Gettysburg

on location: northeast ❖

randy mink

This small Pennsylvania town with a big name in the history books prepares for the Civil War sesquicentennial “What I personally love the most is taking a step back, finding my favorite place on the battlefield and just setting back on a rock and taking in the beauty of the battlefield. Even though so much death and destruction took place here, there is such a peace that resonates at Gettysburg.”

— A frequent traveler to Gettysburg A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee crowns the Virginia Memorial.

All Photos Courtesy of Gettysburg CVB

LeisureGroupTravel.com

April 2011 15

on location: northeast ❖ As the nation prepares to kick off a five-year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, this is a perfect time for Americans to reflect on the epic conflict that pitted state against state, friend against friend. Gettysburg, where the war’s greatest battle raged, will take center stage in that observance.

A visit to the battlefield and other sites brings home the tragedies endured from 1861-1865 and puts into focus the monumental struggle between North and South. Had it not been for the heroic feats on this Southern Pennsylvania farm land the first three days of July in 1863, America would be a different country. A Union victory that marked the beginning of the end for Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army, the Battle of Gettysburg is regarded as the turning point of the Civil War. The largest battle ever fought on American soil saw more than 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded or captured.

Geared for group travel, the town of 8,100 annually welcomes three million tourists and hosts 15,000 motorcoaches.

Travel planners can choose from a wide range of tours, museums, and group-

A rousing re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg takes place every July.

friendly hotels and restaurants. Organizers also can arrange for living history interpreters, like Gen. Ulysses S. and Mrs. Grant, to come on the coach or give a presentation.

Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, adjacent to the battlefield, is the focal point of tourism and obvious place to start.

Opened in April of 2008, the state-ofthe-art facility offers 21st century amenities for the nearly two million who visit Gettysburg National Military Park every year.

In addition to 12 exhibit galleries filled with videos and interactive stations, the Visitor Center presents “A

Unlimited Inspiration Commemorate the Civil War 150th with us P L A N BATTLEFIELD TOURS DON’T MISS THE C YCLORAMA , F ILM & M USEUM E XPERIENCE .

Visit the Eisenhower National Historic Site. | Visit the David Wills House in Downtown Gettysburg.g.

Shop in the Museum Bookstore. | Enjoy Civil War-era food in the Refreshment Saloon.

Join the Friends of Gettysburg–help us preserve this hallowed ground.

GGETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER 1195 Baltimore Pike | Gettysburg, PA 17325 | Tickets: 877-874-2478 reservations@gettysburgfoundation.org | www.gettysburgfoundation.org 16 April 2011

New Birth of Freedom,” a 22-minute film narrated by Morgan Freeman that immerses viewers in the sights, sounds and emotions of the battle and its aftermath. Following the film, guests take an escalator to the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a colossal circular oil painting that gives them the illusion of standing in the middle of Pickett’s Charge, a battle tableau complete with marching troops, men fighting with bayonets, cannon smoke, and ground littered with canteens, shoes, broken wheels, and dead soldiers and horses. A sound-and-light show with narration enhances the 360degree experience.

At 377 feet by 42 feet, the Gettysburg Cyclorama, created by French artists in 1883-1884 and fresh from a five-year, $12-million restoration completed in 2008, is the largest painting in the U.S. The three-dimensional diorama and a sky that disappears into an overhead canopy—features that had been missing for more than 40 years— have been recreated.

Licensed battlefield guides at the Visitor Center can board a group’s motorcoach for a two-hour tour. The center has a dedicated group entrance and classroom space. A bus drivers lounge is

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE See Randy Mink’s article on the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pa., a 45-minute drive from Gettysburg. Log on to http://leisuregrouptravel.com/?p=22794.

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located in the coach parking lot.

With more than 1,300 monuments and memorials, Gettysburg National Military Park boasts one of the world’s largest collections of outdoor sculptures.

The towering Pennsylvania Monument is the largest and most complex.

