Antietam question

[GeneralSideburns]

**cross-posting this here on recommendation from another member. Hope someone can help**

Hi all. Im passing through on a long drive and staying in the Sharpsburg area to break up the drive.

I have a long driving day ahead of me tomorrow (Friday) but I HAVE to see Antietam, even for a few hours. On to my question...

I was planning on driving over to the battlefield at dawn-ish, and doing a few hours. However, I noticed that there's a per car admission now. I saw that the visitor's center opens at 8:30, but was hoping to get on the ground earlier. With Gettysburg there is no admission on the grounds, and you are allowed on at sun up.

Does anyone know what time the park itself opens? The national parks site is vague and I tried calling the visitor's center, but they are closed.

Any information or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jimklag]

The visitor center opens at 9:00 a.m. The park itself is open from dawn to dusk. The best way to see the park in just a few hours is to take the driving tour, but you'll need to wait until the visitor center is open unless you already own the CD's and maps for the tour. You can rent the tour or buy it. Do you have a park map. If so, you can follow the park roads around in a more or less chronological order if you start at the visitor center and turn right out of the parking lot and head toward the cornfield area which will be clearly marked on the map. The East Woods, West Woods and Sunken Road are clearly marked on the map as is Burnside's bridge. Good luck and have a great time.

 

[TalkingJohnMc]

Gen. Sideburns,
As far as I know there is not a gate on the battlefield itself as it covers a pretty large area and most of the driving tour is on open public streets. The visitor center itself might open at 0830 but the roads should be open for you.

 

[captaindrew]

That's a timely question because I was thinking of taking a quick ride through on my way to or from Gettysburg next week and would either be late in the day or first light. I just looked and you can get the auto tour map off their website.

 

[Jimklag]

That's a timely question because I was thinking of taking a quick ride through on my way to or from Gettysburg next week and would either be late in the day or first light. I just looked and you can get the auto tour map off their website.

Great idea, Drew.

 

[kevikens]

I don't know how much time you have or what physical shape you are in but when I would go to these historic sites, not just Civil War ones, I would show up at about dawn and walk, not drive, for several hours. No, you wont see the whole battlefield but the experience of walking on a battlefield about the same time the men of that period started their day will give you an experience hard to replicate. As for the battlefield itself, the last time I was there about three years ago you could easily walk into the park from nearby roads. The way the battlefield is situated I would park on the outskirts of Sharpsburg on the north side and just walk north on the Hagerstown Road until you decide to turn around and walk back. Depending on your walking speed you will see the Dunker Church and on and on both sides of the road you will see much of that day's battle. Save going south and Burnside's Bridge for you next visit. By the time you walk, back the visitor center will be open and its museum store and you can make a pit stop there. But most of all I recommend walking these sites at daybreak. PS, the weather calls for very hot and humid conditions so early AM may be the only time you will want to be out and about. Tell us about your visit when you can.

 

[cash]

If it's just you, the cost is $5. If there's more than just you, the cost is $10 for the car. That's if you go into the Visitor's Center. If you don't go into the VC, then you don't need to pay any money. The money, though, goes to help support the battlefield's upkeep. It's not much of a fee to keep the battlefield looking good. Also, the VC has an orientation film and an overview presentation from a ranger as well as the bookstore and a museum. I would urge everyone to go ahead and pay the fee to help keep the battlefield in good shape.

I also recommend walking if you can do it. The best way to learn a battlefield is to walk it.

 

[Drew]

I have a long driving day ahead of me tomorrow (Friday) but I HAVE to see Antietam, even for a few hours. On to my question...

You should walk it. Don't worry about parking.

Do worry about a Union-centric battlefield, though. You will not find many Confederate Monuments there (there are only a few).

I'm sure it was about the politics of the time it was remembered, but it's all about the Union Army. It didn't perform well there (Lincoln himself declared victory where there was none).

Study the Battle before you go and understand what happened there.

 

[infomanpa]

If it's just you, the cost is $5. If there's more than just you, the cost is $10 for the car.

Thanks for the heads up. Now, I know to bring along my Senior Pass to get in for free.

