Gettysburg?

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

A conference I was speaking at was unexpectedly cancelled next week, and DH and I were both going as a quick getaway together.  So we have what amounts to a week off and are considering going to Gettysburg for three days(we want to be back for DD’s baseball game).  I haven’t been in over a decade despite it being an easy drive, and it’s someplace I want to take history loving DS later on this summer so I thought I’d scout it out first(he’s autistic so not everything is great for him; I try to check out things first).

Suggestions? Where to go? Don’t miss things? My family went when I was a teenager and I remember an audio tour and a ghost walk, both of which I enjoyed. What to do? It’s such a last minute thing I haven’t done my usual careful research and planning.  

Edited May 7, 2022 by Mrs Tiggywinkle

[wintermom]

nm

Edited May 8, 2022 by wintermom

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

3 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Out of ignorance rather than experience, isn't it a big field? We have one in Quebec City, that seems more of a historically significant piece of land rather than something young children would understand the meaning of. My dc ran around the fields and played tag,  they couldn't care less about any battles that might have been fought in the past. 

What my dc did enjoy for our American history visit was Philadelphia, the liberty bell, buildings with people to talk to, story telling, etc. 

This is not to cast a black cloud over your enthusiasm. It's simply a reminder that young dc don't always react the way we envision. 😉 

I’m actually not taking DS this time, just checking out what he’d like and not like.  His goal is over the next two years to visit all the Civil War related national parks, so while my younger two won’t be at all interested, DS will probably spend the entire time telling us every detail known about the battle at Gettysburg.  I almost majored in history, in fact every elective possible was in history, and I know nothing compared to this child.  Autism is fun lol.

[Miss Tick]

Well, if you get to the Western-most battle, Picacho Peak between Tucson and Phoenix is lovely, and a great hike! Although, re-reading I see I have strayed incredibly far off topic. 😄

Edited May 7, 2022 by SusanC
thread title is there for a reason!

[AmandaVT]

I haven't been in years but loved the Dobbin House Tavern for dinner. The Lincoln Diner was also yummy.

There are so many neat things to do there - ghost tours, Devil's Den, shopping, battlefield tours. I am hoping to go back with DS and DH and do a Gettysburg/DC trip in the next year or so.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

18 minutes ago, SusanC said:

Well, if you get to the Western-most battle, Picacho Peak between Tucson and Phoenix is lovely, and a great hike! Although, re-reading I see I have strayed incredibly far off topic. 😄

I’m open to pointers on all civil war battlefields.  Lol. My biggest concern with DS11 is his sensory needs and that’s why I try to preview places first, but it’s not always possible.  Battle re-enactments, for instance, are a no go because of the loud sounds, but he’s enjoyed visiting re-enactment camps in the past.

[itsheresomewhere]

The ghost tour and the audio tour are still great. There are some really good diners in the area.   When you go with your DS- avoid like the plague anytime close to the celebration dates. 

[VickiMNE]

We went to Gettysburg once years ago--and had just a few hours to spare.  We did an audio tour in the car.  I think at various points we could get out and walk around.  It was an enjoyable experience for the entire family.

 

[mom2scouts]

10 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’m actually not taking DS this time, just checking out what he’d like and not like.  His goal is over the next two years to visit all the Civil War related national parks, so while my younger two won’t be at all interested, DS will probably spend the entire time telling us every detail known about the battle at Gettysburg.  I almost majored in history, in fact every elective possible was in history, and I know nothing compared to this child.  Autism is fun lol.

Oh, I'll send my son right over! After his first visit to Gettysburg, he spent an entire week talking about every single detail he'd learned that week. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

12 hours ago, mom2scouts said:

Oh, I'll send my son right over! After his first visit to Gettysburg, he spent an entire week talking about every single detail he'd learned that week. 

This is the child who woke up super early this morning to discuss his current theory that Jubal Early’s initial failure to capture a hill at Gettysburg ultimately led to the defeat of the Confederate Army.  He’s 11, and I’m exhausted lol.

