The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1, 2 and 3 in 1863. It was the bloodiest battle in US history and the moment that turned the tides for the northern troops. If you only have one day, you still have plenty of time to learn about the battle of Gettysburg.
Start your day at the Gettysburg Visitor Center. Filled with displays and artifacts, this is the perfect place to start your Gettysburg adventure. Your tickets include the museum, film and cyclorama and you definitely want to allow time for all three. The museum covers the entire Civil War and shows how the battles at Gettysburg were important to the War. The film, A New Birth of Freedom, is a short 20-minute overview of the Battle of Gettysburg, narrated by Morgan Freeman. It is shown on an ongoing basis. Once you’re done, you’ll head straight to the Cyclorama. Originally displayed in 1884, this massive fully-restored, 360-degree painting places you in the middle of Pickett’s Charge on the decisive third day of the Battle. The boys loved turning from scene to scene to see the battle come to life around them. Later when we toured the battlefield, we referred back to the scenes in the movie and Cyclorama, so I was glad we had done these first.
After the film and cyclorama, we headed out to the battlefield. There are many ways to see the battlefield. You can go by bus or double decker bus, horse, bike, scooter, by foot, with a guide or in your car with a CD or app audio tour. Each has its own benefits and you can pick the one that makes the most sense for your family. Most of them can be booked right from the Visitor Center. If you are a history buff, I would highly recommend booking a guide ahead of time. They drive along with you in your car and lead you though the battle day by day adding in special stories and details that are specifically tailored to your audience. The tours are given by park rangers, history aficionados and former history teachers.
We opted for the Herestory app, which follows the posted signs for the audio tour and takes you day by day through the battle, with details of the battle that were included in the Gettysburg Story, a movie which appeared on PBS several years ago. There is a printable guide and an app just for kids that go along with it, so we felt like it was a good fit for our family.
Along the way we completed the activities in the Junior Ranger book and stopped to walk around several of the sites. Our favorites are the Eternal Peace Light, Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Spangler’s Spring, Culp’s Hill and the High Water Mark. Each location has placards showing the events of the battle that took place there. On a clear day, you can see all of the battlefield from Little Round Top, so be sure to park and walk out to look around. There is also a small castle you can climb up to get an even better view.
Be sure to take a picture with the cannons and spend some time exploring Devil’s Den. It sits below Little Round Top and was held by Confederate sharp shooters during the battle. This is one of the boys’ favorite places in Gettysburg. A few years ago, Ryan wrote about how they love to find secret caves to hide in. You can read his review on Devil’s Den. It’s also a great spot for a quick snack or packed lunch.
When we were done, we returned to the visitor center to collect the Junior Ranger badges.
No trip to Gettysburg is complete without a stop at Mr. G’s Ice Cream on Baltimore Street. Mr G’s is located in the Historic Twin Sycamores House, which was built in 1819. One of the sycamore trees, called the Witness Tree, still stands. You can see bullet holes in the building and in the Farnsworth House across the street. There is free parking behind the building and it’s a nice walk up and down the street from here to see many Civil War buildings.
Things to Know Before You Go
Consider booking your tour ahead of time to ensure it’s not sold out on the day you’re there.
