Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War, a conflict that determined the fate of the United States. The site where these two great armies clashed was first preserved by a small group of patriotic citizens and later by the country as a whole. Since 1933, the National Park Service has cared for Gettysburg National Military Park as a symbol of America's struggle to survive as a nation, and as a lasting memorial to the armies and soldiers who served in that great conflict. There are as many ways to explore our area as there are interests of the visitors who come here. For those interested in seeing the battlefields of Gettysburg, some relax on an air-conditioned bus listening to a recorded story while others take a trolley complete with civil war actors. There are those who drive in their own car with an auto tape tour and others hire a Licensed Battlefield Guide to ride with them to explain the three famous days in 1863. The hearty take the National Park Service self-guided walking tours or join the crowd of a park ranger led tour. And the adventurists enjoy touring the 40 miles of battlefield roads by bicycle or galloping across the 5,700 acres of field by horseback. Further understand the courage and hardships of the soldiers by visiting our ten Civil War related museums or take an authentic Civil War house tour by day and a haunted ghost tour by night. Live theater includes a personal visit with "President Lincoln", Civil War plays and ghost stories. Throughout the year you can talk to the soldiers in encampments and reenactments.