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| (Katie Lawhon- National Park Service) | | Ranger Eric Campbell with park visitors. |
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From mid-June through mid-August, Gettysburg National Military Park offers a variety of ranger guided programs for our visitors with subjects ranging from battle history to medical practices of the Civil War, living history and battlefield hikes. We also offer programs for our younger visitors. Ranger guided programs are offered on the battlefield, near park buildings and in the Soldiers' National Cemetery. Programs average twenty minutes to two hours in length, depending on the subject matter and location. Look for the link on this page of the current schedule or ask for a complete schedule at the park information desk during your visit. Stay tuned to our park web site for updates or changes to the summer schedule, which is usually available by May 1 each year. Best of all, these ranger guided programs are free of charge.
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
Our series of ranger programs that focus on the highpoints of this great Civil War battle:
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG- AN OVERVIEW (30 minutes) This brief programs provides a concise overview of the Gettysburg Campaign and all three days of the battle. Meet at the Ranger Program Site behind the Visitor Center, daily at 4:00 P.M.
THE FIRST DAY (1 hour) This program explores why the battle occurred at Gettysburg and how the fighting on July 1 shaped the rest of the battle. Meet at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, Auto Tour Stop 2, daily at 10:00 A.M.
THE SECOND DAY (1 hour) Explore the events and actions that resulted in some of the most desperate and bloody fighting of the American Civil War. Meet at the Peach Orchard, daily at 2:00 P.M.
THE THIRD DAY: "Pickett's Charge" (1 hour) Learn what happened during "Pickett's Charge" on July 3, 1863 and discover what its outcome meant for the Union and Confederacy. Meet at the "Ranger Program" sign in the National Cemetery parking lot between Taneytown Road and Steinwehr Avenue, daily at 4:00.
CEMETERY RIDGE HIKE (1 1/2 hours) New for 2008! Hike up the slope of Cemetery Ridge where fighting raged on July 2 and 3, 1863. Visit and understand the significance of important battlefield landmarks such as the High Water Mark, the Angle, the Copse of Trees and General Meade's Headquarters. Meet at the Ranger Program Site behind the Visitor Center, daily at 10:00 A.M.
RANGER GUIDED BATTLE WALKS (2 hours or more ) A different program every day, these two hour plus battlefield walks visit parts of the battlefield park to look closer at the smaller stories and events that make up the larger story of Gettysburg. Walk the route of Pickett's Charge, explore Devil's Den and the Wheatfield, walk the charge of the Louisiana Tigers at East Cemetery Hill, and much, much more. Check at the information desk for a complete schedule of daily topics and where to meet the park ranger. Water, hat and proper foot gear are highly recommended. Daily at 3:30 P.M.
EAST CAVALRY FIELD (1 hour) Visit the scene of one of the largest cavalry battles of the war, where Confederate General JEB Stuart was stopped by a brave young Union officer named George Armstrong Custer. Offered once weekly. Inquire at the information desk for details and where to meet the ranger for this program three miles east of Gettysburg. Wednesday at 1:30 P.M.
KEY MOMENTS PROGRAMS New for 2008! These programs link several key moments of the battle to the exhibits in the museum gallery of the Museum and VisitorCenter. These programs are one hour in length:
ON McPHERSON'S RIDGE (1 hour) Some of the most tenacious combat of the battle occurred along this ridge on the morning and afternoon of July 1, 1863. Walk the ridge and woods to discover what happened there. Meet at McPherson Ridge, Auto Tour Stop 1, Monday at 3:00 P.M.
LITTLE ROUND TOP (1 hour) This program focuses on the July 2 fighting for this critical terrain feature, one of the most famous hills in America. Meet at the General Warren statue on the summit of the hill, Auto Tour Stop 8. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 11:00 A.M.
DEVIL'S DEN (1 hour) More famous today for its unusual rock formations and stories of Confederate sharpshooters, Devil's Den was vitally important to its Union defenders on July 2, 1863. Meet at the parking lot on Sickles Avenue at Devil's Den, Wednesday and Saturday at 3:00 P.M.
CRISIS AT THE UNION CENTER (1 hour) The Union Army faced a series of crises along the center of its battle line during the early evening of July 2, 1863. Explore these critical moments and find how the Union army averted defeat. Meet at the Pennsylvania Monument, Auto Tour Stop 12. Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 P.M.
CULP'S HILL (1 hour) Walk the wooded slopes of Culp's Hill on the right end of the Union line where the most sustained fighting of the battle took place on July 2 and 3. Meet at the Culp's Hill Tower on Slocum Avenue. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 A.M.
CEMETERY HILL (1 hour) Famous today as the site of the Soldiers' NationalCemetery and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, this hill was also of vital importance during the Battle of Gettysburg. Influencing all three days of the battle, it was imperative that this critical terrain feature be held by the Union Army at all costs. Meet at the Taneytown Road entrance to the National Cemetery. Friday and Sunday at 3:00 P.M.
HIGH WATER MARK (1 hour) "Pickett's Charge", the main Confederate attack on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, is one of the most well-known and discussed events in American history. Visit the battle site with a park ranger to understand more about the dramatic conclusion to the Battle of Gettysburg. Meet at the "Ranger Program" sign in the National Cemetery parking lot between Taneytown Road and Steinwehr Avenue, daily at 1:30 P.M.
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