 

[City Mouse]

On 5/7/2022 at 9:12 AM, wintermom said:

Out of ignorance rather than experience, isn't it a big field? We have one in Quebec City, that seems more of a historically significant piece of land rather than something young children would understand the meaning of. My dc ran around the fields and played tag,  they couldn't care less about any battles that might have been fought in the past. 

What my dc did enjoy for our American history visit was Philadelphia, the liberty bell, buildings with people to talk to, story telling, etc. 

This is not to cast a black cloud over your enthusiasm. It's simply a reminder that young dc don't always react the way we envision. 😉 

The battle was really lots of smaller battles all around the town of Gettysburg. 
 

There is a self driving tour with lots places to get out and walk, the national cemetery where President Lincoln gave his speech, and many historical buildings to tour throughout the town. I haven’t been since the new visitors center was completed, but I have lots of fond childhood memories of Gettysburg. https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
 

[mom2scouts]

9 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

This is the child who woke up super early this morning to discuss his current theory that Jubal Early’s initial failure to capture a hill at Gettysburg ultimately led to the defeat of the Confederate Army.  He’s 11, and I’m exhausted lol.

 

Mine was 11 at the time and I totally understand the exhaustion. If we could get them to talk to each other about their military history theories we'd both get a break! Does yours stand outside the bathroom door telling you about it too? LOL

[Hilltopmom]

We became historical re enactors so kiddo could talk history to people who are realllly into it! And listen to them talk, and talk, and talk… now kid is grown but we still participate 🙂 with the next group of our kids 

Gettysburg= HOT!

[Garga]

Devils’ Den and Little Round Top are closed for 6 months and 18 months respectively. Just FYI. Those are hugely popular areas on the battlefield that an 11 yo would just adore (lots of fun boulders to climb on), so be very aware that they’re closed right now. They need to fix erosion problems.

There are three metal lookout towers that are fun to go to the top off. For the one at Culps hill, you can park in the lot at the bottom by Spangler’s Spring and then walk on the grass by the road up the hill and then climb the tower. It’s a wooded area and is usually very peaceful.  There is a path through the woods, but I couldn’t find it last time, so we just walked on the edge of the road and stopped to look at all the monuments along the way. The road is a park road and isn’t some sort of main thoroughfare, so it’s perfectly fine to walk next to it. Lots of monuments to see.  If you don’t want to park at the bottom and walk up and then back down, then park at the top right at the base of the tower and go up the tower steps. Also, at the bottom of the hill by Spangler’s Spring are a few boulders a kid could climb around on for a bit. (I’m giving you tips about walking around because I’m trying to think of ways to keep a child active and engaged.)

There is also the Pennsylvania monument that has a staircase in it that is spiral, like a staircase in a castle. This a marble-looking monument in the middle of the battlefields with an angel statue on top. When you get to the top you can look out over the fields.

If he is the Gburg history buff you say he is, he will probably enjoy the diorama. I went to the diorama for the first time in March and it was cool if you love history, but they did use a lot of sophisticated vocabulary in their presentation. I was there with people whose secondary language is English, so I’m not sure how well they followed along. A child with a large vocabulary would be fine, esp if he loves the history of the battle. 

I agree with another poster that the Dobbin House tavern is fun to eat in—it’s in the basement and is a bit more casual than the restaurant above. Be aware that the Dobbin House was a stop along the Underground Railroad and you can see where the escaping people hid, and there are life-sized figures in there, so you can get a sense of what it was like to be cramped between the floors where the hiding place was. You can ask anyone working there how to find it or if you’re facing the building, go to the far left and go through the doors on the left side of the building. If there aren’t other people there you’ll feel like you’re trespassing, but you’re not. Just go on in and up the stairs. 

