The town of Gettysburg

My wife and I are going to Gettysburg to see the Military Park but we also want to see the town itself. The problem is that we don%26#39;t really know much about it. Are there any certain areas that we should be sure to hit? Also, how is parking? Thanks for any help you can give.

The town of Gettysburg

I would HIGHLY recommend taking the time to see the town as well as the battlfield. There are some good museums in town as well as just walking to admire alot of the historic buildings and houses, some that predate the Civil War. The town is very walkable and has intersting shops and historic taverns/restaurants. If you have not been on these websites yet, check out gettysburgcvb.org and gettysburgfoundation.org. These two websites are helpful in planning your first trip to Gettysburg. Order the visitor guide with a town and area map from the cvb website. The foundation website will help you plan your time at the battlefield. I also recommend hiring a licensed battlefield guide from the visitor center that will drive your car for two hours while you relax, listen and look, ask questions about what particularly interests you about the battle, these guides are extrememly knowlegable about every aspect of the battle and the monuments. It is 55.00 for two hours and well worth it. Since you are from Louisiana, make sure you see the LA monument on W. Confederate Ave. on the battlefield.

Some of my favorite places to visit: The Jennie Wade House and the Shriver House museums that tell you the civilian side of the battle and what they experienced. For historic atmosphere I like to eat at the Farnsworth House and Dobbin House. Check out their websites. Gettysburg is full of lodging options as you will see on the cvb website. I prefer the historic bed and breakfasts. I have stayed at the Dobbin House, Brafferton, in town and the Doubleday and Lightner Farmhouse just outside of town. I would recommend any of these. Check out the reviews on all these places on tripadvisor and visit their individual websites to see if these places appeal to you. If not there are plenty of hotels and motels.

I have never had any problems parking in Gettysburg. There is metered parking on the streets and some public lots which I%26#39;m sure some locals may post and tell you where those are. I usually like to stay in town at one of the b %26amp; b%26#39;s and leave my car parked in town and walk everywhere in town using the car only to drive out to the battlefield and visitor center. I%26#39;m sure some others that are regulars on this forum will give you some good advice too. I hope you have a great time and enjoy Gettysburg.

The town of Gettysburg

The previous posting gave excellent suggestions. My husband %26amp; I have been going to Gettysburg every October for 10 years. We have only ever stayed at B%26amp;B%26#39;s, we%26#39;re trying the Doubleday Inn for the 1st time this coming October. There is an Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville the 1st 2 weekends of every October which is a must see with crafts, car show, apple orchard tours. I do not know when you are going, but ghost walks are a lot of fun year round %26amp; a train ride on Pioneer Lines railway is also a great way to see the town %26amp; battlefield. A tour of the Eisenhower estate is good too. Go to the visitors center %26amp; they will give you good information %26amp; you can buy tickets for the Licensed Battlefield Guide tour which is the best way to see the battlefield. We prefer pub food so eat often at O%26#39;Rourke%26#39;s %26amp; Dobbin House Tavern. A nicer place to eat is the Cashtown Inn which was there during the civil war %26amp; also starred in the film ';Gettysburg';. Antiqueing in New Oxford is also a must if you are into that sort of thing. You will not run out of things to do %26amp; it%26#39;s easy enough to get around by car. Have a great time %26amp; let us know how you enjoyed your trip!

I rented a guide to walk me through the oldest parts of the town of Gettysburg - their website is http://www.gettysburgpa.org/guidedtour.htm. He was really interesting and gave lots of information about what it was like for the townspeople during the battle and afterwards. The price was very reasonable and the pace was not rushed. I also did some of the museums afterwards. I highly recommend the battlefield guides. The one we had customized the tour to our interests and by doing the driving allowed us the chance to really see the monuments, etc. without fear of having an accident. Get your tickets as early as you can since they get snapped up early. I also was able to get in on a Park Ranger talk and that was great too. Hope you have a memorable time.

I%26#39;m a local, and can say all of the suggestions here are solid and trustworthy.

The majority of shops, bars, and restaurants in the town itself are around the square and radiating out from it about 2-3 blocks on each side, and also on the Steinwehr Avenue ';tourist strip'; on the south end of town. Parking is generally fine - the odds are you won%26#39;t always park in the lot of the restaurant where you eat, but you can find a lot or street spot somewhere close. It is a very walkable town.

Downtown, there is a public parking garage (pay) on Racehorse Alley behind the Gettysburg Hotel. If you want to hit Steinwehr Ave/Baltimore St, there%26#39;s a well located, very little lot behind the Old Gettysburg Village shops. It%26#39;s kind of hidden, so you can often snag a spot. There is also a large lot next to Holiday Inn/Jennie Wade House on Cemetery Hill, with plenty of open spots especially at night.

Have fun and enjoy Gettysburg.

Definitely book a guide and do it before you get there so you can choose the time. We had a gentleman named Gar last week and he was fantastic. Even our usually ho-hum 16 year old son was paying attention. We had a very nice dinner at the Dobbin House as we were staying on the tourist strip but, I would have prefered to stay closer to the main square as there were lots of nice little shops and galleries to walk to. Unfortunately, when I booked our hotel I thought it would be more convenient to be near some of the other tourist attractions. Parking was never a problem but we were there mid week.