Budget trip to Gettysburg

[Octoberbride03]

Trying to plan a fall trip to Gettysburg. Need advice to get best bang for the buck. This is my first trip there.

We're thinking of staying at KOA in a 1 room Kabin during the week.

Questions are how long do we need to go for to see the city right?
Also which tours give most bang for our buck? There are a lot of them.
Any good reasonably priced restaurants to hit while we're there?

TIA

 

[Secretmagic]

I've been to Gettysburg many times and stayed at this campground. It's wonderful. Some evenings they offer programs of their own (ex.- ghost storyteller). They also have a binder with menues from the local restaurants. The Kabins are nice, you need to bring your own linens/sleeping bags. I prefer self guided tours, I like to go at my own pace. The campground also offers info on this. Don't miss the Eisenhower farm. You will tour their home with their original belongings still in place. Don't wait to make reservations, they sell out fast in the fall. Let me know if you have more questions.

 

[scard192]

We did the self guided driving tour and really liked it. We went at our own pace and being there in the summer the A/C in the car was wonderful. Plus we could go at our own pace. It's been a few years but I don't remember the price of the tape being all that expensive.

It's also nice that alot of stuff at Gettysburg is free.

One of my best vacations ever.

 

[Octoberbride03]

I have the visitors guide and looks like an awesome place to go. Sad thing is i grew up in PA and my parents never took us. I was thinking 3-4 days maybe. Does that sound like too much or just right in terms of stay?

 

[Secretmagic]

That sounds about right. I really wouldn't pay for a tour aside from renting the tape for self guided. There are some free ranger programs available at the visitor's center. Do you have children? If you think that you had relatives that fought in the war take their names along. There are computers in the visitors center where you can look them up.

 

[momoflizandains]

I have always wanted to travel to Gettysburg. This sounds like a good trip for the fall.

 

[Octoberbride03]

No children, just me and DH.

How dog accessible is Gettysburg? Are they allowed on the grounds of the park or just certain places. Not really sure what to do about our dog yet. Take him with us or what

Don't know of any relatives who fought in the war. Though its rumored I had an aunt hanged back then.

 

[ncbyrne]

If you think that you had relatives that fought in the war take their names along. There are computers in the visitors center where you can look them up.

Can you look up anyone who served during the Civil War, or just at the Battle of Gettysburg?

 

[Secretmagic]

No children, just me and DH.

How dog accessible is Gettysburg? Are they allowed on the grounds of the park or just certain places. Not really sure what to do about our dog yet. Take him with us or what

Don't know of any relatives who fought in the war. Though its rumored I had an aunt hanged back then.

I believe that the battlefields are dog friendly, but not the buildings. The campground has a very cute doggie playground, but I'm not sure that I would take my dog because I would be so limited with buildings and restaurants.

I found out in Gettysburg that one of my relatives was demoted in rank, don't feel bad!

 

[Octoberbride03]

What time is normal check-in at KOA? can't seem to find an answer on site. We're driving from VA probably about 6-7hrs away for us

 

[Secretmagic]

Can you look up anyone who served during the Civil War, or just at the Battle of Gettysburg?

I'm almost positive that you can look up anyone that fought in the war, not just Gettysburg. If you have a common name bring as much info as you may have(if any). They have volunteers in the resource room to help you navigate the computer. I have an unusual last name and I discovered that it was misspelled may different ways and I needed to try different combinations. I also discovered that our family records said that my closest relative was in the 13th NJ but was actually in the 30th NJ. (which is a shame because his gravestone says 13th NJ).

 

[Secretmagic]

What time is normal check-in at KOA? can't seem to find an answer on site. We're driving from VA probably about 6-7hrs away for us

I'm really not sure. I want to say 3pm but I couldn't swear to it. I didn't see it on the web site either.

 

[PrncesKMW]

Skip the money spent on the tour and purchase the Gettysburg Expedition Guide by travelbrains. You can get for about $30 on amazon and perhaps cheaper on e-Bay. This is a wonderful self-guided tour you take in your car through the battlefield. You can pace yourself and get out of the car and look at some things more in depth, or skip certain things all together.

