Things to do in Gettysburg

[leahjade]

on a budget that are worth doing? Anyone know how much the auto tour costs?

 

[jamiesmom07]

It has been a few years since we have been there (probably 5), we got the auto tour from our public library and took it with us!

 

[DVC-Don]

I spent 2 whole days touring the battlefield in my own car with a tour CD.

 

[luvtheworld16]

Gettysburg is one of my favorite vacations. The first few times we drove around in our car without any official tour cds. Once we toured on the double decker tour bus. The tour bus was nice but I prefer touring on our own. There are maps and tour information available free at the local hotels.

 

[3boymthr]

From what I understand the Ghost tours are really fun. We didn't have time to do a tour, but we did drive out to the battlefield at night and it was really spooky, having a few stories to go along with that spookiness would have been really cool.

 

[Golf4food]

If you have an iPod/iPhone or other mp3 player you should be able to find mp3 audio tours for Gettysburg for free, or as others have said, perhaps a CD tour from a library, etc.

 

[Angeni11]

We usually just stop at the Visitor Center first and grab the Free self tour maps (although we don't always follow them all the time and skip some spots). Of course for us it was only an hour or so away so we just went up for the day.

 

[v.t.]

If you are traveling with kids they can sign up for the Juniour Ranger program. They get a badge when they finish the packet.

 

[Stefaliscious]

This day tour is 2 1/2 hours, low priced, and really quite fun for every age. It's "part theater, part adventure and part mystery." Search online: "Lincoln's Lost Treasure"

 

[kkozma]

We were just there last week. We stopped in the visitor center the first day and purchased the audio tour with a field guide. The guide was nice as it a bit confusing at first but the pictures of the field guide led us to each stop. The narrator took us from stop to stop and gave a great feel for what was happening each day at each stop. It was also like 98 degrees so we got a feel for the weather they faced as well. We did skip 2 stops and just skipped ahead on the CD. The CD costs $24 and I thought it was well worth the money. I was also pleased we could do things at our own pace in our car. It took us about 4 hours to do the whole thing but my husband might have taken longer than most at some spots(history buff).
My husband and adult children also did the ghost tour and loved it.

 

[Octoberbride03]

We were just there last week. We stopped in the visitor center the first day and purchased the audio tour with a field guide. The guide was nice as it a bit confusing at first but the pictures of the field guide led us to each stop. The narrator took us from stop to stop and gave a great feel for what was happening each day at each stop. It was also like 98 degrees so we got a feel for the weather they faced as well. We did skip 2 stops and just skipped ahead on the CD. The CD costs $24 and I thought it was well worth the money. I was also pleased we could do things at our own pace in our car. It took us about 4 hours to do the whole thing but my husband might have taken longer than most at some spots(history buff).
My husband and adult children also did the ghost tour and loved it.

4 hours?! Seriously?

We did the tour in Oct. or i should say Half of the tour We drove along for 5-6 hours and only finished the first disk I wouldn't call us history buffs either, but we loved this Quite informative and really got us into feeling the whole battle. We rented it for $10 at KOA.

The auto tour will cost way less than the bus and is a great value bought or rented We did a ghost tour as well but didn't see anything. The Black Cat tour was the 1 we did. It was decent.

 

[redshoes]

We just got back last week from Gettysburg. We bought the Auto CD and it was worth the money. My 9 year old, said this was his favorite part of our vacation (we did Hershey and a few other theme parks so that's saying a lot). We did the tour in 2 hours. We didn't get out of the car a ton, I have a one year old so getting in and out and buckling her carseat is a pain.The guide map that they give at the vistor's center has a ton of good information in it as well. Be advised that the town portion of Gettysburg is having some minor road construction so it can get a little bogged down with traffic. It's amazing to see a part of history come alive and I think that the CD did a great job of introducing this concept to my DS.

 

[maleficentmom]

From what I understand the Ghost tours are really fun. We didn't have time to do a tour, but we did drive out to the battlefield at night and it was really spooky, having a few stories to go along with that spookiness would have been really cool.

We have done 3 there,and "Ghosts of Gettysburg" was by far the best to us. The others were good,just not as professionally done. We always stay at Wyndham,with AAA discount, and go the restaurant there for lunch,and take in a movie at the great movie theater next door(cleanest theater i have ever been to,and practically dead during week at matinee).We eat Hoss usually twice, and eat the buffet at Boyds Bears(not huge,but super fresh and yummy).We always go to Boyds Bear Barn(huge) and take pics with the displays(use these on Christmas cards).I pick up a few bears on sale.We go to outlets(no tax on clothes when we were there).We go to Lancaster just to ride around and look at farms and shop at outlets there.

 

[htmom]

Well Boyds Bears is closed now for good.

