More than 150 years since the Battle of Gettysburg – one of the most notorious events of the American Civil War – visitors arrive in their thousands each week to pay their respects.
Cannon on the battlefield (Photo: Bruce.Emmerling via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Gettysburg will always be known as the battleground of one of the American Civil War’s bloodiest battles, as well as the site of President Lincoln’s best-known speech. Although only a small town, Gettysburg, PA looms large in the American imagination. It is a place where the embattled idea of America was ultimately salvaged in what is considered to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War. Upwards of 23,000 participants on either side were injured in the fields around Gettysburg, while around seven to eight thousand soldiers lost their lives during the three-day battle.
The Gettysburg Battlefield holds a number of significant memorials, as well as key markers where significant skirmishes and shifts in the battle’s ebb and flow took place. For example, the boulder-strewn Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, which neighbor what would become known as the Valley of Death on the second day of the battle. Most of the battlefield today is contained within Gettysburg National Military Park, which is designed to help visitors better understand the events of July 1st to 3rd 1863.
A structure on Little Round Top (Photo: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
One of the best ways to appreciate the rolling landscape’s role in the battle is to first visit the Museum and Visitor Center. There are 12 galleries within the museum depicting the battle as well as the broader Civil War. A 30-minute film, ‘A New Birth of Freedom’ narrated by Morgan Freeman, and the Cyclorama, a giant painting and diorama depicting the doomed infantry assault known as Pickett’s Charge, are other major attractions casting light on that tumultuous past. The site measures around three miles across and can be accessed by car, although there are more era-appropriate and fun ways to explore Gettysburg too, such as on horseback. See the Tickets and Tours sections below for more information.
Bonus tourist stop: The Eisenhower National Historic Site, former home of the 34th American President, is also a major Gettysburg attraction. Tours of Eisenhower’s home and some military exhibits from his time as a US Army General are available.
Pennsylvania State Memorial at Gettysburg (Photo: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
TICKETS
Entry to Gettysburg Battlefield is free of charge, although some of the experiences within Gettysburg National Military Park are accessible only with a fee, such as the Museum Experience, Cyclorama and film. The major US national parks passes, including America the Beautiful, the Golden passes and the Federal Recreational Lands Passes, are not accepted at the museum.
Full access tickets that include entry to the Museum Experience, Cyclorama and ‘A New Birth of Freedom’ film, cost around $15 per adult and teenagers, $14 for Veterans and senior citizens, and $10 for children aged 6–12. Children aged 5 and under go free. Museum Experience only tickets cost around $15 per adult and teenagers, $9 for Veterans and $7 for children aged 6–12. If you’re keen to book ahead and enjoy a skip-the-line entry on arrival, ticket bookings for just the museum can be made in advance at Viator.
Gettysburg sunset cannon (Photo: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
TOURS
For many, exploring Gettysburg with a licenced tour guide can be the most enjoyable and illuminating experience. There are some excellent fully-organised trips available that include transportation between the landmarks, sometimes by less conventional means. The three tour options below are designed to give you a sense of what’s available when visiting Gettysburg National Military Park, as well as information on how to book them.
Gettysburg Battlefield Bus Tour
Learn all about the push and pull of the three-day battle from the comfort of an air-conditioned minibus (max. capacity nine people). This two-hour bus journey passes by the main flashpoint landmarks of Gettysburg, including Devil’s Den, and the site of Pickett’s Charge. You’ll get the chance to disembark at these sites briefly, before your guide resumes their lively history lesson. This is a great choice for Civil War history buffs. Please check ahead for the operating days of this tour, as it sometimes only runs at weekends during the low season. After the tour, you may want to re-energise (at your own expense) at the on-site restaurant located in the visitor centre or at one of the many restaurants in Gettysburg. From $41 per person.
Gettysburg Battlefield Guided Carriage Tour
If a bus sounds underwhelmingly 21st century to you, there’s an option to explore the battlefield in a horse-drawn carriage instead. Group sizes are capped at ten people, so there’ll be ample opportunity to get any pressing questions answered, as well as no issues in hearing the oratory of your guide to the events that unfolded on the very landscape you’re traversing back in 1863. The carriage tour takes place at a gentle pace for maximum comfort and makes for a particularly memorable experience. Please note that this tour does not run on Wednesdays. From $73 per person.
Gettysburg sunset (Photo: kjarrett via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Guided Battlefield Tour from Washington, D.C.
For visitors to Washington DC, the Battlefields of Gettysburg also make for a popular excursion. Located around 1.45 hours away from the US capital by road, you can comfortably visit the site in a single day, such as on this guided tour that includes pick-up and drop-off by comfortable van. Over the course of 9 hours, you and your small group will travel by road to Gettysburg where you’ll learn about the events of the battle through in-depth narrative delivered by a licensed guide. Food is not included in the tour price. From $1,376 per group (max 5 people)
HOURS & DIRECTIONS
All sites across the Gettysburg National Military Park have seasonal opening times. The roads into and within the park and grounds are open to the public earlier and close later than many of the buildings. From Apr–Oct they are open daily from 6am–10pm; From Nov–Mar they are open daily from 6am–7pm.
The Soldiers’ National Cemetery follows similar opening hours to the park and grounds.
The Museum and Visitor Center is open most days except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years days. Apr–Oct on Thurs–Mon from 9am–4pm; Nov–Mar daily from 9am–5pm.
Directions: Gettysburg is on US Route 15 north to south between Harrisburg and Frederick and Route 30 from East to West. You can also take the Northwest Expressway out of Baltimore and continue straight on when it becomes Baltimore Blvd. This road will lead to the battlefield before it reaches Gettysburg town.
Gettysburg National Military Park is located just to the south of Gettysburg town. From the town center, head south on Baltimore Street, following the brown signs for a few hundred yards. Soon Baltimore St will be Baltimore Pike, lined by cannons and other accoutrements of war on the left hand side and cemetery headstones on the right. The main entrance will be on your right at the stop light and is well marked.
Public Transport: True to US form, public transport is a less than ideal way to get from one town to another in Pennsylvania. The 15N is a direct bus running twice daily from Harrisburg in the mid to late afternoon into the center of Gettysburg.
Battle of Gettysburg re-enactment (Photo: David via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)