7 Campgrounds Near Gettysburg Pennsylvania

This may not be the best time of year for camping, but if camping is your thing then you’ll love Gettysburg Pennsylvania. The options for RV camping in this area are spectacular.

With so much to do in Gettysburg any time of year you’d think that people might want to stay in a cozy and warm hotel room near it all. Not necessarily. You can drive up an RV and park then get out and see the countryside. Rent a taxi or rely on the area’s public transportation. Yes, Adams County actually has a bus system!

Camping is fun anywhere. But it’s really fun here in Gettysburg and I’ve compiled a short list of campgrounds that you might consider the next time you vacation in this area:

• Artillery Ridge – If you’re a horse love then you’ll love Artillery Ridge. Many people come to Gettysburg and stop here just so they can go on a nice horseback ride. But you can also pitch a tent and take in the cool, clean mountain air. And it’s close enough to all the sites that you can walk to them. How cool is that?
• Drummer Boy Camping Resort – Just a stone’s throw from the historic battlefields and Gettysburg’s many attractions, this 95 acre camp resort is full of modern amenities for those who don’t want to go too deep into the woods. But the scenery is beautiful.
• Gettysburg / Battlefield KOA – KOA Kampgrounds are as American as Civil War nostalgia. This award-winning campground is a little further out, but it’s a real treat. Just three miles from Gettysburg, you can enjoy the wilderness and still be close enough to drive.
• Gettysburg Battlefield Resort – Located on Emmitsburg Road near where much of the actual shooting took place, this resort offers free camping, hiking, and many modern amenities, including Internet access. Privately owned an operated.
• Gettysburg Campground – At this campground you can pitch a tent or drive in with an RV. You can even bring your pet. Hosted by The Adams Family, no not that Addams Family, Gettysburg Campground is not too far from where all the action is. Don’t have a tent or an RV? No problem, rent a cottage.
• Granite Hill Campground – You can actually camp on ground where blood was spilled. Right here on Granite Hill. For the hard core enthusiast.
• Round Top Campground – Named after one of the most famous battles of the war. Opens in April and runs through September. Located just off Taneytown Road so you don’t have far to drive to see the battlefield.

10 Things To Do In Gettysburg (Besides Visit The Battlefield)

Visitors to Gettysburg, Pa. often don’t realize the many great things you can do here without visiting the battlefield. Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t see the bloodiest ground on the face of the earth. I’m just saying don’t stop there and stay. Here are 10 other wonderful things to do while in town:

1. Ski Liberty – Just a couple of miles out of town and slopes for the entire family.
2. Visit the National Apple Museum - Located in Biglerville, just a stone’s throw away from Gettysburg. A must see for the whole family using a pre-Civil War built barn as a museum to honor the nation’s fruit.
3. Eisenhower Farm – Actually located in Gettysburg and one of the favorite sites among visitors to Gettysburg.
4. Take a ghost tour – I think Gettysburg has more ghost tours than we have ghosts. Really. It’s not hard to find a ghost tour in Gettysburg any time of the year. And it’s something you’ve got to do at least once.
5. Eastern Museum Of Motor Racing - Located in York Springs, Pennsylvania near the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, this museum houses vintage racing cars and memorabilia of one of America’s favorite sports.
6. Go on a scenic train ride - For 75 minutes, or three hours if you prefer, you can take a train tour through Adams County and see the beautiful landscapes from a different perspective.
7. Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival – Like music? Like Bluegrass music? Then you can enjoy great Bluegrass music twice a year at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. Takes place between Gettysburg and Fairfield in the spring and fall each year.
8. Golf - The Links at Gettysburg is an 18-hole golf course carved out of indigenous red rock formations and meandering streams.
9. Visit Washington D.C. - The nation’s capital is just a two-hour drive away.
10. Ride a Harley – Every year, thousands of bike riders descend upon Gettysburg for Bike Week. You can join them.

There are lots more things to do in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Don’t wait for an invitation. Plan your next trip now.

5 Places To Ski Near Gettysburg Pa.

It’s January and while you’re busy thinking about Nathan Bedford Forrest and the revenge of the South, everyone else is thinking about ski bunnies and beginner slopes. Welcome to Gettysburg, Pa. Did you know there are 5 places to ski near the most famous battlefield on earth?

Yes, I know. You come to Gettysburg for one reason and one reason only. Little Round Top. No problem. Did you know you can ski Round Top? I’m not talking about the famous battle location. I’m talking about one of the five places around Gettysburg that you can ski and it’s called Ski Round Top.

But if you really want closeness just swing around the corner and ride the slopes at Ski Liberty. Just outside of Gettysburg, Ski Liberty has 16 ski slopes. A lot of them are for beginners.

The aforementioned Round Top is located in Lewisberry, Pa., right in the heart of York County, not much further than Ski Liberty.

Whitetail is just north of the Maryland state line, about 1.5 hours southeast of Harrisburg off I-81. A little further to the east, off Pennsylvania Turnpike, is Hidden Valley Ski Resort. Located in Hidden Valley, Pa., this resort is perfect for a winter vacation, and it’s close enough to take that day trip to see the battlefield.

Finally, Seven Springs Mountain Resort is just 1 hour west of Pittsburgh, which means its darn close to Gettysburg. In just a couple of hours, give or take, you can be back in Gettysburg and gawking at every inch of the battlefield that you want to see. And it’s all in a days drive.

If skiing is your thing, and it should be, don’t forget about Gettysburg. You can ski and drive the battlefield in the same weekend.