We just went last weekend and had two kiddos with us (7 and 9) The nine year old has been to gettysburg lots the 7 yr old, this was her first time. We did Explore and More (small childrens museum that they loved) When we went upstairs in the art room they actually had my sons train still up there from when he was four (if you go look for the one that has Hunter on it lol)
The museum is meant for younger children but my nine yr old still loves it.

We also did the lincoln train museum. It is great for kids. They have a train layout and tons of cool old trains. Then you get to ride a cheesy "train car" and hear the conversations about what was going on during Lincolns ride to Gettysburg.

We did Devil's Den, the kids roamed around for about 2 hours here and then walked up to Little Round Top where the 7 yr old climbed the tower and yelled "Look, Im Tangled!" lol Everyone around us laughed.

Went to dinner at Friendly's because that is the kiddos ultimate fave dinner place. Then went home.

We have done the auto tour numerous times and the nine yr old loves it but the 7 yr old is a bit antsy normaly so we never took her.

Also the double decker tour buses are fun to do and don't forget Eisenhower's Farm!

The road work is a bit of a pain but its one of those things that they try and keep to the times of day it is least traveled.

 

[Tickla]

Wow-I want to go to Gettysburg so bad! However, due to DH work, we can only take vacations the last week of Nov thru the 1st week of Dec. Is Gettysburg possible during that time of year? (Are things even open to see?)

 

[udflyer]

We have been to Gettysburg in every season. It is fun to go in the winter because there are so few visitors and you seem to have the place to yourself. It gives you a whole new perspective.

I agree that the audio CD tour for your car is a great way to go if you want to go at your own pace. We have also done the bus tour from the Visitor's center and it is full of information.

Ghosts of Gettysburg is my favorite ghost tour, but Haunted Gettysburg is great also.

A great place for lunch is the tavern at the Dobbin House. You go into the basement and it has a great atmosphere.

The new Comfort Suites on Baltimore Pike backs up to Evergreen Cemetery and is a nice hotel in the middle of everything. Other hotels downtown are smaller and older.

Gettysburg has always been one of our favorite destinations. If you have every done letterboxing, there are a few boxes in G'burg......

 

[CarlisleMom]

Thanks for all the ideas. I have lived about 1 hour from Gettysburg for 8 years and have yet to do much there. Plan on taking my parents when they visit this summer.

I love the idea about the train exhibit. DD9 was just saying about taking Poppy (my dad) to Lancaster to see trains (which DH and I did with her last summer) since he loves them. Now it will be new to everyone!

 

[momplus3]

There is never a shortage of things to do in Gettysburg.

On weekends there are usually groups of Civil War reenactors around the battlefield at different locations. They have camp sites set up and do weapons demonstrations and cooking demonstrations. During the last week of June and the first week of July, there are battle reenactments around the anniversary of the battle - this is VERY cool.

 

[mystic_master]

Glad to know DIS'ers are in gettysburg. The Lincoln's Lost Treasure is a thing sort of like to the amazing race, or national treasure, scavenger hunt around the city, with actors, FBI agents and secret codes. Very well done. Google lincolns lost treasure.

Apparently the owner enjoys all things Disney....

Lincoln's Lost Treasure owners Doug Hieatzman, a professional magician and freelance designer for video and theater who has worked for Disney, agreed that Phil’s story was a captivating adventure – and was destined to be brought to life.

The live theater experience is family friendly and lasts about 2 hours. The mission is to find the lost treasure, finding clues and ciphers along the way that lead to it. The secret to locating the cache “lies with Bliss”, meaning the Bliss copy of the Gettysburg Address. Historically, Lincoln hand-copied five of his Gettysburg orations, giving them to his secretaries, John Hay and John Nicolay, to fellow Gettysburg orator Edward Everett, and to associates Bancroft and Bliss. Today, these copies are housed in various locales: one is in the Lincoln Bedroom at The White House, one is found at Cornell University in New York, one is in Springfield, Illinois; and two can be found in the Library of Congress. Mr. Cohen discovered during his research that the Nicolay copy is torn, with a corner missing – which has opened up many possibilities for adventure.

Hope to see some fellow DIS board people in gettysburg!

 

[Hanover]

We live about 15 minutes from Gettysburg and I second the auto tour and ghost tours. I know it isn't budget friendly, but there are also segway tours and horseback tours of the battlefield. Our favorite place to eat is the Dobbin House on Steinwehr Ave. There's a lot of history in the house and you can see an area where slaves hid. You could go in and see that if you didn't eat there too. There's a restaurant and a tavern, the tavern being less costly. Their French onion soup is wonderful. Gettysburg also has a homemade icecream store called Mr. G's on Baltimore St. that's very, very good.

We live in Hanover, home to Utz, Snyders and a few other snack companies. Utz on High Street in Hanover offers a self guided tour of the making of potato chips for free. You push buttons as you pass by large windows and listen to the process. At the end, you get a free small bag of chips.