 

[Jamieva]

If it's just you, the cost is $5. If there's more than just you, the cost is $10 for the car. That's if you go into the Visitor's Center. If you don't go into the VC, then you don't need to pay any money. The money, though, goes to help support the battlefield's upkeep. It's not much of a fee to keep the battlefield looking good. Also, the VC has an orientation film and an overview presentation from a ranger as well as the bookstore and a museum. I would urge everyone to go ahead and pay the fee to help keep the battlefield in good shape.

I also recommend walking if you can do it. The best way to learn a battlefield is to walk it.

Sounds like we would classify it more as a donation then a fee?

 

[cash]

Sounds like we would classify it more as a donation then a fee?

Most fees go to upkeep and administrative costs, and I suppose we can look at it as a donation. I personally don't mind going in and paying the fee each time I visit.

 

[Jamieva]

No i don't either, but i think @GeneralSideburns had the impression he couldn't go on the battlefield until the VC opened and he paid.

 

[GeneralSideburns]

I, of course, have no problem paying a fee. It was more about me making sure I could get on the field.

Thanks for all the tips. I'm here on the battlefield enjoying myself thoroughly.

 

[kevikens]

Thanks for the heads up. Now, I know to bring along my Senior Pass to get in for free.

I have one of those National Park senior passes. Money in the bank. It has paid for itself many times over. I'll bet the federal government is disappointed it ever sold me one.

 

[bdtex]

**cross-posting this here on recommendation from another member. Hope someone can help**

Hi all. Im passing through on a long drive and staying in the Sharpsburg area to break up the drive.

I have a long driving day ahead of me tomorrow (Friday) but I HAVE to see Antietam, even for a few hours. On to my question...

I was planning on driving over to the battlefield at dawn-ish, and doing a few hours. However, I noticed that there's a per car admission now. I saw that the visitor's center opens at 8:30, but was hoping to get on the ground earlier. With Gettysburg there is no admission on the grounds, and you are allowed on at sun up.

Does anyone know what time the park itself opens? The national parks site is vague and I tried calling the visitor's center, but they are closed.

Any information or tips would be greatly appreciated.

According to the NPS website,the Visitor Center opens at 9:00am but the park opens at "daylight hours". That page has a phone number to call.

https://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/hours.htm

 

[Jimklag]

I have one of those National Park senior passes. Money in the bank. It has paid for itself many times over. I'll bet the federal government is disappointed it ever sold me one.

I use my NPS pass as well. Didn't work for the Licensed Guide at Gettysburg though. He just laughed at me and took my cash.

 

[dlavin]

You can download a map off the NPS website if you plan to get there earlier. I have done it many times where the rangers have been there to greet me because I have been there earlier. Some access roads though are gated and may not be open prior to sunrise.

 

[bdtex]

You can download a map off the NPS website if you plan to get there earlier. I have done it many times where the rangers have been there to greet me because I have been there earlier. Some access roads though are gated and may not be open prior to sunrise.

Did that before my visit to Andersonville last week.

 

[infomanpa]

I use my NPS pass as well. Didn't work for the Licensed Guide at Gettysburg though. He just laughed at me and took my cash.

Funny. I don't think most visitors understand the relationship between the Gettysburg LBG's and the National Park.

 

[Jimklag]

Funny. I don't think most visitors understand the relationship between the Gettysburg LBG's and the National Park.

I didn't understand it at first. But, after I went through the process of booking a guide and doing the tour, it is all perfectly clear. If people think the guides are less than qualified to lead tours, they are mistaken. I did some checking up on Howard Wallace, the guy we booked. Howard was in a class of 700+ candidates who started the qualification process. That 700 was reduced to about 25 finalists - the top 4%. Only three candidates of the 25 finalists pass the final tests. That means that less than 1/2 of 1% of candidates become Licensed Battlefield Guides. And they have to maintain that skill/knowledge too, being tested periodically to see if they're keeping up their knowledge. Howard gave us 3-1/2 hours of first class guiding/teaching. Neither Mike nor I is even close to a novice on the Civil War or the battle of Gettysburg and we both learned a lot from Howard. I would recommend to all visitors to battlefields that they use the services of a guide, regardless of their knowledge level.