WHY GO: Now, more than ever, it’s important to learn the lessons of Gettysburg PA, and how anger and hatred of the “other” can bring a nation to the brink of disaster, and possible extinction.
One of the most important things to do in Gettysburg PA is to visit the Battlefield where Abraham Lincoln delivered these etched-in-our-minds words: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure.
How long can we, as a country, endure? That depends on whether we learn from history. And the best place to learn about the Civil War is right here at the site of its bloodiest battle. After all, it’s the place where President Abraham Lincoln, in his Gettysburg Address, chose to commemorate the dead while attempting to reunify a nation.
Millions of people from all over the world visit this town of just 8,000 residents each year. But to avoid the crowds, come in the off-season. We’ve gathered all the most dramatic things to do in Gettysburg PA if you’ve only got a day or two, plus our pick of the best restaurants and places to stay.
For more romance in a much less fraught and more rural setting just 20 minutes away, discover the charms (and fantastically romantic inn) in Carroll County MD.
For more couples escapes within the state of Pennsylvania, check out our Best Romantic Getaways in PA.
Things To Do in Gettysburg PA
VISIT: Gettysburg Battlefield National Park Visitors Center
Begin at the Gettysburg Battlefield National Park Visitors Center to get an overview of the Battle of Gettysburg. Purchase a ticket for the Cyclorama, Film and Museum, then plan to spend at least two to three hours.
In the 1860s, Southern States seceded over the issue of slavery and became the “Confederate States of America.” Gettysburg was a turning point in the war that followed.
The Union Army (North) won the decisive battle against General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army but, as you’ll discover, only after three days of horrendous and high-casualty combat that could have gone either way.
From the first shot on July 1, 1863, to the last on July 3, 1863, over fifty-one thousand men were killed, wounded, or went missing.
After the movie, you’ll take an escalator to the Cyclorama – the “Largest Painting in the US,” at 42 ft. high, 377 ft. in circumference, and completed in 1884.
Restored and reopened in 2008, this Gettysburg diorama on steroids remains a spine-tingling depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg, where you can truly imagine you are “standing behind Union lines on Cemetery Ridge.”
Humans weren’t the only victims of the Battle of Gettysburg. During the battle, nearly seven million rounds of iron and lead ammunition were fired – leaving trees burned and pot marked with shell fragments. One of those trees is on display here.
VISIT: Seminary Ridge Museum
The Seminary Ridge Museum is located within Schmucker Hall, a building that served as both field operations base and hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg – and it has one incredible draw.
You can climb to the open-air cupola at the top of the building just as Union General John Buford did on the evening of June 30, 1863, when he saw the campfires of Confederate soldiers nearby, inadvertently warning the Union Army about their approach.
Seminary Ridge Museum is the only institution that focuses on the First Day of the Battle, caring for the wounded, and the role of Faith and Freedom during and after the War.
Warning – some dioramas and images are jarringly gruesome, so use discretion when bringing children. Reservations necessary.
DO: Gettysburg National Historic Park Tour
There are plenty of ways to “do” the Gettysburg Battlefield, including walking tours and the crowd’s favorite big bus tour.
But the best way to really understand troop movements, skirmishes, and the individual players on a human, sometimes humorous, most times harrowing level is through a recorded audio tour, or better yet, by hiring a licensed battlefield guide for a personalized car tour.
You can ask questions, get your bearings and learn awesome trivia including the fact that on the final day of the conflict, during the two hours of Pickett’s Charge, 11,000 rounds of cannon fire created the loudest sustained noise ever heard (before or since) in the Western Hemisphere – a noise that was detected 80 miles away in Washington, DC.
TOUR: Shriver House Museum
Most tourists visit Gettysburg to see where the battle occurred, oblivious to the fact that there was a town here, too. Consider the Civil War through its effect on one family; the Shriver Family at the Shriver House Museum.
I won’t give anything away, but suffice it to say that the room-to-room narration has twists and turns and involves Confederate troops, forensic reports, and curious artifacts found in the house and walls.
It was said that after the battle – with hundreds lying dead and amputated limbs decomposing in the streets – the odor emanating from downtown Gettysburg was so horrendous it could be smelled in Harrisburg 30 miles away.
