Posted on 07/16/2011 11:33:51 AM PDT by Artemis Webb
My wife and I are thinking of an October trip that would include Gettysburg. We want to fly into the area and would probably take a bus or some type of shuttle, not a rental car, into Gettysburg for however many days we need to stay. So I need some advice from knowledgeable FReepers (Is there any other kind of FReeper?):
First of all what city should we fly into? Baltimore and Harrisburg look most likely. I know Gettysburg has an airport but it doesn't appear to have major carriers.
Does anybody know if bus or shuttle service is available from given city to Gettysburg?
Hotel recommendations? (We aren't made of money).
How long should we plan to stay? We're interested in Gettysburg and the Civil War but we have other destinations in mind (Cooperstown, NY) so we have to strike a balance for time.
Any other suggestions are welcome but I really need the nuts and bolts info first. Thanks in advance to all.
Gettysburg Address????
I know. It’s lame.
Make sure you do the car tour with the registered Park service guides, they are great.
Yep, fly into Baltmore and rent a car
You can visit Antietam on the way up or back
My son went to Mercersburg Academy, so I know the drill. Fly into Baltimore. Get a rental car from Dollar Rental (the best price by far)
Stay in Frederick, Md. Hit Antitem one day - they just opened a new Visitors Center last year. Then hit Gettysburg on day 2. Get a guide - it’s the best advice you could get!!
Have fun!!
Ft McHenry in Baltimore is also worth a visit!
Try the Farnsworth House BxB in Gettysburg, historic, haunted and they have a great story telling program. There is also a hotel there of note.
If you want save some money don’t get a hotel in Gettysburg. There are plenty of hotels not too far away. It’s also pretty pricey to fly into Harrisburg compared to BWI.
Now HERE is a topic I know well :) Here is a BRIEF rundown as I post on my phone..if you want more details id be MORE than happy to help and would enjoy doing so..
Minimum stay in Gettysburg should be 3 days...I suggest 4 or 5. You’ll want 1 day per day of the Battle. You’ll also need a full day for the museum/visitor’s center alone in my opinion.
If you can and want to know about the Battle on a personal level and not just see the 3 or 4 main tourist traps (Little Round Top, Site of Pickett’s Charge, Devil’s Den,etc) I HIGHLY suggest hiring a licensed personal guiede for a half day or full day. Most will take you to little known and little traveled areas of the battlefields including the original burial pits, spangler’s spring, some of the original buildings, etc..it will be MORE than worth it.
As far as places to stay, there are plenty of ‘fast food’ hotels (holiday inn,etc) near or actually on (breaks my heart) the battlefield so you have your choice..MY suggestion is to look up a bed and breakfast and go that route..my personal favorite is the Lightner Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast only a couple of miles from the new visitor’s center. It served as a hospital during and after the battle and has a fascinating history that they will share with you when you get there..and the food is phenomenal..Miss Betty also does her own ghost tours which are entertaining to say the least!
I will leave you with this (again please message me for more in depth questions/answers if need be):
1 absolute must while you are there: Go up to the Gouv G. Warren statue on Little Round Top..find a comfortable rock...be silent..take a deep breath..and watch the most beautiful sunset you will see in that part of the country. The land is hauntingly and stunningly beautiful in more ways than can be described...but a sunset on Little Round Top brings me more peace and comfort then one would imagine since there was so much carnage and hell on that very ground.
Enjoy your trip and really try to think about what mere boys did with and to each other for 3 hot days in July ‘63...Cheers.
Unless you're planning on seeing Baltimore, base your destination on ticket price. HBI is a decent airport, and there's no reason to fly into Baltimore if you don't want to spend time there, except $.
In the autumn you should be able to stay in downtown Gettysburg for a reasonable price -- there are several very nice old historic hotels I think you'd like. I lived in the area for years, so I've never booked a night room in them, but I did book meetings in several, and the people who needed to travel to stay there recommended them highly. Off season I think we're talking $100-$125. If that's too salty, check places on US Route 15 South into Maryland, you should not have to go further South than Thurmont Maryland. You can also check North on 15, but don't look any further than Camp Hill, PA.
