News Release

Sensory Friendly Hours Return to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

A father and child gaze at the Cyclorama painting during special sensory friendly hours.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: December 17, 2024

Contact: Jason Martz

Gettysburg, PA – Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation are pleased to bring sensory friendly hours to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center again in 2025. Special opportunities and programming will be available for visitors with visual and auditory sensitivities to enjoy with their family and friends. Visitors can experience activities in a relaxed environment for a calmer and quieter visit Saturday, January 11, 2025, from 9 to 11 am.

Guests to the Museum & Visitor Center can enjoy complimentary admission to the Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama painting and the galleries in the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War. The Cyclorama painting will be displayed fully lit, with no narration, sound effects or flashing lights, and visitors can spend an extended time viewing the historic, restored painting. Where possible, loud sounds from audio-visual displays, interactive exhibits and films will be reduced or turned off in the museum. “Hands On History” carts will be available throughout the museum, allowing visitors to touch and feel reproduction objects from the Gettysburg National Military Park collection. Additional friendly staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and support your visit. Guests will receive a sensory bag with park maps, a trail guide and more (while supplies last). A Reading and Relaxation Station will be available in the Ford Motor Company Fund Education Center for visitors who would like a quiet space to take a break during their visit.

Complimentary tickets for the Cyclorama and Museum for the sensory friendly hours can be picked up the day of the event in the Main Lobby until 10:30 am. Programming with sound, light and audio-visual elements will return to operation beginning at 11 a.m., with the first regular Film and Cyclorama show time at 11:30 am. Visitors with sensory friendly tickets are encouraged to explore the museum galleries and remain in the Museum & Visitor Center at their leisure. During the sensory friendly hours, A New Birth of Freedom film will be unavailable.

Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation are pleased to also offer the sensory friendly hours Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, from 9 until 11 a.m. For more information on this and other programming at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, visit nps.gov/gett and GettysburgFoundation.org.
 

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