Gettysburg Recommendations

[Amy]

DH and I went last weekend and had an awesome time!

We did the Segway tour 8am Saturday - only one other couple wanted to get up that early, so there were only 4 of us on the tour. It was so much fun!! We did the 2.5 hour western battlefield tour, $65 per person. You get 1/2 hour of training in the parking lot prior to the tour (so it basically takes 3 hours), and the Segways were really easy to learn to ride. You're hooked up to an audio tour, get 3 breaks, and the tour guide has water and snacks to everyone. You cover a LOT of ground, but it was worth every penny. If you have the time, DO IT!!

(I must admit to feeling kind of weird to be having so much fun on the battlefields where so many men died, plus we did our Segway tour on 9/11.)

After our Segway tour, we spent some time at the visitors center, saw the movie and the Cyclorama. Went through the museum, but we didn't spend as much time as DH and I would have liked because we spent the afternoon at the Wine Festival.

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard, which is a little bit outside of town, mainly because last weekend was the Gettysburg Wine and Music Festival, and the Marriott had a great package deal for the Festival and was in walking distance. Nice festival, brought home a lot of wine.

Let's see, for dinner Friday night we ate at the Dobbin House, in the Springhouse in the basement. The Dobbin House has 2 restaurants, a fancier one upstairs and the Springhouse in the basement, a little more casual. The Springhouse has this drink called Rum Bellies Revenge, and they have a limit of 2 per person. No wonder - I had one, sipped it slowly and made it last thru appetizer, salad, main course and dessert, and I was very glad DH was driving!! The food was extremely good, too.

Saturday night we ate at the Farnsworth House Inn (which is supposed to be haunted). Another delicious meal. There's a ghost story/seance thing in the basement, but we didn't do that.

We DID do a Ghosts of Gettysburg tour; we chose the Seminary Ridge tour. Had a great guide, very entertaining. Didn't see any ghosts, though.

I wish we'd spent more time in Gettysburg; I think if we'd skipped the Wine Festival and had spent that afternoon exploring the battlefields and the museum, that would have been enough time. I guess we'll jsut have to go back! And this time we'll do TWO Segway tours - both the Western and Eastern battlefield tours. (Yes, it was THAT much fun!!

 

[crazyme5kids]

We went in Aug., and did the self guided audio tour, which worked well for us. We also took a two hour horseback riding tour that we enjoyed, I thought it was well worth the money.

 

[Octoberbride03]

DH and I went last weekend and had an awesome time!

We did the Segway tour 8am Saturday - only one other couple wanted to get up that early, so there were only 4 of us on the tour. It was so much fun!! We did the 2.5 hour western battlefield tour, $65 per person. You get 1/2 hour of training in the parking lot prior to the tour (so it basically takes 3 hours), and the Segways were really easy to learn to ride. You're hooked up to an audio tour, get 3 breaks, and the tour guide has water and snacks to everyone. You cover a LOT of ground, but it was worth every penny. If you have the time, DO IT!!

(I must admit to feeling kind of weird to be having so much fun on the battlefields where so many men died, plus we did our Segway tour on 9/11.)

After our Segway tour, we spent some time at the visitors center, saw the movie and the Cyclorama. Went through the museum, but we didn't spend as much time as DH and I would have liked because we spent the afternoon at the Wine Festival.

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard, which is a little bit outside of town, mainly because last weekend was the Gettysburg Wine and Music Festival, and the Marriott had a great package deal for the Festival and was in walking distance. Nice festival, brought home a lot of wine.

Let's see, for dinner Friday night we ate at the Dobbin House, in the Springhouse in the basement. The Dobbin House has 2 restaurants, a fancier one upstairs and the Springhouse in the basement, a little more casual. The Springhouse has this drink called Rum Bellies Revenge, and they have a limit of 2 per person. No wonder - I had one, sipped it slowly and made it last thru appetizer, salad, main course and dessert, and I was very glad DH was driving!! The food was extremely good, too.

Saturday night we ate at the Farnsworth House Inn (which is supposed to be haunted). Another delicious meal. There's a ghost story/seance thing in the basement, but we didn't do that.

We DID do a Ghosts of Gettysburg tour; we chose the Seminary Ridge tour. Had a great guide, very entertaining. Didn't see any ghosts, though.

I wish we'd spent more time in Gettysburg; I think if we'd skipped the Wine Festival and had spent that afternoon exploring the battlefields and the museum, that would have been enough time. I guess we'll jsut have to go back! And this time we'll do TWO Segway tours - both the Western and Eastern battlefield tours. (Yes, it was THAT much fun!!

Just how was the audio hookup for the Segway tour? Was it earbud or headphones? I have a cochlear implant so I donj't know if the audio hookup is doable for me, but I'd LOVE to try a Segway tour.

 

[Amy]

Just how was the audio hookup for the Segway tour? Was it earbud or headphones? I have a cochlear implant so I donj't know if the audio hookup is doable for me, but I'd LOVE to try a Segway tour.

The audio was an earbud - it hooked over your ear. The other couple that did the tour with us - I saw the husband putting his hearing aid back in after the tour. I know a hearing aid is completely different from a cochlear implant, so I don't know if that helps you or not.

If you really want to do a Segway tour, you might want to email them ahead of time and ask if the audio will work for you. They may have an alternative already figured out for you. You don't have to pay ahead of time (they just hold a place for you free of charge), so if you get there and it doesn't work for your situation, you won't lose any money.

 

[fluffycow333]

OK, we have about 2 weeks left before we head up. Who's back since this thread started and how was the trip?

Dh and i cannot wait to go

Question about Miss Betty's. Is there a place in town to stop and reserve her tour or is phone/email the only option. I didn't see any locations listed on her site except for the touring partners/inns specials that were listed. And do we drive ourselves on the tour or does she have a van or bus that we can board?

Oh and if anybody has done both Ms. Betty's and the Ghosts of Gettysburg I'd love to hear comparisons. Pictures of orbs on Ms. Betty's site don't mean anything to me. I don't buy into that theory.

Thanks

I belive you either have to call or e-mail her. You will drive yourselves on the tour to the destination, then you will park and get out at whatever stop you are at. When we went, it was only four of us plus Miss Betty so we all carpooled. I have'nt taken any other tours, but Miss Betty is allowed to go to sites that the other tours are not, and she also takes smaller groups and gets you away from the crowds so it is spookier and things are more likely to happen.

 

[Amy]

Another alternative for battlefield tours: you can hire a private guide at the Visitor's Center. I'm not sure how much it costs, but there's a minimum of 2 or 3 hours. The tour guide will get in your car and he/she will drive. I'm sure they have a planned route, but they'll also visit specific places if you want. I was reading some posts on Trip Advisor, and apparently the battelfield bus tour doesn't go in chronological order as the events happened. Whatever site is next along the route is what they talk about. Someone on Trip Advisor who's really into the Civil War hired a private guide to take them to the diff. battlefields in the order that the various battles happened.