touring the battlefield alone for a year. Fees can vary on an annual basis.
Watch the Movie:
If you're planning to visit Gettysburg and have never read a book about the battle watch the movie or at least read Killer Angels! You're short changing yourself if you drive to Gettysburg unprepared.
As you might imagine, there are a great many books written about the battle. You're just not going to believe how many units, generals, officers, etc. were involved and you're certainly not going to make sense of it all in a day or two. Killer Angels or the movie are the quickest ways to come up to speed before your visit. At a minimum this will double your appreciation and enjoyment of your battlefield visit.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road:
When you are driving through the Park keep your eyes on the road! Although that may sound like a no-brainer, let me assure you that it's not. I've driven these roads hundreds of times and I still let myself get mesmerized by the monuments. Be forewarned that there are any number of places in the Park where not paying attention while driving can be a costly mistake. Want a personal example? I discovered a new drainage ditch the hard way while taking photos of Benner's Hill for our website. The Park road there is really only big enough for one car to travel it at a time. I pulled off to let someone pass. Three hours later after AAA winched me out I was on my way home after what should have been a 10 minute drive!
Park visitors stop suddenly anywhere and everywhere even in the middle of the road when they spot something interesting. Keep your eyes on the road! When they stop you have to stop too! In the area of Devil's Den there's a boulder that sits right on the edge of the pavement. Believe me it would be a big mistake for you to be looking the other way when you drive by! After heavy rains the shoulders of some of the Park roads are quite muddy. No, the Park Rangers don't have towing vehicles. I bet you thought they did. I did too. Wrong! If you get stuck there you're on your own!
If you're doing the driving then keep your eyes on the road! The Park is full of opportunities for mishaps that will spoil your trip to Gettysburg. If you're doing the driving then keep your eyes on the road!
Do More Than Look at Monuments:
We spent our first visits driving the park roads, stopping at what appeared to be interesting monuments, and taking their pictures. This is fine as far as it goes. However, you're going to miss something if this is all you do.
Start at the Lee Monument and walk Pickett's Charge all the way to the cannons at the Angle. Get a feel for the ground these men had to cover. Look to your right at the Round Tops & straight ahead at what would have been thousands of muskets on the other side of the Emmittsburg Road. How hard do you think it must have been to get soldiers across that field under fire in formation? Do you see what I mean?
Take all the monument pictures you want. But don't miss out on walking those fields. Climb Big Round Top and imagine what it must have been like to march over twenty miles in the heat just to get there and then have to climb it! Try in some small way to experience Gettysburg. After a while the hundreds of monuments blur. But I promise you'll remember that walk or climb for a long time to come.
Civil War Reenactors:
The visitor to Gettysburg is most fortunate in that the town and battlefield are visited by many reenactors each week. Reenactors are among the finest people you are likely to meet during your tour of Gettysburg. They love what they do. They are very well informed about the battle in general and their unit's history in particular. They are more than happy to talk to you and take pictures with you.
Meeting reenactors and receiving the benefit of their study is certain to leave you with some of your fondest memories of your battlefield visit. There are often reenactor units near the Pennsylvania Monument and at the Wax Museum across from the battlefield. Talk to them. You'll love it. And to all you reenactors out there...thank you for your wonderful work!!!
Park Services Tours:
Be sure to check the calendar of events behind the information desk at the Visitors Center. There are daily Ranger led walking tours of the battlefield and National Cemetery. They are all excellent and informative.
During the summer months there are also weekend Campfires at the Amphitheater on the Battlefield. These usually begin around 8:30 pm. A park ranger will speak on such topics as Gettysburg Civilians during the battle, battle flags, and what it was like to be a soldier during the war years. These are also excellent and informative programs. Many are great fun for the children.
Bus Tours:
There are any number of bus tours available in town ranging from double decker buses with stereo headphones, van tours, to horse drawn carriages. Personal choice here.
Auto Tape Tours:
Taped tours of the battlefield traditionally have been available for purchase or rent at the Wax Museum on Steinwehr Ave. They used to be cassette tapes. By now I'm sure they're CDs. You play them in your auto as you drive through the battlefield and listen to the narration. Be sure to go slow!
Walking the Battlefield:
The battlefield is very large and very beautiful. If you walk be sure to take water with you. No matter where you are on the battlefield its a long walk back to the Visitors Center, water, and bathrooms! The area around the Round Tops is pretty steep for walkers and bikers although we've seen many folks running it! Again, be sure to take water along for your walking tour.
Gettysburg College:
If you visit Gettysburg when school is in session don't miss the opportunity to visit the college. Gettysburg College sponsors many events which are open to the public. We've attended concerts at the college we will never forget. Many times admission is free. This is a beautiful historic campus. If you have the time don't miss seeing it!
Where in the World is Culp's Hill?
It took us three trips to Gettysburg to figure out where Culp's Hill was. Yes, we could have asked the first time! The main Park roads take you past Seminary Ridge, the Round Tops, the Angle, and much more. Culp's Hill, however, is off Baltimore Pike.
As you head out of town on Baltimore Pike going towards Rt.15 you pass Evergreen Cemetery on you right. I always mean to clock it but never do. It's got to be a mile or less from Evergreen to the entrance to Culp's Hill which will be on your left. There will be an Auto Tour marker on your right at the entrance. Just go slow once you pass Evergreen Cemetery. The entrance goes off into the woods.
Culp's Hill is an important piece of real estate. It was the right flank of the Union line. There are quite a few monuments on the slope on the way up. Spangler's Spring is at the bottom of Culp's Hill. You can't miss it. At least you'll be able to say it didn't take you three trips to Gettysburg to find it.
Another Toughie - Where in The World is Cavalry Field?
From the traffic circle in the center of Gettysburg, follow Pennsylvania Route 116 East exactly 3.5 miles. Turn left at the brown and white National Park Service sign "East Cavalry Field".
Adams County Apple Country:
The area surrounding Gettysburg is world famous for its apple growing. There is even a National Apple Museum located about 7 miles north of Gettysburg on Rt. 394 with many interesting exhibits on display in the 1897 restored barn. The museum is open from April to October on weekends. From Gettysburg, take Rt. 34 North 7 miles to Rt 394. Turn left. Go three blocks and the museum is on the left. Be sure to ask about the Apple Blossom and Apple Harvest festivals if you visit in May or October. The phone number at the museum is 717-677-4556.