Gettysburg -budget lodging & attractions?

[TinkOhio]

We have decided to tale a couple of road trips this summer break, and Gettysburg is one of the places that we are strongly considering. Our party consists of my DH, DS20, DD13 and myself. I think that the guys will especially love this trip. Can anyone recommend a clean place with a pool that is close to attractions and won't break the bank? Also, what are the must-see/do places, and where might we find discounts for those them? Any favorites that you might suggest?

TIA for any help!

 

[GeorgiaH]

We stayed at the Quality Inn Gettysburg, very nice place, reasonably priced and great location. We did a Segway tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. It was awesome!! (we are in our 50's and loved the segway)

 

[GoofyMomInOhio]

We stayed in York, PA since my DH was there on business but it is an hour or so away. The kids loved the Gettysburg National Park museum ~ http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm
We also drove through the battlefields and they loved imagining where the soldiers would have hid/battled.
GeorgiaH ~ that Segway tour sounds awesome!!

 

[heartsy77]

We stayed at the Gettysburg campground in our camper; however, they had cabins too. My kids really liked the activities: the civil war dance, pool , arcade, etc. We also spent a whole day at the national museum site; we bought our tickets online at home (slightly cheaper) and took a bus tour. It was great to ride around with a guide that knew everything on an air conditioned bus!

 

[eeyorethegreat]

Gettysburrg is a great place. We went to the museum as one mentioned, very interesting and bought a cd and did the car tour t hrough the battlefields. We could do it on our own pace and get out and look around at o ur leisure. It was well worth it. There are lots of hole in the wall attractions. In in town Gettysburg . We also visited the Shriver House which was one of my favorite places. They also have a house cat not sure if she is still there.

 

[3boymthr]

We also stayed at the Quality Inn. Be aware there are two of them. This is the one we stayed at http://www.thegettysburgaddress.com/ You get free admission to the museum (which is very small but fun) with your room card. They also have live re-enactors camped in front of the museum. This hotel is right across the street from the battlefield, not in the middle of downtown. Rooms were really nice for the price - very large. We were able to stay 5 in one room at no add'l charge. Also includes continental breakfast which can be a huge money saver.

Our friends recommended doing the Ghost tours, we didn't have time as we were doing a flying visit but saw a bunch of people on them and wished we could have done one.

 

[ljcraw555]

We went last fall and stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Carlisle. It's about 20 minutes from Gettysburg. The room and hotel was very nice.

We also went into town (it's a college town) and ate a great pub called Market Cross Pub. I highly recommend it!!

We also did the driving tour and my DH actually walked Pickett's Charge. I dropped him off on the one side and drove the car to the other side. This was more a trip for him as he is a HUGE history buff. I didn't really care to walk Pickett's Charge and I was happy as a clam to drive to the other side and wait.

 

[WDWham]

Driving back from Washington DC, we stayed at the Eisenhower. We thought it was pretty nice and the staff was great.

http://www.eisenhower.com/

 

[Mouseless2Long]

Love, love, love Gettysburg! The museum and driving tour of the battleground are very moving and a must-do activity. We love walking around town in the evening and we always have dinner at The Dobbin House. It's a house that was built in 1776 and has been turned into a restaurant. You eat by candlelight and the servers are dressed in period costumes. Love it! If you want to spend a little less, they do offer a lunch in the tavern part of the restaurant that is great too!

 

[glasslipper]

My dd is attending Gettysburg college this fall! We have only stayed at B&Bs, but there are many great places to stay. I am looking forward to checking out some of them during the next 4 years! We have only dined at the Pub, decent food, favorite college hangout. I wouldn't stay in Carlisle, while it is a college town(Dickinson College), it is also a huge truck stop area and it is a bit out of the way.
Have fun, Gettysburg is an awesome town!

 

[ehstrojette]

We stayed with a family of 7 at the eisenhower and it was really nice there. we stayed in a suite and I was surprised how cheap it was. There is a gocart amusement placeright next door to it to with a nice walking path to it.

 

[Mouseless2Long]

In my earlier post, I forgot to mention the hotel we usually stay in. The 1863 Inn of Gettysburg (used to be a Holiday Inn) is great. My main criteria for a hotel is that it be clean, and we've never had a problem there. It's in walking distance of many restaurants (including the Dobbin House!) and a very short drive (about 1 mile) to the visitor center. Parking in Gettysburg can be a challenge, so we usually park and just walk to most places. The rates run around $120/night, and they offer a free breakfast.

 

[paminpa]

I would agree with 3boymthr- Larson's Quality Inn very nice place to stay- clean and looks out on the battlefield.

 

[pooh4brains]

Since I don't know much about the hotels, I thought I would fill you in re: some of the possible ways to tour the battlefield, and must-see attractions.

A great to see the entire battlefield is to hire a park guide to ride with you in your car. It's around 40 bucks, and they drive your car for you so you can see everything. They will get you out of the car at least 4 times, and can gear the tour to your interests. They know SO much about the battle, and it's really a great way to tour. If you are seriously interested in this option you should try to get to where they sign out the guides when they open. The guides are self-employed, meaning they show up when they want and sign up to go out on tour, and so they operate on a first come first served basis. For example, you could get there at 10, and pick up a guide at that very moment, or not be able to get a guide til later in the day. You take your chances with this option the longer you wait.

You can also take a bus tour with a guide which also provides a nice overview. Another option is to buy a CD to play as you drive yourselves around the battlefield.

The new visitor's center is awesome. Check out the National Park Service website for more info on that. They have great ranger-led walking tours - 2 that I would recommend for first-timers are the Day 3 tour and the Nat'l Cemetery tour. Just pick up a tour schedule at the ranger desk inside the visitor's center. All ranger-led programs are free and are well worth your time.

The Schriver House is great - it's a small museum that a family has refurbished to look as it did at the time of the battle. It's worth a trip - it would probably take about 30-45 minutes to tour. It helps put life in the town in 1863 in perspective.

Hope that helps. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have!

 

[3boymthr]

I would agree with 3boymthr- Larson's Quality Inn very nice place to stay- clean and looks out on the battlefield.

Oh and I forgot to mention the best part was the price. In may vary by date, but I paid less than $70/night. We were there the middle of August.

 

[SuperRhino]

We just spent 2 days there this month! I loved it! We stayed at the Motel6 it was clean quiet and fairly cheap! It had a nice pool.

We spent a day doing the battlefields with a 3 CD recorded guide book and it only cost me $25 compared to the 40 or 50 for the field guide! The visitors center was very nice!

We also went to the outlets. My DH just had to eat at TGIFridays!

 

[TinkOhio]

Wow! Thanks for all of the help. It sounds like this trip will have something for the whole family. I know that the guys and I will have fun touring. Hope our DD13 does, too. What outlets are neraby? If there is a pool and shopping, she'll have fun too.

Would you consider this a two-night trip?