NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER

A partnership between the National Park Service and the Gettysburg Foundation, based on the 1999 General Management Plan for Gettysburg National Military Park, has resulted in the construction of a new Museum and Visitor Center located at 1195 Baltimore Pike (Rt. 97) in Cumberland Township, Adams County. The center, which opened in 2008, has information to orient visitors to the park and Gettysburg, hosts a museum on the Civil War from beginning to dramatic end featuring items from the massive museum collection of Civil War and Gettysburg artifacts, and houses the fully restored Gettysburg Cyclorama. The $135 million dollar project has been funded through generous donations of corporations and individuals alike.

For additional information on the Gettysburg Foundation and the work this organization is undertaking at Gettysburg, visit the Foundation's web site at  www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

The Museum and Visitor Center is open daily throughout the year and closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

Yearly Visitor Center Hours
8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.- April 1 to October 31.
8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.- November 1 to March 31.

Special Programs
A 20 minute film entitled "A New Birth of Freedom" about the Battle of Gettysburg is shown every 30 minutes throughout the day. The Gettysburg Cyclorama, the dramatic 1884 painting that depicts "Pickett's Charge", is shown every half hour following the film. Visitors to the film will go directly to the cyclorama auditorium. There is captioning and listening assistance available for visitors with special needs in both auditoriums.

Park volunteers staff the museum gallery and Resource Room throughout the day. Park ranger programs are held just outside of the center during the summer months and on weekends in the spring and fall.

Reservations for a battlefield tour with a Licensed Battlefield Guide are available at the Visitor Center.

Exhibits
The Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War, featuring one of the largest collections of Civil War relics in the world, is available for viewing during regular center hours.

Entry Fees
There is a fee to enter the museum gallery, film and cyclorama program. Entry fees are posted on our Fees and Reservations page.

Facilities for Disabled Visitors
The Visitor Center has restrooms accessible from the lobby of the building and museum area, an information service desk and a book store. Handicapped parking available adjacent to the building, which also has provisions for mobility, hearing or sight impaired visitors.

Book Store
The museum and visitor center bookstore is operated by Event Network. For information on holdings and titles, contact the store at (717) 334-2288.

Refreshment Saloon
The center has a refreshment saloon operated by Aramark and offering a selection of snacks, sandwiches, and drinks. For information about the saloon, contact Aramark at (717) 334-5629.

Access to Eisenhower National Historic Site
The shuttle to Eisenhower National Historic Site is located at the Visitor Center. Visitors can purchase their tickets for the shuttle out to the Eisenhower Farm at the ticketing counter.

For a general fact sheet about the museum and visitor center and other facilities at Gettysburg National Military Park, see our New Visitor Experience Facts at a Glance page. (pdf)

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THE DAVID WILLS HOUSE

The David Wills House in downtown Gettysburg welcomes visitors to the downtown area. David Wills’ home was the center of the immense clean-up process after the Battle of Gettysburg. In a second-floor bedroom, President Abraham Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address - the speech transformed Gettysburg from a place of sorrow to the symbol of our nation's "new birth of freedom."

The museum features six galleries including the restored office where David Wills coordinated post-battle recovery efforts and invited a President to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” and the famous Lincoln bedroom where the President finished revising his Gettysburg Address.

Visitors enter the home through the York Street entrance, which was the original entrance to the building used by the Wills Family. The Reception Area includes an information desk where visitors may learn more about visiting the Wills House, activities and tours in the town of Gettysburg, and a small bookstore offering books and other educational items. An admission fee is charged for entry into the Wills House museum however the Reception area is open without charge. Information on the entry fee is available on our Fees and Reservations page. 

The Wills House is operated by Main Street Gettysburg in cooperation with the National Park Service. 

Yearly Operating Hours:
Winter Hours- 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Wednesday to Sunday
Fall and Spring- 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Tuesday through Sunday.
Summer Hours- 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., seven days per week.

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