Gettysburg National Military Park

We traveled from California to see the sites at Gettysburg. We were not disappointed. It is beautiful, full of amazing stories and history. Recommend getting a guide to drive you around. We had "Dave" for 2 hours and he was a wealth of information. After his tour, we went back to explore things further on our own. We spent 8 hours in the park, and still could have seen more. So much to see and learn.

-The visitors center was great, and I would recommend the movie narrarated by Morgan Freeman that can be seen in the movie theatre prior to taking a tour of the park. There was a decent eatery and a great gift shop as well -We bought a CD tour that can be played in a cars CD player and we took the tour on our own. It gave very good information about the battle. If you listen to the whole tour and do exactly what it says (It will tell you to stop at a certain point and listen) the tour will take a few hours. While this may be good for the history lover, I would not recommend following the tour the whole way. -The park is very scenic without the history to begin with. Many authentic civil war cannons line the road to make it kid friendly and to give a feel of the battle. There are several monuments and it is the largest display of outdoor sculpture in the world. -The best places in the park to go to if you do not plan on doing a guided tour are McPherson's Ridge, Little Round Top, Devils Den, Pennsylvania Monument, and the Wheatfield. These places show many of the characteristics of war and explain the strategies well. The Pennsylvania Monument is the largest monument in the park and has an observatory at the top well worth the climb up the spiral staircase. Overall, this was a great experience and was good for everyone in the family.

Words canot express how much I love this place, Wonderfull enviorment, Loads of history, and so much fun. I wish I could live here. I plan to go back many times. You must see the battlefield. Getysburg is my favorite town ever.

The Visitor's Center should be the first stop in your visit. Pay to see the movie narrated by Morgan Freeman ($8) -- well done, well worth it. The computer Resource Center is excellent, staffed by a wonderful volunteer named Judy who helped us find an ancestor who fought in the battle. The docents/staff were wonderful about helping us find our way and deciding how to spend our day. The American Civil War Museum inside the Visitor Center was outstanding. Great to see our tax dollars being spent in such a way that helps educate our citezenry (I'm being serious, not sacastic). Way to go, National Park Service -- this park/Center is OUTSTANDING.

Gettysburg National Military Park is such a wonderful place to visit for those who love history and for those who (like me) didn't realize how moving historical parks can be. To truly appreciate your visit, the first time visitor should know some of what happened here and why it was such a significant event in our history. Go to the library or on the internet and read up on this important battle. Learn a little about the key characters involved (Lee, Meade, Buford, Chamberlain, Longstreet, Pickett) and some of the lesser known names (John Burns, Jenny Wade). Watch the movie "Gettysburg" to get a visual feel for some of what took place in these fields 145 years ago. Read the Gettysburg Address. Once prepared, start your day at the beautiful new Visitor's Center to get you brushed up on your Civil War and Gettysburg history. I strongly recommend that all first time visitors sign up for a personal Tour Guide to view the battlefield. The guides are very knowledgeable and will drive you and your family in your car around the park for 2 hours (approximately $55 total). It is well worth it as you can ask as many questions you like. Using what you learned from the Tour Guide, spend the next day following the driving tour around the park at your leisure. Be sure to get out of the car and read the interpretive signs, take pictures, and just appreciate what it was like to have been there at the time. Before you know it you will want to visit other battlefields like Antietam (1 hour south in Sharpsburg, MD) and then on to Harper's Ferry, WV (only 20 minutes from Antietam). Enjoy your visit.

What I liked most about gettysburg national Military Park was the dedication to the reverance of this small town in our nation's history.To walk among the many monuments and graves of our civil war dead is to appreciate the supreme sacrifice these men gave to bring about an end to this terrible war. The serenity of the Peach Orchid is blissful now, but then it was a scene of death and destruction. Our children must understand what happened here and we as a nation must never forget the struggles that brought man against man to fight for their beliefs. Let's keep history alive.

I was overwelmed when I arrived at the great battlefields. Standing on top of Little Round Top looking out over the fields. I could just invision those men running across the cold snow covered fields with muskets in hand and thousands of them never returning home. Was it worth it I would say yes. Going on the self guided auto tour, at our own pace, was great. All it cost was the cost of the CD and the gas to drive around Gettysburg. I would highly recommend everyone to go.

Liked that you could see this at your own pace. Plan on having SEVERAL hours or more to really be able to see everything! If you have small kids, I'd recommend splitting this up into 2 days if possible.

our family made a mini vacation this past memorial day. we had a great time touring the battlefield. we really needed more days added on to our vacation; to be able to visit everything. i know this battlefield has changed so much since i can remember. the last time i was here was at the age of twelve. trying to remember points of interest was very hard. even to this day a month later i'm still sure we missed a whole lot of important sights. dislikes: we had to return home again. we will make it back to see more important sights..........

I love going to Gettysburg, I live close enough that I could go all the time if I wanted. Its just ones of those places that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen it, your always asking more questions and finding more answers. Great place for a family to visit or just to have a picnic on a da off. So many things to see with everything that went on there buring the battle. Also if you are into Ghost Hunting it is a must. Go grab something to eat and head out onto the Battlefield. Just don't forget to bring a camera for all the memories and/or Ghosts that might be wondering around...