Plan Your Visit

Field exhibits throughout the park help visitors understand the significance of each site.

(National Park Service)

Welcome to Gettysburg National Military Park!

Your visit to Gettysburg National Military Park should be time well spent! The mission of the National Park Service and its partner, the Gettysburg Foundation, is to provide each and every visitor with a quality experience while visiting the Museum and Visitor Center, walking in the Soldiers' National Cemetery where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address,and while touring the battlefield park. There are a number of suggestions we can offer to help you map out the time you will spend at the park and the basic information on this page will guide you in planning your visit. We encourage you to explore our other web pages, especially Things to Do and Things to Know Before You Come as these provide up to date information on park events and programs that will be of interest.

Where should we begin our visit to the park?
Begin your visit at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, where the park offers free information, an extensive museum about Gettysburg and the Civil War, the fully restored Gettysburg Cyclorama that dramatically depicts "Pickett's Charge", and the film "A New Birth of Freedom", narrated by award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, which focuses on the significance of Gettysburg. There is an entry fee for admission to the museum, film and Gettysburg Cyclorama. The center also provides information on the numerous ways to tour the battlefield park including the Licensed Battlefield Guide service, an expansive bookstore managed by Event Network, Inc., and a refreshment saloon that offers snacks, sandwiches and drinks in a Civil War period atmosphere. Shuttle buses to Eisenhower National Historic Site are available from the Visitor Center.

How long should I plan for my visit?
Plan to spend a minimum of four hours at the park, though an entire day is more desirable if you wish to take advantage of the museum, film and cyclorama program, have a leisurely tour of the park and visit nearby attractions. Recently, visitors have spent an average of three and one half hours in the museum alone!

What kind of park tours are best for me?
The park offers a number of battlefield tours that can be arranged at the Museum and Visitor Center. Tour the park with a Licensed Battlefield Guide in the convenience of your own vehicle or ride along with others on a tour bus accompanied by a guide (offered seasonally). There is a fee for a guided tour. We also offer self-guiding auto tours and tours on compact disk, which can be purchased at the museum book store. Commercial bus tours of the park are available through companies in Gettysburg.

 

Park visitors enjoying a ranger program at Gettysburg.

(National Park Service)

 

What are the National Park Service ranger programs?
The park offers a wide variety of ranger-guided programs annually from April through October, with the core season of programs from mid-June through mid-August. Offered daily during the summer months, programs are hosted by a National Park Service ranger or park intern and focus on a variety of subjects including the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, the Gettysburg Address, soldier life, Civil War medicine, as well as other general topics related to the battle and Civil War. The park also offers extended battlefield walking tours and campfire programs during the summer months. A full description of our programs is posted on our Summer Ranger Programs page with special programs and a schedule linked from our Things to Do page.

What is the Living History program at Gettysburg?
The park hosts volunteer organizations that portray Union and Confederate infantry, artillery and cavalry organizations as well as surgical units, Civil War-period ladies' organizations, and specialized units such as sharpshooter regiments or signal corps personnel with encampments and demonstrations at selected sites in the park. Limited to weekends, the living history programs begin in the spring and last through the early fall. Check our Schedule of Events page for the complete line up of living history weekends at Gettysburg.

During the summer months, the park has a program entitled "A Visit to the Past" with costumed interpreters who portray persons who experienced the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. These programs are scheduled on a daily basis from mid-June through mid-August. Check for a schedule of programs on our Things to Do page.

What is there to do for students groups?
Apart from the museum and film experience at the visitor center, the park offers a variety of programs designed specifically for school groups. For a full description of our offerings, visit our For Teachers pages.

Follow the links at the top of this page for additional information on planning your visit or call [phone], extension 8023 for further information on park offerings. Also check this web site for updates and schedules.

 

Planning on attending the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg this summer? Then find out more about the special events and ceremonies on our 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg pages.