If you have time, Thurmont is about halfway between Antietam (Sharpsburg to all you Rebels) and Gettysburg and is a beautiful drive of about thirty minutes in the other direction (southwest). Harper's Ferry is also convenient and well worth the trip. The area is beautiful, and if you stay on US15/34/40/340 you can avoid all the traffic nastiness of I70 and I81 (although I81 is actually not part of the Washington DC corridor and isn't too bad; stay away from I70/I270 if at all possible, especially after 4:00 PM or you'll be sorry.) Maryland State Troopers are a pain in the rear, especially on I70 and US15, so if you've got a heavy foot: a word to the wise.
The new visitors' center is fantastic. The only downside I can think of is that they got rid of the famous "Electric Map" in the process of improving the center which was a really great way to understand the battle chronology and geography... but a little too 1950's for modern sensibilities, I guess. Anyway, if you're in good shape you will very much enjoy walking around the battlefield. It's huge, and hilly, but you can drive/park and from various locations walk to anywhere you want.
And that’s the Gouveneur K. Warren statue..not G. Warren...had to self correct before I facepalm myslef :)
Here’s what I would do:
Fly into Harrisburg...rent a car...drive the 30 or so miles to Gettysburg. Motel rates are lower in October, a gorgeous month to drive through PA. Allow 3 days to see the battlefield and environs. Spring the extra cash for a guided tour, if it’s your first time there. This is the best way to see the battlefield. Stop at the National Museum there first to get a grasp of what you will see.
Don’t miss Ike and Mamie’s farmhouse and the tour. It’s wonderful (esp. if you are Republican and an Eisenhower fan.)
If you are Catholic, you won’t want to miss the Home and Museum of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at Emmitsburg, MD., a few short miles from G-burg.
In October there are Ghost Tours of the Gettysburg’s haunted houses which are presided over by costumed guides and are great fun.
The Irish Pub on the main drag is a great spot for lunch or dinner.
Skip the rip-off tourist places like the Teddy Bear Farm outside of town (Boyd’s Bears—all made in China.) And the new shopping mall, which is pathetic.
We flew in and out of DC, but were coming across the country from LA. Rented a car so we could poke around. We stayed at a B&B that I had read about that did Civil War ‘enactments’ at breakfast — our son ended up dressed like a young Union soldier. The host did a great job telling the story, getting guests involved. This is probably all i remember, but it was great. We also did Antietem that day, if I remember correctly. Things are not that far apart ‘back there.’ Valley Forge is close, too, is it not? We went to all the Americana sites.
Ohhhhhhh...
You're forgiven. I've been guilty of worse atrocities. :)
Well, I hope they have improved the Apple Harvest Festival since the last time I was there...50,000 visitors and no real bathrooms...just Jiffy Johns. It was an ordeal for anyone who takes HCT for blood pressure!
Hotels in Hagerstown (just north of Sharpsburg) Chambersburg and Gettysburg or any ‘burg in the area.
Do NOT fly into Baltimore. All the routes from there to G-burg are fraught with danger. Huge tractor-trailers moving at 80 mph. Narrow lanes, maniac drivers, barely existent shoulders and just scary driving.
From Harrisburg, you can meander down RTE.15 (a secondary road) and get there safe and sound.
Doh! Ack!
Corny as Kansas in August.
Hmmm? Half hour from Harrisburg, hour and a half+ from Baltimore. If highway construction, or an accident is encountered it can be a nightmare into or out of Baltimore.
US 15 South from Harrisburg is fairly consistent traffic wise. Watch out for the speed traps in Dillsburg and you will be ok.
Valley Forge is over 100 miles away from G-Burg...near Philly. (100 miles over the ruts and cracks and potholes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike). But if they want to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Franklin Institute etc. it might be a nice side trip.
Rent a car and try the honey-dipped fried hot-dogs in town.
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