(National Park Service)

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

Welcome to Gettysburg! In planning your visit to the park, there are a number of suggestions we can offer you to plan your time spent here. The park has a new Museum and Visitor Center that offers park information and an orientation to the American history that Gettysburg symbolizes. The suggestions on this page will provide you with information to help plan your visit and best utilize your time while visiting Gettysburg.

Where should we begin our visit to the park?
Visitors to Gettysburg National Military Park should begin at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center at 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, where the park offers free information, a vast museum about Gettysburg and the Civil War, the Gettysburg Cyclorama (to open in September 2008), and a bookstore. The film "A New Birth of Freedom", narrated by Morgan Freeman, is a central featured in the new center and orients visitors to the significance of Gettysburg. There is a fee for admission to the film. The center also provides information on the numerous ways to tour the battlefield park. 

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 and film program, have a leisurely tour of the park and visit nearby attractions.

What kind of park tours are best for me?
The park offers a self-guided auto tour of the park. Tour route maps are available at the Visitor Center information desk at no charge. The park also offers a Licensed Battlefield Guide Service for private battlefield tours in your own vehicle or with a guide on a tour bus (offered seasonally). Commercial bus tours of the park are available through companies in Gettysburg.

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 for summer programs from mid-June through mid-August. The programs are given on a daily basis through the summer by a National Park Service ranger or park intern focusing on subjects including the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, the Gettysburg Address, soldier life and 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 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 special units such as sharpshooter regiments or signal corps personnel. These programs are limited to weekends and begin in the spring and last through the early fall with encampments and demonstrations in the park. Check our Schedule of Events page for a full schedule 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 (717) 334-1124, extension 8023 for further information on park offerings. Also check this web site for updates and schedules.