Gettysburg’s rolling green hills and red-barn farms are often shrouded in morning fog. But for three days in July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg raged in this southern Pennsylvania town, with cannon smoke and artillery fire blanketing the landscape. The battle resulted in an estimated 51,000 casualties. It was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
Today, travelers come from all over the world to visit Gettysburg’s hallowed battlefield and explore the town’s other 19th- and 20th-century historic attractions. Just a short drive from Washington, DC (120 miles south) and Philadelphia (190 miles east), it’s the perfect place to learn about America’s complex history, especially as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. It’s a place. 2026. From touring historic homes and battlefields to exploring the charming countryside, here’s how to make the most of your visit to Gettysburg.
Discover Gettysburg’s legendary past
The nearly 6,000-acre Gettysburg National Military Park honors the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in the Civil War and led to President Abraham Lincoln’s inspiring Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. The park surrounds the town of Gettysburg and has 150 facilities. Historic buildings, 400 cannons, 1,300 monuments and markers. It is free and open to the public from morning until dusk.
Start at the park’s museum and visitor center. The facility is a 139,000-square-foot facility that features exhibits, films about the battle, and the famous Gettysburg Cyclorama. Restored in 1884, the 42-foot-tall, 377-foot-long rotunda depicts Pickett’s Charge, the decisive maneuver on the third and final day of the battle.
Visitors can explore Gettysburg National Military Park on their own by bike, foot, or car. A variety of guided tours are available to help visitors pinpoint key sites, including a former farm field hospital and the David Wills House, where Lincoln spent the night before delivering his Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg National Cemetery. has been. The cemetery consists of rows of simple white stones where 6,000 American soldiers are buried, including 3,500 who died in combat.
This statue honoring the 72nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment is one of 1,300 monuments and markers at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Guided tour options include bus trips, Segway tours on the square, and horseback and carriage rides with Gettysburg Horse Tours. Visitors can also book a licensed battlefield guide to drive around the park and customize the experience to suit their interests.
There are also notable archaeological sites in and near Gettysburg National Military Park, including the new Beyond the Battle Museum. Here, artifacts depicting what life was like for local families trapped behind enemy lines during the Civil War sit alongside interactive elements. Cutting-edge technology allows visitors to feel the floor shake, hear gunshots, and learn how civilians felt as the conflict unfolded.
Adjacent to the battlefield, Eisenhower National Historic Site consists of a farmhouse and grounds where U.S. President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, entertained diplomats during the Cold War and were eventually decommissioned in the 1960s. A free tour of the two-story clapboard and brick home, some of which date back to the 1800s, features Ike’s paintings, Mamie’s pink floral china tea set, and other personal items.
The Lincoln Speech Memorial commemorates the iconic speech given by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863.
Tour historic downtown
At the Schreiber House Museum in Gettysburg’s 19th-century downtown, guides dressed in period-appropriate costumes explain how this antebellum home served as a combat hospital and a perch for Confederate sharpshooters. Let me explain. A historian in a hoop skirt leads a “hidden memory” walking tour through the town, focusing on women during the war. After dark, guides from Civil War Ghost Tours and Gettysburg Ghost Tours lead chilling walks that combine paranormal stories with historical facts.
Travelers can also use the Black History Trail smartphone app to find locations such as St. Paul AME Zion Church, home of Gettysburg’s oldest African-American congregation, founded around 1838. Lincoln Cemetery, Gettysburg’s African American and Civil War Veterans Burial Ground. and Thaddeus Place, which informs visitors about the life and work of Thaddeus Stevens, an influential congressman and abolitionist.
Gettysburg’s compact downtown radiates out from Lincoln Square (which is actually circular), and its most attractive spots are along Chambersburg, Baltimore, and Carlisle streets. Antique storefronts include a variety of dining options, including the vintage Gettysburg Chocolate Market, which sells coffee, ice cream, and candy, and The Sign of the Back, a French-American brasserie housed in the historic Union Hotel. there is.
Independent shops include Gettysburg Goods, which sells locally made crafts, gifts, and sweets, and Horse Soldier, a long-established antique store specializing in military items.
Explore the picturesque countryside surrounding Gettysburg beyond the town center.
Explore the surrounding countryside
The scenic countryside near Gettysburg is dotted with historic sites, wineries, and farm markets. Just a short drive from Gettysburg is Sachs Covered Bridge. The bridge was built in 1852 and was used by both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War. Travelers can walk across this pedestrian bridge over Marsh Creek and enjoy views of the area. Adams County, just north and west of the Gettysburg Battlefield, also has more than 20,000 acres of apple orchards. These scenic properties are home to more than 35 varieties of apple trees, and apple and peach blossoms dot the countryside every April and May. Visitors can visit Hollabo Brothers Fruit Farm and Market, a family-run farm that sells local fruits, vegetables, meats, and homemade baked goods and ice cream, as well as spirits such as: Sample the region’s bounty of produce at Mason Dixon Distillery. We make our vodka, aged rum, and corn whiskey from scratch on-site.
plan your trip
There are daily international flights to Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. The easiest way to get to Gettysburg from each airport is to rent a car. Baltimore and Washington, DC are both less than a two-hour drive from Gettysburg, and Philadelphia is about a two-and-a-half hour drive. Once in the town of Gettysburg, multiple rideshare services and the Rabbit Transit public bus system are available. For more information, visit destinationgettysburg.com. This paid content article was created for Destination Gettysburg. They do not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler (UK), or their editorial staff.
Click here to subscribe to National Geographic Traveler (UK) magazine. (Available in some countries only).