Guide consists of a dvd for at home use, cds for in the car, and a spiral bound guide that shows maps, pics of the generals/others involved, and details on the battle.

I can't say enough about this guide - it was great!

Also, if you have kids, they will like Boyds Bear Country, which is a stones throw from the battlefield and also near some fairly nice outlets.

 

[pooh4brains]

You should really make sure to check out the new Visitor's Center, even though it costs a bit of cash now. You can see a movie, the newly refurbished Cyclorama, and the new museum for one fee. The museum is really great - see it first for a great explanation of the battle, or see it last as a good way to sum up. Check out the Nat;l Park Service site for info...

I can't say enough about the free ranger tours. You can pick up a schedule at the ranger desk. Do a self-guided tour of the battlefield, and then use the rangers to fill in the blanks. They know a lot of great info, and can tell some great stories about the specific areas of the battlefield.

Another Gettysburg classic is the Dobbin House restaurant. It has a tavern-style downstairs with sandwiches and a bar, and upstairs it has "fine" dining. It can be pricey, but it's also fun. Otherwise, the Lincoln Diner is fun. It's a trolley car with diner food, sorta sketchy, but also great. At least it used to be!

 

[Angeni11]

At the visitor center you used to be able to pick up a map for free that had points marked so you could take your own free guided tour. That is what we always did (I used to go there several times a year when I lived about an hour away).

Didn't cost anything and you could skip what you didn't want to see.

 

[maleficentmom]

we stay the Wyndham, and they have a really nice restaurant there(linen tablecloths,upscale) that is quite cheap for lunch and there is the best movie theatre we have been to right in front,and it is practically deserted for weekday matinees(at least when we went both times in June). Hoss's is a nice family restaurant with a great salad/homemade soup and bread bar,plus steaks,etc(think a really good,clean Ponderosa)....we always do Friendlys,usually they have 2 meals for around $15 that includes drinks and ice cream dessert, Dobbins is supposed to be good,but busy. Boyds is wonderful,take your camera to take pics of scenery. They have a restaurant that used to be quite good/cheaper...i think its buffet now,call first for days/times,no tipping per their request! Ghosts of Gettysburg tour is great.

 

[Swimalie]

I'll second the visitor's center. We went this past Feb and it's amazing. Well worth the price. Their cafe on site is really good, too. It's a replica of an old building and the food is really yummy. They did a great job with the hole visitor's center. Even kept my 5 year old's attention.

Bring some good walking shoes. Some of the spots are a good distance from where you can park and some are up some slopes. It was even harder since we went while there was still snow. But the views are so pretty.

 

[paminpa]

Never had any camping experience but can recommend Larson's Quality Inn- very clean rooms and good prices- we stayed many times before we moved here.
The visitor's center is a must & bring your walking shoes- it's a BIG Battlefield!
Food: most of the chain restaurants are here: Friendly's, TGIF, Ruby Tuesday, etc. If you like Mexican our favorite is El Costeno- local favorite!
Enjoy your time in Gettysburg

 

[Octoberbride03]

Reservations are made

Got a 1 room Kabin for 3 nights. Soo looking forward to going. Haven't been excited about going anyplace since I got off the Magic in 2008 Only thing left to do is decide what we're doing with our dog and cockatiel for the week. Good thing we have plenty of time.

Definitely want to hear more about local restaurants. Thanks so much. its gonna be a great trip

 

[kristinw3girls]

Love going there. We stayed in the KOA cabins 2 summers ago. Bring some wood for a fire. The fire pit was cool. The room was very clean, but I didn't realize we needed linens, so we were a little cold at night. (DH kept the ac on Antarctic !! ). Watch the movie either before or during the trip, it's great. We found plenty of chain places to eat at a low price. Dogs can be on the battlefields, but not the buildings and not in the cemetery. I'd bring hiking shoes and bottled water and some snacks. The driving tour is great. You can stop and explore, then move on when ready. We also had the cd guided tour and kept it interesting for our girls. Have fun, I love going in the fall. It's much cooler then July!!