Gettysburg

As this blog develops, I am hoping to mix general roadtripping advice with reviews of specific stops.  I can think of no better place to make my initial review than the Gettysburg National Military Park.

We went to Gettysburg as we passed through Pennsylvania on our drive west.  It is a decent ride off to the south of Route 76, and the drive alone added about an hour and a half to our day, but it was more than worth it.  Our car included history buffs and decidedly not history buffs, including at least one child who had not really learned much about the Civil War just yet.  And yet, everyone in the car ranked the tour a 7 or higher on a scale of 10.

Going to Gettysburg begins in the visitors' center, a relatively new and impressive building.  If you want to get the full experience, there is a movie and a cyclorama describing some aspects of the battle.  While Gettysburg is a national park and thus is free, attending those shows will cost you.  Being pressed for time, we skipped those and went instead for the audio tour.  This comes in the form of a 3-CD set that can be bought in the very impressive bookstore.  The CD's cost $30 and include a small illustrated booklet that you can peruse while following the narration.

The tour itself is exceedingly well-done.  Each CD covers one day of the war, and there is narration by actor Stephen Lang both at the 16 designated stopping points as well as for the time when you are driving form one to the next.  The battle took place over the huge expanse of the entire town, and thus it takes time to drive from stop to stop.  Every few feet there are monuments and statues set up in honor and memory of the various regiments who fought or generals who led troops into battle.  In addition to the officially marked off stopping points, you can stop almost anyway to read the monuments or just take in the view.  If nothing else, be sure to get out at Little Round Top (stop #8), which provides a breathtaking view from high ground of a large part of the battlefield.

The narration itself provides a mix of information about the major aspects of this key battle as well as a lot of trivia about many little-known characters who played roles in the battle.  Background sounds ranging from gunshots to Dixie to dogs barking help to enrich the overall audio experience.  The CD's conclude at the military cemetery and the Gettysburg Address.

As I mentioned, we were pressed for time.  The audio tour is prepared for this, as it provides three different lengths of touring, with notations how to skip sections (and skip the corresponding driving) if you need to shorten the tour.  Make note that the times listed for the various tours refers only to the time the CD is playing.  If you get out to look around, that will add time as well.

If you need a real tour guide, such options exist as well.  You can reserve a tour guide in advance who will ride along with you, and I passed at least one bike tour of the area, which is a private company not affiliated with the national park.

In terms of time, if you really want to do everything, allow an entire day.  Including the movie, the full 3-hour audio tour, time spent getting out and looking around, and perhaps even going into town to view some of the historic buildings associated with the battle - it all adds up.  Add in a stop at the bookstore, which includes a full complement of souvenirs as well as many books on Civil War history (and has Civil War-era music playing in the background), and you can make a full day and then some out of this stop.  But it will be worth every moment.