First Gettysburg visit

Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Location
Cumming, Georgia
After pining to go for nearly a decade, I'll finally be visiting Gettysburg for the first time in mid-September. My wife and I have a car tour scheduled for early the first day, and I will be taking a horse tour the second day. We have nothing in particular planned for our third and final day. Beyond wandering through the museums and such, our schedule is free. What must-do or must-see do you folks recommend?
 
Welcome @wizardofdraws If you happen to be in the Gettysburg area Sept 16-18, the members of CivilWarTalk are having a "reunion" with lots of free tours given by members of the forum. Here's a link to the thread. Be aware that there are 128+/- pages of discussion, but luckily for you the itinerary is pinned at the top of the post. :bounce::dance::bounce:

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/let...kend-of-sept-16th-thru-sept-18th-2016.119808/

Hopeful you can join us!

EDIT to ADD: Hey @War Horse Here's a NEW recruit for you. I just PM'd @wizardofdraws and his trip is scheduled to coincide with the September to Remember event. He should be PMing you his info as he plans to attend!!!
 
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I've been to Gettysburg nearly a dozen times now...never gets old for me :smile: Very excited for you to be going there for the first time!

I'll tell you, if you're the morning type try and get into the park right at 6:00 am. It is so quiet and peaceful, nice opportunity for pictures at sunrise...which I think is about 6:30 now. I was there last week and did that for the first time...was the only one standing on Little Round Top and standing in the middle of Devils Den. Nothing like it...also came away with some great photos :smile:

Photo Aug 17, 5 42 31 AM.jpg
 
I've been to Gettysburg nearly a dozen times now...never gets old for me :smile: Very excited for you to be going there for the first time!

I'll tell you, if you're the morning type try and get into the park right at 6:00 am. It is so quiet and peaceful, nice opportunity for pictures at sunrise...which I think is about 6:30 now. I was there last week and did that for the first time...was the only one standing on Little Round Top and standing in the middle of Devils Den. Nothing like it...also came away with some great photos :smile:

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I would like that. I think I will have a hard time figuring out how to keep from sobbing constantly.
 
I would like that. I think I will have a hard time figuring out how to keep from sobbing constantly.

I think that the awe of being alone on the battlefield held off the tears this time but I'll tell you, walking around on West Confederate Ave. just before dawn and looking across the field towards the High Water Mark was chilling. Really had the urge to walk across, little dark though.
 
I would suggest to leave it unplanned and explore further something that you found particularly interesting the first couple days. A good guidebook is a must, and ideally ahead of time, and to bring along. The best one is this (and has also a lot of interesting information about things that they are not obvious today, like weapons & range, what is a line vs. a column, what distances people traveled when etc.), but unless you are driving or planning to check baggage, is not recommended. This one is a good compromise. The first time I went to the battlefield (and it happened just because I was in the area, and I was pretty much ignorant about the Civil War) something in particular struck me, because I did not expected it: The incredible number of monuments there. There is a nice guide book for that, if you are interested in the subject. A good map of the battlefield (like one that folds and unfolds) is a must even for your tours.

As far as the museum goes, the bookstore is a must, you can find everything I indicated above (and much more.) The museum itself is ok and it is more of a generalized view of the civil war and the battle with little vignettes on individuals. The cyclorama is ok if one is interested to get a glimpse of what early tourism in Gettysburg was all about. Bit off the beaten path, but well worth it, is the Seminary Ridge Musuem. Same building, same cupola that Buford climbed (and you can tour the cupola and have a look around...) The "museums" in town are tourist traps for sure...
 
There is nothing like a first trip to Gettysburg. Mine was back in 1967 has a Junior High field trip. I have since been going there 2-3 times per year and it never gets old.

Make sure you get a good Guide Book. My personal favorite is J.D. Petruzzi's Complete Gettysburg Guide. Many others as well. That can help you plan your visit, plus it is good reading at home too.

Consider hiring a Battlefield Guide as they can provide a concise presentation of the events you ask them to cover in your car. That is better than a bus tour. In a pinch, just do the auto tour found on the NPS Map and it will lead you to the main areas of interests.

I agree about getting on the field very early. Something special about being by yourself on the Wheatfield.

It appears your time is short so pick topics of the battle that interest you and visit them. But you can't see them all. Another suggestion is to research Gettysburg Stone Sentinels website. It provides maps, GPS coordinates and monument/building details. You can look at each map section and decide what you want to see. You could then place the coordinates in your GPS unit to assist you in getting there quickly. Pick geographically close places you want to visit to minimize drive times. Pick 2-3 sites from each day of the battle that you want to see.

I do recommend a quick drive down to Sach's Bridge. It is a short drive from the Battlefield (turn right on Millerstown Road near the Peach Orchard). Walk down the path on the western side of the stream down to the small dam and you get a wonderful view of the covered bridge that has ties to the battle.

Use Google Earth satellite views to research Gettysburg.

The Museum is wonderful and the Cycloroma is really special. But if you only have a short time, I would focus on the Battlefield itself. Feel free to ask any questions.

Just remember, I have been there maybe 100 trips and I still am finding places of new interest. Lots to see that requires many trips to see it all.
 