Liberty Mountain Opens For Skiing Today

The slopes opened at 8 a.m. this morning on Liberty Mountain, Adams County’s own ski resort. LIberty Mountain is located in Carroll Valley Resort, which is just 8 miles southwest of Gettysburg near the Catoctin Mountains. The skiing here depends on how cold it gets and when. This year we were lucky enough to get the cold sooner rather than later and area residents and visitors are the benefactors as ski season opens sooner than it has in a while.

Ski Liberty is offering great rates through December 23 for early bird skiiers. If you are from out of town and would like to ski at Liberty Mountain then now is the optimal time.

Liberty Mountain has 16 ski trails from beginner level to extremely difficult and also features a free style course and a family fun zone. In addition to skiing there is snow tubing, snowboarding, and ski lessons available on the mountain. Visitors to the mountain will also be glad to know there is lodging and a tavern on premises.

The folks runing Gettysburg’s ski resort have the snow machines blowing as we speak. Feel free to call the snow phone at 717-642-9000 for more information.

The Tears Of Gettysburg

What are The Tears of Gettysburg? A new movie? Nope. A historic fiction novel? Not even close. The actual tears of ghosts that roam around the historic battlefield? Unh-uh.

The Tears of Gettysburg the name of a wine that is produced right here in Adams County Pennsylvania.

The Adams County Winery has won nine awards for this locally grown, fermented, and produced fine wine. The winerly is located in Orrtanna, but the wine is sold at shops in Gettysburg and Carlisle. Before you leave the Gettysburg area, be sure to check out Tears of Gettysburg. If you like sweet wine then you’ll love this two-grape blend.

Is Bike Loop A Viable Solution

Gettysburg borough leaders are kicking around a plan to add a bike and pedestrian loop in Gettysburg. The plan allegedly would reduce traffic and increase health among area residents and visitors. Is it a good idea?

Well, likely it would cost locals some money. But if the borough leaders could sell it as another activity for visitors and add a bike tour of the borough or allow bikers a way to come in and use it without disrupting local bikers enjoying the trail then perhaps it would have more value.

Brian Culbertson’s “A Soulful Christmas”

Brian Culbertson, to be joined by Vesta Williams, Tony Maiden of Rufus, and Mike Phillips, brings you for the third year in a row “A Soulful Christmas 2008.” The nationwide tour kicks off in Seattle, Washington and makes a stop in our capital on Sunday November 30th. The event, sponsored by Higashi Pearls and Fine Jewelry, will be held at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg.

Culbertson and the gang will serenade you with holiday favorites and will also provide you with hits from their own albums. This is an amazing opportunity to listen to some of the foremost contemporary jazz singers and performers on one stage. Culbertson says that he’s “thrilled to share the Holiday season and the stage with such an amazing group of performers!”

“A Soulful Christmas” is another great way to enjoy the holiday season. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 717-214-ARTS. Don’t wait too long because these tickets will go fast!

Washington D.C. and Green Living

A wise sage once muttered that, “it’s not easy being green.” Now, that may have been Kermit the Frog twenty years ago, but that sentiment may resonate with you today. We’re living in a new age of recycling, sustainable building materials, organic clothing, and that buzz word: carbon footprint. What are you doing to help? If you feel overwhelmed by the pressure to live green, then take a day trip down to Washington D.C. to learn about environmentally friendly living.

On Sunday November 16 from 2:00 – 5:00 PM, the National Building Museum will host a Family Workshop: It’s Easy Being Green. Admission is $5 for each child who participates in the workshop. The session will equip you with some easy tips and activities to help usher in your new green lifestyle. After the workshop, explore the Museum and take a look at their new exhibit: Green Community. The exhibition shows how some people have always lived green by preserving their resources and providing spaces for recreation, and how people are working together today to create more sustainable communities.

“Green” has become part of our everyday jargon in this society, but maybe Kermie was wrong after all..it just may be easy to live green! Find out for yourselves this weekend at the family workshop in Washington D.C.!

Last Weekend For Anglers At Opossum Lake

Oppossum Lake near Carlisle Pennsylvania is preparing for a reconstruction project that will take the lake out of commission for awhile. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been drawing down water in the lake so that an earthen dam breast and spillway can be reconstructed beginning next fall. More than 1,600 fish have been relocated into Conodoguinet Creek. There is still 10 feet of water to draw down then the Commission can begin the next phase of the project.

This may be an inconvenience to local residents and people visiting the Gettysburg area, but when the project is completed it will be another amenity in this area that will prove to be a great asset and visitor draw. Many people come from Maryland and other areas of the state to hunt and fish. Oppossum Lake is an excellent location for fishing. You have until Sunday for angling at Oppossum Lake before the project is too far underway.

National Apple Harvest Festival Unharmed By Economy

I saw the story online in the Cumberland County Sentinel. The National Apple Harvest Festival, which takes place in Arendtsville Pennsylvania every year, saw a great turnout this past weekend and people were spending money. It seems they aren’t that worried about the economic downturn at all.

Does that mean John McCain is right when he says the fundamentals of the economy are strong? Well, you might be tempted to think so, but keep in mind that if people travel then they expect to spend money. People will generally not spend money they don’t have. If they don’t have the money to travel then they won’t be tourists. Gettysburg’s economy seems to be doing just fine.

That doesn’t mean the economy is doing well overall. Certain segments of it are doing just fine and depending on who you ask, the Gettysburg and Adams County economy are still thriving on tourism dollars.

If you like festivals and love apples then you’ll have a second chance to attend the National Apple Harvest Festival. The second weekend takes place this coming weekend and you’ll have all kinds of fun in one of Adams County’s most attended and beloved events.