a visitor's guide to gettysburg, tip #2: what to do at night
What is there to do at night in Gettysburg? Drink. Ok, not just drink. There are also ghost tours. Gift shops are usually open too, though, surprisingly, some close at around 5 or 6 even during the summer. We're a small town and small town life doesn't always stay open until or past 9. Be aware of that when you come to Gettysburg. Now, don't get me wrong, Gettysburg doesn't close up at 5 and leave you with nothing to do (although you might hear some locals criticize it for doing just that). Like everything, there's a grain of truth to it and also a lot of exaggeration. One thing I will point out to you as, simply, a heads-up rather than a criticism is that some gift shops, many, in fact, don't open until 10. Some open before. It struck me as odd the other day as I was walking out of a popular diner (who is welcome to sponsor us, as are all local businesses) on Steinwehr Ave at 9:15 ante meridian. I looked around me as I walked back to my car and noticed tourists ambling about, spying into shop windows to see a sign of life all to no avail. I scratched my head in bewilderment. Not that I am one to tell someone how he or she should run his or her business, but on Sundays, which is when this story occurs, people who have been nice enough to stay with us for the weekend want to get up and go. Breakfast, check out, leave by 10 or 11 and, SOMETIMES, they plan to grab a souvenir or gift on the way out of town, perhaps, after breakfast, mayhaps, berfore 10am. So, dear visitor, if that's how you roll, get your souvenirs and gifts Saturday night before 9. This isn't a message to business owners to open at 9 like everywhere else in the country. It's a heads-up to the visitor to plan accordingly. Ok, what can you do at night? There are, indeed, many watering holes in Gettysburg and they all offer a different vibe and, to an extent, prices. You want to feel like you've stepped back in time? Gettysburg has a few establishments that fit that bill. Perhaps something more elegant is your speed. Gettysburg's got 'em. Perhaps you're in your 20s and want to hang out at place with thumping "music" and people closer to your age. There happen to be a few places that are "on fleek" for you youngsters, too. Irish pubs your thing?-- I think you get my point: Gettysburg's got 'em. Let's say you're not a drinker. Nothing wrong with that. It doesn't do it much for me anymore either. As far as what's come across my radar so far (and please correct me if I'm wrong by sending an email to matt@addressinggettysburg.com), you can eat ice cream, shop for souvenirs, take a ghost tour or just enjoy a stroll around a nice, historic town. "Well, tell us, already! What are the names of these places, Matt?" Soon enough. In the meantime, give yourself an adventure and discover what Gettysburg has to offer yourself by visiting and exploring. Join our mailing list to learn where to eat, where to sleep and what to do when you visit; the progress on our production of Addressing Gettysburg Podcast and more. AuthorMatt Callery is the creator, host and producer of Addressing Gettysburg. A Visitor's Guide To Gettysburg, Tip #1: How to find the visitor centerBy Matt CalleryMatt Callery is host and producer of Addresing Gettysburg Podcast among other things. To be notified about the progress of production and the release of the podcast, join our mailing list here. This may come off as a bit snarky. Believe me, it is not intended to be. It's intended to be helpful to many people who seem to have an issue finding the visitor center...while at the visitor center. I am still not being snarky. The visitor center is an enormous building, but it's hidden. This, I do believe, is by design. Not to hide it from you, the visitor, but so that it blends in with the landscape and doesn't distract from the views on the battlefield. But I've encountered a surprising number of visitors who are so close, yet so far (as far as they know), to the visitor center they seek to find. So let me walk you through this and, just one last time, I'm not being snarky here. I'm genuinely trying to help. Let's assume that you have punched the address, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysurg, Pa, into your GPS. Now let's assume that it has taken you to the Baltimore Pike entrance (there are two entrances as the VC is sandwiched between two roads, but this blogpost only deals with the Baltimore Pike entrance. Below is map of the location to aid you in visualizing what I am talking about as we move forward. Below that is a photo of the Baltimore Pike entrance, facing roughly South.) Once you've made the turn the first thing you should see is a digital sign. Normally it shows the direction that cars should go to park vs. where buses and RVs should go to park. ![]() Today, this sign said cars should go to Lot 3. Cars are always welcomed in Lot 3 (which is immediately off of the Taneytown Road entrance, which we're not covering in this article) without being told to by the digital sign. But it was busy today and Lot 1 was full. So this is the way to let you know to not even bother with Lot 1. Soon after seeing this sign, you will come to a four-way intersection (pictured below). If you are not a bus dropping off a large group of people at the visitor center, don't even acknowledge that it's possible to make a right turn. That's not for you. If you're in an RV or a bus that wants to park and not drop people off, you must make a left. There, you will find the bus and RV lot as indicated in the sign two pictures above. There are even bathrooms there. Past the bathrooms is a little path that goes into the woods. That will take you and yours on a short walk up to the visitor center. The building in the RV/bus lot is not, in fact, the visitor center. Let's take a second to read the sign at the intersection: ![]() Note how cars and vans (SUVs too) go straight, while buses, RVs and Trailers park to the left. Hey, Tesla owners, if you go left you can even charge up. To the right, handicap and bus drop-off are allowed. By the way, that white sign in the background is pointing to our sponsor, GettysBike Tours' location which is in the Bus and RV lot. Ok, great, let's get beyond the intersection. Notice how the weeds, wildflowers and underbrush are growing wild. I also believe this is by design and has some environmental reasoning. Whatever the reasoning is, I kinda like it. It makes one feel detached from the chaos of modern life and makes it a little easier to transport ourselves back to 1863. But that's not why I bring it up. I bring it up because, while it is nice on the one hand, I think it's the main reason why people have such a hard time finding the actual visitor center. Poor visibility, an unintended consequence of the design. Plus the font size on the signage is too small to be seen and processed while driving. Anyway... As you come around the bend, you will probably blow past a sign. This sign... Let's take a moment and analyze this sign here in this blogpost so you don't need to stop in the middle of the lane of traffic to read it.
