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VISITING GETTYSBURG

Planning a trip to Gettysburg can be fun and daunting at the same time. Certainly, there's no shortage of information available to help you plan a great trip. Since there  is so much information, it's difficult to sift through it all and since I was a visitor to Gettysburg quite a few times before making it my home, I thought I'd share some of my personal favorites. I've also added what I believe to be some of the best websites to link you with all the information you need to book your trip.

 

  • GETTYSBURG CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU - You can find information on everything from where to stay, where to dine, upcoming events,  and links for booking your trip to Gettysburg. I've listed a few links below, but for more information visit http://www.gettysburg.com.

 

  • GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK - The new Gettysburg Visitors Center is a great place to research some local Adams County, and local  history, genealogical research and battle information. Stop in and check out the state of the art rooms devoted to just that.

 

  • INNS/HOTELS/MOTELS

Cashtown Inn - 1325 Old Route 30, Cashtown - Built in 1797 it's a premier Bed & Breakfast located in a peaceful setting in Cashtown, just about 5 miles outside of Gettysburg. General Robert E. Lee passed by here on his way to the battlefield. The Inn was featured in the movie Gettysburg. Everything here is true Civil War. Your amenities include a resturant, a tavern, beautiful rooms complete with creaky floorboards, large wrap around porch complete with very comfortable rocking chairs for those long, lazy summer nights. For a true Civil War experience this should be on the top of your list of places to stay. Always worth the trip to meet the Confederate reenactors that come to rest on the porch every year. For Information visit the website  http://www.cashtowninn.com/ or call 1-800-367-1797 or 717-334.9722.

Day's Inn Gettysburg - 865 York Road, Gettysburg - Large and accommodating. Right on the main drag, at the edge of town on Route 30. Near shopping centers, and Gateway Gettysburg. Clean, pleasant rooms. Walk to Perkins Pancake House. For Rates & Reservations call 717-334-0030 or log onto  http://www.daysinngettysburg.com/.

Doubleday Inn Bed And Breakfast - 104 Doubleday Avenue - On the battlefield at Oak Ridge. The site of the Inn is on what was the John Forney Farm at the time of the battle. The Battle of Gettysburg began on the morning of July 1, 1863 in the fields west and south of the this ground. General Buford dismantled his cavalry near here in an effort to stop the advance of the confederates. Confederate troops under General Rodes soon occupied Oak Hill. The advances of Iverson's and O'Neals brigades at Oak Ridge ended in disaster with the union General Baxter halting the confederates at the wall that you see in front of the Inn. There's an area in that field beyond the stone wall known as "Iverson's Pits" because that's where Iverson's men walked into the Union trap and all were lost. Not just history abounds here, but quiet elegance at the Inn. There are amenities galore and the proximity to the town and the battlefield are worth the trip. For more information visit www.doubledayinn.com or call 717-334-9119.

Gettysburg Hotel - One Lincoln Square, Gettysburg - Right on the square. Large and stately with its white columns and glass entry doors.  Built in 1797 it played it's part when the battle came right up to the front steps. It's prominately located right next door to the Historic Wills House where Abraham Lincoln wrote his famous Gettysburg Address. It's a  little more expensive but it does have a history and it's well suited to accommodate plenty of visitors.  Large groups and events are held throughout the hotel in the  meeting rooms and conference centers, and off the lobby is the Centuries on The Square Resturant overlooking the Square . For more information  visit www.hotelgettysburg.com. or call 1-800-528-1234 or 1-717-337-2000.

Keystone Inn -  231 Hanover Street, Gettysburg -This is a large, beautiful brick Victorian home, built in 1913 by a local furniture maker. It's located about 5 blocks from the town square, so on nice spring evenings you can walk to town from here. The rooms are spacious and decorated for the period. The house is 3 stories high which gives it that Grand Victorian look (I absolutely love Victorians). Great white columns welcome you to the spacious front porch with flowers everywhere and wicker furniture. Very peaceful and worth the trip. For information call 1-717-337-3888 or visit online at http://www.keystoneinnbb.com/.

Super8 Motel- 606 York Road, Gettysburg- Nice, clean and it was brand new in 2000. It's right at the edge of town and near shopping and resturants. All amenities. 717-334-4274 or 1-800-800-8000 for reservations/information.

 

  • RESTURANTS/PUBS

 

Blue Parrot Bistro - 35 Chambersburg St.- Nice little gathering place inside the James Gettys Hotel. During the Civil War this was a private residence. Lots of period ambiance here. Casual dining, American cuisine. After dining, walk off that desert by strolling Chambersburg Street and doing a little window shopping. Call 717-337-3739 or visit www.blueparrotbistro.com/index.htm.

May Flowers Asian Buffet & Resturant- 533 Steinweir Avenue - Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Very upscale but it's casual dining. It's laid out very nicely with traditional

Asian decor and the service is excellent. I've eaten lunch and dinner here many times and each time it was a pleasant experience. It has the look of expensive when you walk in but it's not with a lunch buffet at $5.99 and the dinner menu starts at around $7.50 . It's a nice place to sample the Asian experience. For information, menu and hours of operation contact www.themayflowers.com or call 717-337-3377.

 The Pub - 20-22 Lincoln Square - Very elegant and inviting resturant & pub right on the Square in Gettysburg. Lots of homemade soups & breads, chicken, seafood and steak dinners.You can sit by the windows that overlook the Square or perch at the bar. Upstyle interior surroundings  for intimate gatherings. Casual attire welcome. Call 717-334-7100 or  visit www.the-pub.com.

The Avenue Restaurant- 21 Steinwehr Avenue- Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner everyday. Recently I stopped in for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. The service was very good and the food was good and hot and cooked just to my liking. Our waitress Jean was very accommodating and she stopped back to check up on myself and my guest. I have been here many times before and it's a good place to have a good meal. It's location on Steinwehr Avenue is convenient to all the visitors because you can shop and then have a meal rest before continuing on your way. It's not fancy, but it's clean and bright and the food is good. Stop in on your next visit or call 717-334-3235,  you won't go away hungry.

Gettysburg Eddies -217 Steinwehr Avenue- I was looking for a nice place to eat lunch on one of my recent outings and decided on Gettysburg Eddies (formerely Gingerbread House), since I had not been to this  newly renovated eatery. The inside is quite nice, and it has been re-decorated as a sports bar/resturant. I was fortunate to get a table by the window so that I could watch the traffic outside. The service was very good on this day and my food came in record time and our waitress was very pleasant. The bar area adjoins the restaurant area and is very classy and quite nice. All in all I did have a pleasant experience here and I would return again, maybe for dinner next time. Stop by and enjoy the ambiance of this Gettysburg eatery. Call for information 717-334-1100.

  • WHAT TO SEE

Eisenhower National Historic Site- In 1950, President Dwight Eisenhower and his wife purchased this 189 acre farm as a weekend  retirement home. Great home tour, with lots of interesting and surprising information on President Dwight Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower . You can't drive to the  farm,  but you can catch the Eisenhower Shuttle at the Visitors Center. Stop by the National Park Service  website at www.nps.gov/eise  for more  information.