Gettysburg with Kids is the final leg of our journey during our long weekend trip. We started out the trip with 2 days in Strasburg then made a stop at Indian Echo Caverns before continuing on to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center is where you should begin your visit to the battlefield. It is open every day with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Their hours vary seasonally, so check their website before visiting. There is no fee to just go into the Visitor Center. You do have to pay a fee to go into the Museum, Cyclorama, and see the film. I highly suggest you do all 3. Tickets for adults are $15, youth 6-12 is $10, and 5 and under is free. There are discounts for AAA, seniors, and active-duty military.
We saw the film and Cyclorama before the museum. I’m glad we did. It gave the kids a chance to see and hear what really happened at Gettysburg. The film is done very well. Immediately after the film, you go upstairs to the Cyclorama. The Gettysburg Cyclorama is a 360° original painting depicting Pickett’s Charge. We were all impressed! Next, it was on to the museum portion. Surprisingly, this took us a couple hours to get through. There are multiple rooms and lots to explore. It kept our kids’ interest, except for the youngest who just hopped from screen to screen.
Finishing up at the Visitor Center we stopped into the Gift Shop to purchase our Battlefield Auto Tour Guide for the following day. The guide is highly recommended. We purchased one that included a book and CD.
Battlefield Auto Tour
The next day we started early on our Battlefield Auto Tour. The tour begins at the Gettysburg Visitor Center and winds 24 miles around the Battlefield. There are 16 stops, which are marked clearly on the roadside. You can do all the stops or just the ones you choose. We followed our guide and stopped at every stop. Our guide said the full route would take about 3 hours, it actually took us closer to 5 hours.
A word of caution, there are very few restrooms along the tour route. If you are traveling with little ones, stop when you can. Also, there are no concession stands, vending machines, restaurants, or picnic tables. We ended up eating lunch in our van.
Devil’s Den
A great place for the older kids to explore and run around is Devil’s Den. When our kids heard this pointed out on the guide, they got all excited. Devil’s Den is a large group of rocks that make a perfect hiding place. It is also the location of the iconic photograph of a Confederate soldier lying behind a rock barricade (see above image). Another word of caution, keep an eye on the little ones. There are many places they could slip and fall.
Significant spots
There are a couple spots you don’t want to miss. One is the Trostle Farm where you can still see the cannon shell hole in the barn (see above image). Another is Little Round Top. You get amazing views of the battlefield below. There are also multiple memorials to explore. Being from Florida, our kids enjoyed hunting for the Florida memorial (see above image). The Pennsylvania Monument is another must-see. You can climb inside for a spectacular view. The multiple observation towers and the cemetery round out some more significant spots.
Cemetery
Ending your Auto Tour is the Soldier’s National Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery. Soldier’s National Cemetery was the site of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It was very moving to be listening to the Address while viewing the cemetery. Evergreen Cemetery is the site of Jennie Wade’s grave. Jennie was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.
There is much more to explore in and around the town of Gettysburg. Time didn’t allow us to visit those. The Shriver House Museum is one of the places we wished we had time to visit. Maybe next time!
Hotel
We stayed at the brand new Holiday Inn Express & Suites Gettysburg. Their spacious rooms fit our family of 5 well. I highly recommend this hotel. It is very close to the interstate, shopping, a couple restaurants, and, of course, the Gettysburg Battlefield.
Don’t miss part 1, 2 Days in Strasburg with Kids, and part 2, Indian Echo Caverns with Kids.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are strictly my own. I did not receive compensation for this post.
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