Living in Northern Virginia, we are surrounded by Civil War history. Given that we are only 90 minutes away from Gettysburg, PA we decided a weekend trip was doable and would be a great way to learn more about our country’s history. Not only is it where President Lincoln gave his famous “Gettysburg Address” but it is also the northernmost battle of the Civil War and what has now been noted as the turning point of the war.
I’ll admit other than the “Gettysburg” episode of The Office, I probably haven’t thought much about Gettysburg since high school American History. Leading up to our trip, I made sure to not only plan our trip to the National Park, but also relearn a few key points from the battle. If you are planning a trip to Gettysburg, PA soon, I hope that you find this blog to be helpful!
Tips for Gettysburg with kids:
- Do age appropriate “research” with them prior to the trip! Our kids were 5 and 7 at the time when we visited the park, so they had not learned much about the Civil War in school. I figured they would see a lot of reenactors, photos, and possibly graphic images when exploring the National Military Park. So we decided to talk to them ahead of time about the historic significance of Gettysburg. Below are some books we read with our children prior to our trip.
- Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne
- Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln by Jean Fritz
- What Was The Battle of Gettysburg? by Jim O’Connor
Remember- you can always get these books at your local library as well! My husband and I also watched the 1993 film “Gettysburg” prior to going which is based off the book “The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War”
- Plan to spend time at the Visitors Center. This is where your kids can sign up to be Junior Rangers at both Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site.
This is also where you can pick up your park map and stop by the gift shop! The Visitors Center is beautiful, air conditioned, and has plenty of clean bathrooms as well! - Consider getting tickets for the Film, Cyclorama, and Museum. The film is narrated by Morgan Freeman and discusses the lead up to the Battle of Gettysburg and its significance as a turning point in the Civil War.
After viewing the film, guests are able to step inside history and view the Gettysburg Cyclorama. “This fantastic painting brings the fury of the final Confederate assault on July 3, 1863 to life, providing the viewer with a sense of what occurred at the battle long touted as the turning point of the Civil War.”
A depiction from Gettysburg Cyclorama This Cyclorama was completed just a few years after the War ended and veterans of the battle spoke of the painting’s realism. Tickets for the film, Cyclorama, and museum are FREE for Active Duty Military and children under 5. Other ticket options can be purchased at the Visitors Center. The Cyclorama can be loud – you can ask an employee for headsets if you are worried about your kids being sensitive to loud noises.
- Take the auto tour option. Gettysburg National Military Park covers much of the town of Gettysburg and there are many means of transportation to see the entire park. Hiking, biking, bus tours, horse tours, or driving the grounds yourself. My family chose to do the Auto Tour ourselves and found it very educational and easy to follow along. You’ll want to download the free NPS App prior to going. It is recommended to save the park ahead and download for offline use since cell phone service in the park can be spotty. (CD’s can also be purchased at the Visitors Center gift shop or possibly found at your local library! Our car does not have a CD player so the app worked perfectly for us.)
The driving tour takes you through the three day battle chronologically and has a total of 16 stops. You can choose which spots to stop at and listen on the app as a Park Ranger explains the historic significance of each location. NPS recommends a minimum of 3 hours if you are planning to complete the entire tour. - Bring binoculars for yourself and your children. Throughout the self guided auto
tour, there are a few spots with observation towers that you can climb. We brought our kids binoculars and they enjoyed being able to see further out with them. They also thought it was fun to try to spot our hotel from high up!
View from Culps Hill Observation Tower - Have a picnic in the park! I was glad my friend and fellow contributor Katie made this suggestion to me. There are two designated picnic areas in the park and it was a fun way to break up our auto tour. Just be sure to clean up after yourselves!
The town of Gettysburg also has lots of great restaurants, cafes, ghost tours, gift shops, and ice cream shops. Some of our favorite spots from our trip were:
Tommy’s Pizza
Cone Sweet Cone
Dobbin House Tavern
The town is very walkable and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from whenever you are hungry! There are many hotel options at Gettysburg and they tend to book up quickly! For our trip we stayed at the Inn at Cemetery Hill. The rooms were clean and spacious and there was free breakfast every morning!
Gettysburg National Military Park was a very informative and fun weekend getaway for our family. We were very impressed by the Visitors Center and Cyclorama and definitely recommend anyone visiting the park get tickets for that. It is a very sobering experience to be walking amongst history.
Have you been to Gettysburg recently?
