Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Tel:
(717) 334-1124
Come visit the battlefield that changed the fate of the Civil War. The Gettysburg National Military Park, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is a 6,000-acre park administered by the National Park Service. It is home to over 1,400 monuments and markers commemorating the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
From July 1 to July 3, 1863, Union Major General George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac and Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fought each other for control of the town of Gettysburg. Shortly after the Union victory in the battle, the town tried to cope with the death and destruction left in its wake. Two lawyers from Gettysburg, David Wills and David McConaughy, set about arranging for the purchase of an area of land to be used as a cemetery, and monument, to the battle. This would later become part of Gettysburg National Military Park. Because of Gettysburg's convenient location near the northern part of the eastern seaboard, there were thousands of people who came in search of their loved ones immediately after the battle. As the years passed, Gettysburg National Military Park became one of the most popular tourist spots of all the nation's battlefields.
Today, the Gettysburg National Military Park attracts over two million visitors every year. Self-guided tours are available, both with a tape, and by following numbered stops listed in the brochure. To get the full experience of the 250-acre battlefield, though, it pays to invest in a licensed tour guide. These guides should be reserved at least seven days in advance, with the tours lasting around two hours. Have the guide ride with you in your personal vehicle, providing useful information along the way. A new museum is being built at the Gettysburg National Military Park which, when completed, will offer better care for the hundreds of thousands of relics from the Civil War. It will also help to rehabilitate various portions of the battlefield marred by construction, as well as offer visitors an authentic sampling of foods eaten by soldiers in the Civil War.
There is no bus service to Gettysburg National Military Park, though you can fly into the Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles north of Gettysburg. By car, follow US 15 South to Gettysburg, and watch for signs to the National Park Service Visitor Center. Visit the Gettysburg National Military Park, and walk in the footsteps of history.