half a day

MikeyB

Sergeant
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Visiting Antietam for the first time next month. How big is Antietam compared to Gettysburg (my only point of reference)? If you have 5 or 6 hours, is that enough to casually walk most of the field? Is it easy to get a last minute "walk on" Ranger tour or do you have to book in advance? Any other recommended activities aside from walking the fields? Any good museums or nearby local exhibits? Movies or shows? Does Jackson have his own buffet like Pickett?

Mike
 
You can definitely see a good part of it in 6 hours, much smaller than Gettysburg. I had about the same amount of time for a visit last year and saw most of it, just didn't make it to the cemetery. There is a movie in the visitor's center and a small museum. Don't know about the Rangers but I would book that in advance. There isn't much in the surrounding area which I like. Much different experience than visiting Gettysburg.
 
Does Jackson have his own buffet like Pickett?
Now that's funny! Although extremely unfair, Jackson does NOT have his own buffet. :smile: Like @captaindrew said, the restaurant choices are pretty limited. For great chicken fingers, a fabulous hamburger, a nice salad , or any number of other choices, try "The Main Cup" located at 14 W Main Street, Middletown MD.
 
First advice: read as much as you can in advance. Knowing the big picture will help a lot.

If you only have six hours I recommend driving the standard tour route (10 stops + cemetery; displays at each stop) and picking one or two of the tour stops to do an additional trail hike from there. Maps and guides for the tour and all the battlefield trails at the Visitor Center. Catch the orientation film at the VC if you have time. If you're there on a weekend, they'll be a variety of Ranger-led events to attend if you don't want to self-guide.

There's no need to book scheduled tours/events by Park Rangers in advance; walk-ons are normal. The schedule is on the Park website. You can arrange a tour with a licensed Antietam Battlefield Guide ($) for a deeper or more personalized experience.

The nearest food for an on-the-run battlefield stomper is the Battleview Market on Rt 65 just south of the main entrance to the Park. Good convenience store/deli with a few tables. I count on them for refueling mid-day when I'm walking the field. At the end of the day get to Nutter's Ice Cream in downtown Sharpsburg. Very tasty. And you won't believe how huge the portions are for the price.

Have a great trip - Antietam is the finest Civil War battlefield in the county.
 
The only problem with not scheduling is this: My niece and I went last year and Antietam was almost empty. However, a HUGE family group with two or three cars came and gobbled up all the Park Rangers and they called and called and they couldn't find a Battlefield Guide for us. We did the usual self-driving thing and spent over 6 hours there, because we are nerds AND climbed South Mountain and went to Turner's Gap AND the cemetery, but one huge group can take all the guides.
 
Thanks everyone for all of the good info!

Is the etiquette to tip the rangers, or will they refuse?

Do the rangers lead walking tours, or do they get into the car with your party and drive around with you? Or both?
 
Good questions! I know the Battlefield Guides will drive your car, I don't know about the Park Rangers and I don't know about the tip procedures.
 
The drives are broken up into small, medium, and large. Like you could do a drive for 1 hour up to 4 hours depending on how into the weeds you want to go. But..... while I do want to do a guide sometime to have some really deep, in depth knowledge, nothing also beats doing lots of reading about the battlefield, some personal accounts, going to the visitor center seeing the movie and getting the map and then walking it and being quiet in your head. On your feet, walking, going into the sunken road or doing the cornfield or the west wood, you'll get a real sense of size, scale what they were facing, how the ground rises, etc. Make sure you go to Burnside Bridge. That whole are was such an experience for us.
 
Thanks everyone for all of the good info!

Is the etiquette to tip the rangers, or will they refuse?

Do the rangers lead walking tours, or do they get into the car with your party and drive around with you? Or both?
Battlefield Guides and Park Rangers are two different things. Park Rangers work for the National Park Service and, as part of their job, provide ranger-led events/activities as a part of the park's official offerings. They do not drive guests' cars.

Antietam Battlefield Guides are a group of historians dedicated to providing outstanding interpretive tours of the Antietam Battlefield, as well as other sites related to the Maryland Campaign of 1862. These guys enjoy taking people (groups or individuals) out to see the battlefield and other historic places and they usually will drive your vehicle. Different ones are available different days and can be arranged through the Antietam National Battlefield Museum Store. They have a menu of "standard" tours they will do for those who do not express specific interests. Here are descriptions and rates for 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 hour standard tours. https://antietamguides.com/tour-rates-2/

If you have a specific interest (ancestor's regiment, certain brigade or part of the battle, etc) most are able and happy to provide a more specific tour. Or if you want a tour with more walking or incorporating a hike of a specific part of the battlefield. For either, I would definitely suggest that you make arrangements in advance.

We booked a specialized all day tour with Stephen Recker and he was fabulous! He geared our tour to the brigade my husband's ancestor was in and provided info down to the regimental level (16th GA/Cobbs). He is not researching Cobb's/Wofford's brigade, per se, but he took the time beforehand to do a ton of research just for our tour in order to provide accounts, specific information, and match the tour to specific places. One of his research interests is historic photographs of the area, so he brought along lots of old photos to show us what places looked like before, during, or soon after the battle. You'll need to make arrangements in advance, but if you are lucky enough to get Stephen, you will not be disappointed! Ill PM you his email address.

If you'd like to select a guide based on area of expertise, you can look at their bios here https://antietamguides.com/antietam-guides/ When you make your advance reservation call the Antietam National Battlefield Museum Store at 1-866-461-5180 or 301-432-4329 and request a specific guide.

Regarding the etiquette of tipping, I think it is always nice to offer a tip in recognition of outstanding service. I don't think Park Rangers are allowed to accept tips during work hours, but Battlefield Guides dont work for the park service and tips we have offered to Battlefield Guides have never been refused. I hope you enjoy your visit to Antietam!
 
The only problem with not scheduling is this: My niece and I went last year and Antietam was almost empty. However, a HUGE family group with two or three cars came and gobbled up all the Park Rangers and they called and called and they couldn't find a Battlefield Guide for us. We did the usual self-driving thing and spent over 6 hours there, because we are nerds AND climbed South Mountain and went to Turner's Gap AND the cemetery, but one huge group can take all the guides.

I wonder if I created confusion here between the US Park Service _Rangers_ and the Antietam Battlefield Guides. Two different groups of people.

The Park Rangers do not give personal tours, but some of them do lead scheduled events which you can join - walks and interpretive talks. Those never run out of spots. There is no gobbling up :smile: I was on an Anniversary Walk in 2012, for example, with more than 400 other folks and 2 Rangers. They are US Park Service employees and I've never heard of tipping them - I don't know what the protocol would be. [Park page: https://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm 2019 schedule of Ranger-led events: https://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/2019-annual-schedule.htm ]

The Antietam Battlefield Guides are a private group, sanctioned by the Park Service. They are a great group of folks with excellent knowledge of the battle and the area. I think there are about 25 now, most with _decades_ of experience on the battle. They are carefully trained and tested before they can offer tours. You probably want to arrange for one of them in advance, because yes, they can get gobbled up. You can ask the folks at the Visitors Center to help find you a Battlefield Guide on the day of your visit, but that can be hit or miss. Battlefield Guides charge hourly fees and can accommodate individuals and groups. [https://antietamguides.com/]
 
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