If you like Chinese food and don’t want to pay tourist prices, then Li’s Buffet is completely reasonably priced. If you go on a weeknight, the food doesn’t have as much turnover as it could, but if you go on a weekend evening, there’s tons of turnover so the food is piping hot and yummy. (I think it’s perfectly fine on weeknights as well, but some people like to have more turnover.) Their green beans are amazing. They’re not like other Chinese restaurant green beans. They’re sautéd in some sort of light garlic sauce (not even really a sauce), and the locals rave about the green beans (I’m a local and adore their green beans!)

There’s a candy store in town on the corner of Baltimore and Middle street. That’s where I get my husband his Jelly Belly’s every Christmas. You can pull little levers on the flavors you want to collect whatever flavors you like. They also have some crazy-flavored sodas in fridges in the back.  For a while, my son collected the crazy flavors and displayed them in his room. 

If you’re walking around town, you might not know it, but no one cares if you cross the traffic circle and stand in the middle of the traffic circle in the little grassy area. I’ve done a few photography projects standing in the middle of the circle. The buildings that you’ll see if stand in the middle of the circle are the exact same ones that were there during the battle and it’s pretty cool to look at pictures of them and then look at how they are now. They look exactly the same, which makes a history buff’s heart sing. So, going into the middle and looking around is kinda fun for a kid who loves history.  Right now I’m getting error messages when I try to attach old pictures of Gettysburg that have the buildings on the square. If you’re on Facebook, pm me your name and I’ll send some to you that way.

I’m not a big ice cream eater, but the locals say that Mr. G’s is amazing ice cream and totally worth the long wait in line (there’s usually a long wait, but maybe not if the weather is cooler.)

If you go to the visitor center, take a picture with the statue of Lincoln, but have fun with it. I’ve taken pictures where we’re whispering in his ear or we’re pointing off in the distance so it looks like he’s looking at where we’re pointing. (I have pictures of that, too, but again, my computer won’t let me attach them to this post.) The statue of Lincoln that’s on the square with the tourist who looks like Perry Como has been taken down for cleaning and won’t be back up for a few months. But just today, I noticed a brand new statue in front of the courthouse across the street from the library. I haven’t had a chance to look at it closely, but one day I’ll get out there and try to take a clever picture interacting with the statue. (It’s of Thaddeus Stevens.)

The Gettysburg Museum of History is a fun little museum. It’s free to get in, but the last time I was there, they asked if we could give them a donation—it’s voluntary and so we did. It’s not big (pretty much nothing in Gburg is big—it’s a small town and the buildings are small), but it’s packed full of relics from many wars. My boys loved it when they were younger.

A few of the stores where Baltimore St and Steinwehr Ave intersect are fun for boys. They’re not just gift shops with girly things. They have leather bags that you can attach to your belt and replicas of gas masks that aren’t too badly priced and other stuff like that that boys like to look at. (Sorry if that’s sexist…I’m sure plenty of girls like that stuff, too, but in general boys like that stuff more than girls.)

If you want to fill time doing something that’s not “gettysburg”ish, there is a regular movie theater just a smidge down the road and on Tuesday the tickets are $6 no matter when you go, even evening showtimes. (I tend to be there often on Tuesday night!) It’s the Gateway theater. The Majestic theater is in the middle of town and they have regular prices even on Tuesday and don’t tend to show movies kids would like—they cater to the artistic movies.

Even though I live close by, I don’t go to Gettysburg for the historical aspect. I use it for my library, my Chinese buffet, my movie theater and my church. So, other than the above, I don’t really know much else of what tourists do in Gburg. But if I think of something else, I’ll let you know!

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Garga

[Garga]

Ha! My pictures are working:

[Garga]

When they were younger, my boys and I read this book and then visited the Evergreen Cemetery. The building that the family lived in is unique and is still around and looks exactly the same. We really liked this little book. It was told from the POV of the townspeople and what it was like to live through the battle and even all the grave digging they had to pitch in and do afterwards. It’s based on a true story.