Pace yourself, don't overdo it , just enjoy yourself and remember my motto when touring with my wife: A happy wife makes for a happy life". Also, if she needs to see water; the Chesapeake Bay is especially nice that time of year.
 
Hey @wizardofdraws , take @lelliott19 's advice and come and join us in Gettysburg. There will be an awful lot of people there, but you cannot have a better start to your "career" as an active poster than to meet a lot of us there. And no worries should your wife not be quite as smitten with the Civil War as you are. She will have fun anyway. You can go to the beach every year. But that reunion will be unique.
See you there!
 
After pining to go for nearly a decade, I'll finally be visiting Gettysburg for the first time in mid-September. My wife and I have a car tour scheduled for early the first day, and I will be taking a horse tour the second day. We have nothing in particular planned for our third and final day. Beyond wandering through the museums and such, our schedule is free. What must-do or must-see do you folks recommend?

If you're like me, you've been looking at maps and photos so long, you'll have a strange feeling as if you had been there before. The guy I went with had been there 5 times, though he wasn't a buff. He was a Captain in the PA National Guard, and when I got out of the care and started describing the action between Heth and Reynolds on July 1st, he stared at me like I was lying to him about never having been there. He was looking at the terrain, and he could easily spot the strengths and weaknesses, and he concurred with everything I told him about the high ground, plus the impregnibility of Devil's Den. He was a neat guy to see it with. He had just finished some school about armored cavalry tactics, and he spent an equal amount of time discussing the way he would fight it in tanks.
He tried to have me come up there and give a tour to a group of NG Armored officers he served with, but I declined, pointing out the fact that I was unworthy, and directed to the NPS to find a suitable guide.

BTW, dont miss the antique shops. They have a motley set of them in town.
 
There is nothing like a first trip to Gettysburg.
Consider hiring a Battlefield Guide as they can provide a concise presentation of the events you ask them to cover in your car. That is better than a bus tour.
My wife and I have a car tour scheduled for early the first day, and I will be taking a horse tour the second day.

I agree completely with @Wallyfish in his recommendation of hiring a guide to take you around in your car. It doesnt cost much more than the bus tour for 2 and it is WAY better! Especially if you have an interest in a particular regiment? Perhaps one that an ancestor fought with? You can have the guide show you where they were engaged, how they approached, the other regiments in the brigade, &c.

You might check with member of CWT and Licensed Gettysburg Battlefield Guide @pmuskett to see if he is available for your car tour? I know he is doing the Barksdale tour for us at noon on Friday Sept 16th, but if you are arriving later that day, perhaps he could guide for you as well. We (me and the hubby) have done several tours with him and I can highly recommend him!!! Your wife will even be interested - Phillip usually includes some stories about the people and places, which makes the tour interesting even if you know nothing about the battle itself. And for those who are interested in the battle, he is very knowledgeable and engaging.
 
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Hello, @wizardofdraws! I've just checked the schedules for these two must-see presentations and I find that your visit will be, unfortunately, too late for one and too early for the other, so I'm recommending them for your second visit to Gettysburg:

For anyone interested in the Gettysburg Cyclorama or Civil War art in general, "An Evening With The Painting" is an outstanding lecture and "tour" of the Gettysburg Cyclorama by Sue Boardman, a Licensed Battlefield Guide and an authority on the Cyclorama. You can see the Cyclorama as part of the regular admission to the Visitor Center; however, this extended special viewing is presented approximately once a month and gives visitors a close-up look as well as a view behind the scenes at this monumental painting. You can find out more about it here, on the Gettysburg Foundation Web site.

"Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital" is an original production hosted free-of-charge throughout the summer on Saturday evenings and on selected other dates in the fall by Christ Lutheran Church on Chambersburg Street, the site of the First Corps hospital during and after the battle. It combines period music and readings from memoirs of nurses and soldiers and also features the poetry of Walt Whitman. The musicians and historical presenters are all first-rate and their efforts combine to create a moving and memorable portrayal of the soldiers and the devoted women who cared for them. More information is here.

I hope you'll get a chance to experience both of these presentations on your next trip. In the meantime, enjoy the first one that you have coming up!
 
Hey @wizardofdraws , take @lelliott19 's advice and come and join us in Gettysburg. There will be an awful lot of people there, but you cannot have a better start to your "career" as an active poster than to meet a lot of us there. And no worries should your wife not be quite as smitten with the Civil War as you are. She will have fun anyway. You can go to the beach every year. But that reunion will be unique.
See you there!
I'll join the events I can. We'll be hitting the beach immediately after Gettysburg.
 
Pace yourself, don't overdo it , just enjoy yourself and remember my motto when touring with my wife: A happy wife makes for a happy life". Also, if she needs to see water; the Chesapeake Bay is especially nice that time of year.
40 years of monotony, er, monogamy as of spring next year. Sounds like a good time to sit down and decide if we actually want to spend our life together, eh?
 
I think that the awe of being alone on the battlefield held off the tears this time but I'll tell you, walking around on West Confederate Ave. just before dawn and looking across the field towards the High Water Mark was chilling. Really had the urge to walk across, little dark though.
Oh yeah. But I was referring to the entire time I would be at Gettysburg. :smile:
 
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