Very OT, Gettysburg Tour Info

[JeffroK]

I have a relative will will be touring the USA later this year.

A real Grognard, he is looking for a good one day tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield basing out of Washington DC.

Can anyone help with tours or links which can help solve this

Thanks

[Graycompany]

I have a Friend that is a Guide there, let me see what I can find out for you.

[Central Blue]

ORIGINAL: JeffK

I have a relative will will be touring the USA later this year.

A real Grognard, he is looking for a good one day tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield basing out of Washington DC.

Can anyone help with tours or links which can help solve this

Thanks

You can walk it for yourself very well in a day if you have read a couple of books. There are plenty of old monuments and cannons to orient by. Even in January or February he could probably mingle with some sort of group touring the field -- that's when I visited. If he's an old grognard he'll figure the terrain advantages pretty quick.

Unless he is a Gettysburg freak, or only here for 24 hours, encourage the relative to get out out to Antietam and Bull Run. among other battlefields within driving distance of DC.

If the relative gets out west, gotta check Little Big Horn, Fetterman, and the Wagon Box.

[JeffroK]

ORIGINAL: Central Blue

ORIGINAL: JeffK

I have a relative will will be touring the USA later this year.

A real Grognard, he is looking for a good one day tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield basing out of Washington DC.

Can anyone help with tours or links which can help solve this

Thanks

You can walk it for yourself very well in a day if you have read a couple of books. There are plenty of old monuments and cannons to orient by. Even in January or February he could probably mingle with some sort of group touring the field -- that's when I visited. If he's an old grognard he'll figure the terrain advantages pretty quick.

Unless he is a Gettysburg freak, or only here for 24 hours, encourage the relative to get out out to Antietam and Bull Run. among other battlefields within driving distance of DC.

If the relative gets out west, gotta check Little Big Horn, Fetterman, and the Wagon Box.

(Its the Bro-in-Law)
He has a list of must visits, time with rellies in Minni/St P and an autistic son to keep entertained (though Disneyland should do that)
He has 1 day available based out of DC, I wondered in Antietam/Bull Run might have been a better day trip.

[tc464]

I would recommend Gettysburg over Antietam and Bull Run. The area around Bull Run is just too commercial (I live about 25 miles from it). Antietam isn't bad but Gettysburg is better and only about 45 minutes drive further. I took my sons up there a few years ago and bought an audio tour CD. Rent a vehicle and drive up. It will be a long day but he'll get to see the real US instead of Sodom on the Potomac.

http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/index.htm

[LST Express]

Don't they have a new museum there now? I thought the old one was awesome so the new one should be great, but probably too time consuming for a one day visit.

[JeffroK]

ORIGINAL: tc464

I would recommend Gettysburg over Antietam and Bull Run. The area around Bull Run is just too commercial (I live about 25 miles from it). Antietam isn't bad but Gettysburg is better and only about 45 minutes drive further. I took my sons up there a few years ago and bought an audio tour CD. Rent a vehicle and drive up. It will be a long day but he'll get to see the real US instead of Sodom on the Potomac.

http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/index.htm

How far is it from DC?

But I dont trust his driving here where he knows the right side of the road to drive on!!

Any ideas or directions to guide bus tours from DC??

[Cap Mandrake]

84 mi from the center of dc to Gettysburg


I dont know about a bus tour...he would never be happy with that if he is grognard. He is going to want to walk around where he wants. He needs a car.

If he is afraid of driving in the city he could take the metro to Bethesda and rent a car near the end of the line. Most of the drive is through rural Maryland and Pennsylvania and is very nice and non-intimidating. Aboiut 3 hrs round trip driving.

There are docent-led discussions at the park. I dont think you need reservations, you just link up with a docent. The park service probably has times. Gettysburg is very well preserved. The Lutheran Seminary is still there. You can walk around the Little Round Top and examine lines of sight etc. You can walk the line of advance of Pickett's charge.

He should read Killer Angles and one of many military histories and review Brady's photographs.

[JeffroK]

Thanks, thought it a bit further out.

I'll let him know the options, and see what he does. He has a few anchors in getting too mobile, in addition to his wife.
[8D] (Driving on the r=wrong side of the road is always intimidating and not enjoyable, you have to thinj rather than just do!!  And I only drove around KC)

Between us we have a reasonable collection of ACW books, plus the local library has a good collection. maybe the TSS (1st edition) map that lived on the garage floor had something to do with it.

Thanks to all for your ideas.

[NormS3]

I am currently studying to be atour guide at Gettysburg and have an uncle who is a current guide there. Let me know when you are going to be there and I'll see if it fits in my travel schedule (I live about 7 hours away), or I can give you my uncle contact info.

[Canoerebel]

Gettysburg is an awesome battlefield to visit - if your cousin has any familiarity with the battle I highly recommend he do it himself rather than guided.  There are many interesting places to visit, but among the best are (1) Devil's Den, (2) Little Round Top, (3) Cemetery Ridge, (4) Seminary Ridge (be sure to climb the observation tower), (5) the highwater mark (where Pickett's Charge petered out), (6) the alm's house area; and (7) the cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.  This can be done in a day and will be immensely enjoyable unless your cousin has along company who don't consider this their cup of tea.

[John Lansford]

Back when my wife and I were there, you could "rent" one of the park rangers and he would ride in your car and answer questions, direct you to the more memorable locations, and point out what happened during the battle at each location.  It was several years ago but they charged $20, a great value IMO. 

[LeeChard]

My wife and I went last March. It was fairly cold but clear. We took the long CD tour and it was great. There was only a few people there so often times we were alone. We must have stood at Devil's Den for half an hour just trying to imagine how a man gets up the courage to climb that hill, It's amazing that anyone survived.

[Point Luck]

I live about 1 hour away and have spent a lot of time there over the last 5 decades , I recommend that he read a couple of books about the battle, then pack a lunch rent a car and do his own tour, It’s pretty easy to get around the battlefield. I truly recommend this site over all other CW battlefields. I got really hooked on anything CW when I was a youth and my Dad took me to Gettysburg for the Centennial celebration.

My wife and I routinely make a point of trekking out in there in the spring when the apple blossoms are in bloom and again in the fall when the leaves start changing. Again this is great place to visit; it’s not as overly touristy today as it was back in the 60’s A big must is to visit the Veterans Cemetery at dusk, you can usually catch someone there blowing Taps, truly a moving experience I rank that experience second to Arlington