TOUR: David Wills House
*Be aware that as of 2025, the Wills House will be closed due to damage from a water leak. Reopening TBD.
Tour the place where Abe Lincoln prepared his Gettysburg Address, and then stayed overnight before delivering his famous speech. The David Wills House tells the story of the aftermath of the horrendous battle when Attorney Wills opened his home up to the wounded and those who cared for them.
SEE: Coster Avenue Mural – Hidden Gettysburg
This practically hidden, no-signage, astonishingly wrought mural – created by historian and artist Mark H. Dunkelman, a descendant of a soldier from the 154th New York regiment who fought here, and painted by muralist Johan Bjurman – commemorates the little-known “Brickyard Fight” that occurred on the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863.
The mural, located in a residential neighborhood on the corner of Coster & Stratton streets, depicts the bloody clash between Union Colonel Charles R. Coster’s brigade and two larger Confederate brigades, buying time for the main Union forces to retreat to Cemetery Hill. Though Coster’s brigade was eventually overwhelmed, their sacrifice was crucial in saving the Union position and preventing a Confederate takeover of the high ground. The area is one of the smallest sections of the Gettysburg National Military Park.
WALK: Sachs Covered Bridge
If wood planks could talk…. Built in 1852, the Sachs Covered Bridge vibrated with the footsteps of both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War. And, it still stands today.
TOUR: President Eisenhower National Historic Site
Dwight Eisenhower was the first president to fly in a helicopter. Interestingly, quite a few of those flights were between his very first private home, now the Eisenhower National Historic Site, in Gettysburg, PA, and Camp David just 20 miles away.
When Eisenhower tired of formality and wanted to “take the measure” of a World Leader like Charles De Gaulle or Nikita Khrushchev, he would escort them to his Gettysburg Dairy barn or porch for some R&R.
You’ll learn all about the General’s habits and hear insider stories on this fascinating tour of the home and grounds of our 34th President.
Restaurants in Gettysburg PA
EAT/DINNER: 1776 Dobbin House Tavern
Dine by candlelight in Alexander Dobbin’s library, bedrooms, parlor, and root cellar. The Dobbin House Tavern is the most atmospherically romantic place in town, enhanced by excellently prepared food. The “Colonial Era” menu is fun reading; separated into “Of Soups,” “Of Flesh,” “Of Fish,” with Colonial s’s that look like f’s.
Start with the “King’s Onion Soup.” It’s “Freshly made with beef and a variety of cheeses on top, baked in a ‘quick’ oven to a succulent tenderness, and served up hot and delicious in a tureen.”
EAT/DRINK: Garryowen Irish Pub
If you and your honey are fans of whiskey, Garryowen Irish Pub will be your home away from home – with 120 versions at the bar.
In fact, Garryowen is of the most popular drinking spots in Gettysburg. Walls are plastered with Police and Fire Department patches from all over the country. You can find traditional Bangers and Mash, Shepherds Pie, and a touch of haute-Irish pub food.
Hotels in Gettysburg PA
STAY: Swope Manor
If you’re the type of person or couple who appreciates period rooms seeped in history, or gathering around a firepit with a glass of wine before dinner, and/or breakfasting with others from various locales to chew the fat and get to know folks from different backgrounds – then book a room at the upscale Swope Manor in downtown Gettysburg PA. As a “Maven Favorite” – you can find much more about it on this Swope Manor post.
STAY: Federal Pointe Inn
The coolest lodging in town, Federal Pointe Inn was originally built in 1896 as Gettysburg’s first High School. Gutted and renovated into boutique-luxuriousness, there are 18 elegant high-ceiling guest rooms on two floors.
Stay in the former Boys or Girls’ bathrooms. These are floodlit second-floor corner rooms with 12-foot ceilings, granite bathrooms, and sinfully soft bedding.
STAY: Other Boutique Options
Both the Inn at Lincoln Square and the Gettysburg Hotel keep you right where the action is in downtown Gettysburg. You’ll also find plenty of bed and breakfasts in the Gettysburg area.
More Weekend Getaways For History Lovers In Pennsylvania
- Harrisburg PA: PA’s Great, Too Long Ignored, Capital City
- York PA: All Revved Up With Lots Of Places To Go
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