Gettysburg
WHO
Our family of four took a road trip from Illinois to Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and the Blue Ridge Parkway when Averhy was 14 and Eden was 11 years old.
WHAT
Since this was a road trip that began and ended at our home in Illinois, we did not pack as tightly as we do for trips where we fly to our destination. We took two carry-on sized suitcases (one for Sky & Allyson, one for Averhy & Eden), my camera bag, and a small backpack to use as a day bag. This was our packing list (per person) for the entire 8-day road trip.
7 tshirts
3 shorts
1 hiking pants/shorts
1 sweatshirt
7 pairs socks
7 underwear
3 bras
2 pajamas
basic toiletries
1 pair tennis shoes
1 swimsuit
1 baseball cap
flip flops
sunglasses
umbrella
big camera/charger
Kindle
pillows, headphones, etc to use during the car ride
WHEN
We took this trip in July 2018. Summertime on the east coast can get quite warm, and we had a few hot days as well as some rain during the trip. We decided to take this road trip when the girls were 14 and 11 because they were both interested in American history, especially the Revolutionary War era (thank you Hamilton!). During the 10 hour drive from Illinois to Gettysburg, we played the Ken Burns Civil War documentary on our van’s DVD player, which was a really helpful foundation when we toured the battlefield sites the next day.
WHERE
We are big fans of AirBnB, and try to use it whenever possible. We stayed at this cute guesthouse located on the property of an historic home just outside Gettysburg. The owner was friendly and helpful.
We visited the starred locations on the map during our overnight stay in Gettysburg.
WHY
This is a great location for anyone interested in US History, and we really enjoyed our car tour of the battlegrounds (described below). The town of Gettysburg is cute and easy to walk around, and the museum is interesting. For our family, one day was the perfect amount of time to explore this area.
HOW
Day 1: Downtown Gettysburg
We drove all day from Illinois to PA, listening to the Ken Burns Civil War documentary most of the way. It was really helpful as a refresher about the big picture and smaller details surrounding the Civil War. We arrived at our AirBnB in the evening and had a late dinner in downtown Gettysburg. On trips like this, we often share 3 entrees to save money on meals - and then we can all try new things!
Day 2: Gettysburg Battlefields and Museum
We began our day with a 2-hour car tour of the historic battlegrounds through the Gettysburg Foundation. I would highly recommend this type of tour! Our guide drove our van so we were able to take in the sights while he explained the historical significance of each place we passed or stopped… and he KNEW HIS STUFF! These tours must be booked at least 5 days in advance by calling to make a reservation, and they can fill up in the summer.
After our tour, we walked through the visitor center and museum. There were several displays that we found especially interesting, including military musical instruments that were typical of the time.
We did not watch the film or view the cyclorama painting in the visitor center.
After the museum, we drove back to the battleground areas to take another look at the Valley of Death and Devil’s Den areas.
We wrapped up our time in Gettysburg around 3pm to drive to our next destination… Philadelphia!
Final Tips
I cannot emphasize enough how helpful it was to watch the Civil War documentary before taking the car tour of the battlegrounds. Our guide was excellent and told the story of the battle within the context of the entire war, and we were easily able to recognize names, places, and events because we had just heard about them in the film!
Booking the car tour in advance is a must, and this experience was much more enjoyable than being on a big tour bus with 50 other people. We were able to ask questions of our guide, and he brought maps and other visual aids to help us understand the events that took place in each location.
Have you been to Gettysburg yet? What did you find most interesting when you visited? Comment below!