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.

Weekend Attraction: Strong Vincent and the Battle for Little Round Top

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow afternoon in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, you should go see Commanders: Strong Vincent and the Battle for Little Round Top. This is an educational event that begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitors Center. It will be the best hour you’ll ever spend.

In case your Battle of Gettysburg history escapes you, here’s a little bit about Strong Vincent that you should know.

He was a lawyer who served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and fought alongside Col. Joshua Chamberlain at Little Round Top. Chamberlain is the one who gets most of the glory for the victory at Little Round Top, but it was Vincent’s vision and ability to see an opportunity that put Chamberlain there. In fact, Chamberlain was subordinate as regiment commander to Vincent who was the commander over 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Chamberlain’s 20th Maine was a subordinate unit.

Vincent gave the order to Chamberlain to defend the left flank of Little Round Top while he went off to defend the right flank. During the course of the battle, Vincent was wounded and subsequently died from his wounds. Vincent was awarded for his bravery in the battle with a promotion but he died before he ever knew of it.

Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitors Center is located at 1195 Baltimore Pike in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Be sure to spend an hour there tomorrow afternoon and experience Strong Vincent and Little Round Top in a unique way.

Gettysburg Traffic Gets Boost Due To Inauguration

President Barack Obama’s inauguration today has given the local economy a big boost. In fact, many people have found that the closest hotel they could find to Washington D.C., the location for today’s ceremony, is in Gettysburg. That’s good news to local hoteliers, other businesses, and the economy as a whole.

If you are staying in Gettysburg and drove down to the nation’s capital to see the inauguration of the nation’s first black president then we hope you stick around a few more days and see what else we have to offer besides a few hotels. Stop and see the battlefield while you’re in town. Better yet, take the two-hour tour.

You might also want to visit the Eisenhower Farm. And be sure to make your way to Hanover and see the walking tour of the Battle of Hanover in the town square. There’s plenty to do here. Stick around a couple of days and explore Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Find out what you’ll want to do no your next visit here.

Historic William Patterson House Gets Facelift

The William Patterson House in Gettysburg is 210 years old, but it’s time for a new face. That’s what the National Park Service and a few local people are saying. In fact, the deconstruction has already started. If you drive along Taneytown Road you’ll see nothing of the building left as construction crews take away the last bit of remaining dead wood. They’re going to rebuild the house from scratch.

The house was built in 1798 and has been a part of Gettysburg history every since. It is believed that William Patterson offered his house to be used as a field hospital during the battle at Gettysburg. The reconstruction of the house will make it look just like the original.

Much of the material that will be used to rebuild the William Patterson House is the same material that was originally used. However, an inspection team will look at all the pieces and anything that is deemed unusable will be replaced by new materials that look exactly like the original in every respect. It’s possible that 40% of the original logs have been rotted.

This is one reconstruction project that will be worth seeing when it’s done.

Gettysburg Tourists: What’s Your Favorite Place To Visit?

I thought it was time to ask visitors and local residents of Gettysburg Pennsylvania where you favorite places to visit are. Leave a comment on this post and tell us where you like to go in the Gettysburg / Adams County area. Be specific. Don’t just say “the battlefield”, for instance. Instead, give a specific site on the battlefield such as Culp’s Hill or Cemetery Ridge. Or better yet, think of someplace other than the battlefield that you like to visit.

Tell us your favorite sites to see in Gettysburg and the surrounding area. Yes, feel free to mention York, Hanover, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Lancaster, or anywhere within a reasonable driving distance.

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.

Two Gettysburg Museums You Should Visit In February

If you’re planning a visit to Gettysburg Pennsylvania in February 2009, keep in mind two local museums as must sees: Shriver House Museum and David Wills House.

The Shriver House Museum tells the story of civilians during the Battle of Gettysburg. The house was built just before the war started and sat vacant, except for several families of wild cats, until 1996 when the house was rebuilt and research went underway to discover the story of this old structure. You’ll definitely want to visit this museum on Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14. The Shriver House Museum will host a Restoration Tour on both dates at 7 p.m.

Just a few blocks away, in downtown Gettysburg, David Wills House will host its grand opening on February 12, 2009 in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

David Wills invited Abraham Lincoln to stay at his house when the president came to Gettysburg to deliver the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln finished writing his speech in the David Wills House guest bedroom. You can learn more about that story by visiting the David Wills House and taking the grand opening tour on February 12.

Jeff Shaara Book Signing

You may first know Jeff Shaara for his cooperative effort with his father Michael Shaara; together they brought the Civil War into comfy chairs all across the country. The two partnered to render the thrilling Civil War trilogy: “Killer Angels,” “Gods and Generals” and “The Last Full Measure.”

Maybe books aren’t for you, but you’ve sat through all 261 minutes of Martin Sheen’s Gettysburg, or you’ve memorized all the lines to General Stonewall Jackson’s first brigade speech in the 2003 prequel Gods and Generals. Either way, Shaara’s ability to weave history into fiction has been capturing audiences for over a decade. In his newest novel, “Steel Wave,” Shaara trades Longstreet and Gettysburg for Eisenhower and Omaha Beach as he uses his pen to recapture the Allied invasion of France on D-Day 1944.

You cannot miss this opportunity to meet Jeff Shaara at the Gettysburg Gift Center on Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21. From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Jeff will oblige history buffs and fiction freaks alike, adding his autograph to his recently released WWII novel.

The Gettysburg Gift Center is located in the Gettysburg Museum, 297 Steinwehr Ave. For more information you can call the museum at 717-334-6245.

Cyclorama The Subject Of Bitter Feud

Gettysburg built its new visitor center and museum and restored the Cyclorama, but now the National Park Service is involved in a lawsuit over the old location of Cyclorama. They want to demolish the building while Recent Past Preservation Network located in Virginia wants to keep it.

A public hearing is taking place right now in Washington to hear comments from the public about the Cyclorama’s future.

The former building of the Cyclorama is itself considered historic and that’s the reason the Virginia-based group wants to preserve it despite the National Park Service’s desire to restore the area to its Civil War era beauty. This is an interesting twist to the fight over preservation of historical landmarks. The question is, which value should take priority: Federal desires to preserve past history or local desires to preserve more recent history?

KKK Rally In Gettysburg Canceled

Last Friday the Gettysburg Pennsylvania Blog reported that a KKK rally was being planned for the battlefield on November 15. According to the original source, that rally has been canceled.

This is good news. As an alternative, a Unity Day celebration was scheduled for the same day as an alternative to the KKK rally. Meeting organizers will decide next week whether or not to continue with Unity Day. If I get a vote, I say go ahead. There’s always a reason to promote community and have a good party.