The cemetery is still an active cemetery (people still get buried there) and is right next to the national cemetery where the soldiers are buried. In fact, the Gettysburg Address was given on the grounds of the Evergreen Cemetery and not the National Cemetery.

One of the graves is from the 1700s before the US was a nation. I have visited that grave, but don’t remember how I knew how to find it…I’ll try to find out. (Actually, I think it was just some caretaker guy working in there when my boys and I were visiting who told us about the old grave.)

https://www.amazon.com/Cemetery-Keepers-Gettysburg-Linda-Oatman/dp/B005Q5Y9MY

It would be fun to read it and then go visit the location. It’s a picture book, so you can read it in just a few minutes. There are three copies of it in the Gettyburg library, which is in walking distance further down on the same road as the cemetery. If you don’t want to buy it, you could hope it’s not checked out and just read it in the library and then head down to the site without having to buy the book. https://adams.chilipac.com/r1s/eg/opac/record/8601358?qtype=keyword;locg=478;detail_record_view=0;query=evergreen cemetery

 

Even though the book is for 7+, I would think an 11 yo would find it a fun little read, especially since he could visit the location afterwards. I found it informative to read as an adult.

Edited May 9, 2022 by Garga

[Garga]

49 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

 

Gettysburg= HOT!

Unless it’s winter or early spring. I’ve been on the battlefield and have been positively frozen on a windy day. But, yes, in the summer = HOT. A lot of it has no shade which is what makes it either hot in the summer or cold in the winter (no windbreak)

Edited May 9, 2022 by Garga

[Garga]

There is the auto tour where you drive around and listen to a recording, but they also offer a tour where a guide will sit in your car with you and tell you about the battle as you drive around. You could then ask the person any questions you had or just chit-chat with a fellow Gettysburg buff. I loved that auto tour with the personal tour guide!! 

Here’s information about it: https://www.getyourguide.com/gettysburg-l32570/gettysburg-private-tour-with-licensed-battlefield-guide-t316442/?campaign_id=14411535009&adgroup_id=&target_id=&loc_physical_ms=9006733&match_type=&ad_id=&keyword=&ad_position=&feed_item_id=&placement=&device=c&partner_id=CD951&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1N2TBhCOARIsAGVHQc4TWAIOhiH4TQVK8oFtePt7WKIiO2nchCvFEqNm_phP6JzgNY370W0aAi6LEALw_wcB

After reading the above, it looks like you follow the tour guide’s car, and then you probably get out of the car at each location and talk about it outside, due to Covid restrictions. You could call and find out all the details if you’re interested.

 

I’ve also seen a tour bus with a double deck, but I’ve never looked into riding around on that bus. 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Garga

[shawthorne44]

We went a year ago.   There were two different versions of the car audio tour.   The short one and the better one by a name you'll recognize if you're into history.  We got a book/CD combo of the long one.  I thought that was worthwhile.  Before you go as a family, there is a book on Civil War kids.   The bio on Grant's son was really interesting.  They did a bio on a kid whose family was hiding in the hills, that was interesting too.  

ETA: There was this amazing seafood place we ate at.  It was take-out only.  I wish I could remember the name of it.   I looked in Yelp because I remember I left a review, but it must have been using a different account.  We were on our way to get fast food and we smelled this place and DH said "We need to go there".   It was so good we cancelled restaurant reservations to eat there again.   It was somewhat near one of the haunted houses you could tour.  The one that had two sisters living in the house until not that long ago. 

Edited May 9, 2022 by shawthorne44

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

We are actually staying at the Dobbin House Tavern bed and breakfast so I do plan to get dinner there. I need to call for a reservation today.

We probably won’t go as a family until the fall.  I try to go places with DS on off seasons so he’s not struggling with the sensory overload of a crush of people.  He likes quiet and museums and documentaries. 
Thanks for all the tips!