One memorial recalls the 272 words spoken by President Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery four months after the battle. His eloquent two-minute speech on Nov. 19, 1863, is today known as the Gettysburg Address (“that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not

coln put the finishing touches on the speech. Restored to its 1863 appearance, the house (privately owned for decades) showcases the bedroom where Lincoln slept on the night before the Gettysburg Address and Wills’ office. Exhibits interpret the battle’s aftermath and Wills’ efforts to set aside battlefield land for a cemetery for the Union dead. The home was the center of the immense clean-up process after the July 1-3 battle and was used to care for the wounded.

Downtown abounds with other museums and historic houses, not to mention Civil War-themed shops and restaurants. Steps from the David Wills House are the Cannon Ball Old Tyme

Groups can hire a guide for a two-hour tour of the Gettysburg battlefield.

perish from the earth.”) This cemetery in Gettysburg National Military Park, a final resting place for veterans through the Vietnam War, was officially closed in 1972, but plots remain for dependents of those interred.

For insight into Lincoln’s immortal address, tour the David Wills House, a National Park Service-owned museum in downtown Gettysburg. Opened in 2009, the attorney’s home is where LinObtain Pennsylvania visitor guides and itineraries – and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly – at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info LeisureGroupTravel.com

Malt Shop and McClellan’s Tavern, a restaurant in the historic Gettysburg Hotel. Named after Union Gen. George McClellan, the tavern serves the Confederate Burger, Custer’s Melt and other sandwiches named for Civil War generals. The Tavern in back of the Farnsworth House Inn remembers the war with props and costumes from the Hollywood movie Gettysburg and runs it continuously on the TV. Built in 1810, the B&B inn bears 100 bullet holes from the battle. Group dinner buffets are available.

Wait staff in colonial garb and candlelit rooms lend charm to the 1776 Dobbin House Tavern, the oldest build-

on location: northeast ❖ ing in Gettysburg. Many of the rooms, including the casual Springhouse Tavern in the basement, have fireplaces. The same atmosphere pervades the attached banquet room where large groups (up to 150) enjoy buffet meals.

Gettysburg antique shops deal in Civil War bullets, cannon balls, weapons, uniform buttons and other memorabilia, while gift shops sell everything from toy guns and swords to soldier caps, flags,

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Lincoln throw pillows, stovepipe hats, and Blue and Gray teddy bears.

The American Civil War Wax Museum presents the North vs. South rivalry through life-size dioramas. Scenes spotlight events like the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Lincoln assassination and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. Visitors also learn about the Underground Railroad, black troops in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and Clara Barton, the “Angel of the Battlefields,” whose efforts led to the founding of the American Red Cross. A visit concludes in the Battle Room, where flashing lights, sound effects and narration enhance a film and large diorama. After the battle, an animatronic Abraham Lincoln rises from the floor to deliver the Gettysburg Address and a choir sings the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Weekly living history encampments take place from April through October.

Several Gettysburg sites provide townspeople’s perspectives on the war.

The Jennie Wade House Museum, for example, tells the story of a 20year-old woman hit by a stray bullet, the only civilian killed during the battle. Other attractions include Shriver House Museum, Gettysburg Diorama, Lincoln Train Station Museum, Soldiers National Museum, and Hall of Presidents & First Ladies.

For visitors, “night life” in Gettysburg often means a ghost tour. Several companies offer candlelight walks

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The superb museum at Gettysburg National Military Park is a must.

that offer glimpses into the past through the spirits that are said to linger here.

Many TV documentaries have featured Gettysburg, reputed to be one of the most haunted towns in the world.

The town’s Civil War 150th anniversary celebration will include special observances, expanded programs and tours, and large battle re-enactments. The annual July 1-3 re-enactment, an ABA Top 100 Event this year, presents continuous living history each day, including military camps, medical demonstrations, ladies fashions, a period worship service and live Civil War music.

One highlight of the five-year commemoration will be the 2013 opening of the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Schmucker Hall, a building that served as a Union lookout on July 1 and a field hospital. The new museum will tell the story of the battle’s first day and faith and medicine in the Civil War. This year and the next few will be the ideal time to bring your troops to Gettysburg, hallowed ground that not only saw unimaginable horrors but acts of compassion and words of hope for healing a divided nation.

For information on group travel, contact Jenny McConnell, Gettysburg CVB, 800-337-5015, jenny@gettysburg.travel; gettysburggrouptours.travel. LGT LeisureGroupTravel.com