Should you miss Lot 1 all together, there will be a very small window of opportunity for you to actually see the visitor center itself as you drive around the bend just outside of Lot 1. The picture below shows you what it might look like Can ya see it? Here is a zoomed in shot of it. Again, though this is done with some humor, I don't mean to come off as smarmy, nor do I intend to embarrass anyone, be it the visitor or the Visitor Center powers-that-be and staff. I love Gettysburg and love that people come to visit it still. I want to get more people visiting here. I just know from firsthand experience that may visitors have difficulty navigating their way to the Visitor Center itself while being right in front of it and I want to help our followers who haven't visited before, come armed with an idea of what to expect. Plus, I want them to be able to actually get to the Visitor Center so they can see the great exhibits and presentations it has to offer. Also, the Foundation does a fantastic job at breathing new life into how we see our history through the Visitor Center, which is great because, as we believe here at Addressing Gettysburg, "History is how you see it." Have fun on your visit. Read a book or two! Oh, one more thing. You may be asking yourself, "why hasn't he mentioned Lot 2?" Good question. The short answer is: because it's not for you. And that's the long answer too. Just move on with your life. :-) farms of the southern field |
|
|
WHY GETTYSBURG?
by peter bonfanti
Peter Bonfanti is a restauranteur in New Jersey and co-founder of GettysBike Tours and cohost of Addressing Gettysburg Podcast

This was also the same question and look that was thrown at me when 13 years ago, I decided to leave a lucrative career, and pack all my belongings and move to Gettysburg to create Gettysbike Tours with Matt.
Until recently, I honestly had not really given it much real deep thought. For some reason in felt right, similar to when I met my wife (while living in Gettysburg, but she lived in Jersey, but I digress). There was no lightning strike, or divine intervention - it just felt right.
Still the question remains... why?
I have always been interested in history, and when in school I was a master at memorizing the where when and who of U.S. History. While it was enough to keep my attention, and I aced the tests, I never learned the real stories of our shared history. After starting Gettysbike Tours, I was fortunate enough to go on tours of the battlefield on a regular basis, and a few times I week I would hear Licensed Battlefield Guides tell the real stories of the people of Gettysburg. Suddenly, history was no longer dates and names but real people living real lives. The drama of Gettysburg (and history at large) is far superior to anything the greatest dramatists in Hollywood or Broadway could ever conjure up for the simple fact that it is all real.
For me, that's "why Gettysburg".
|
|
Archives
January 2020
|
Author"Addressing Gettysburg Podcast" is produced by MJC Productions (www.callery.co [currently down for remodeling]) and recorded at the GettysBike Tours Studios (www.gettysbike.com) COMING SOON |
Categories
All
20th Maine
26th North Carolina
ABC
Addressing Gettysburg Bonus Episode
Amazon Affiliate Program
Andrew Prine
Appalachian Brewing Company
Artillery
Artillery Ridge Campground
A Visitor's Guide To Gettysburg
Best Way To See The Battlefield
Blue And Gray Tavern
Bo Brinkman
Brewpubs
Camp Letterman
Cavalry
Civil War Blog
Civil War Flags
Civil War Podcast
Custer
Daniel E Sickles
Devil's Den
Devils Den
Distilleries
Don't Call Me Lawrence
Don't Panic
Elon Farnsworth
Farms Of Gettysburg
Geology
Gettysbike Tours
Gettysburg
Gettysburg Area
Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival
Gettysburg Geology
Gettysburg Movie
Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg Nightlife
Gettysburg Podcast
Gettysburg Tour Center
Gettysburg Tourism
Ghost Tours
Hostiles
How To Find The Visitor Center
Infantry
Iron Brigade
Jeb Stuart
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Kilpatrick
Little Round Top
Louisiana Tigers
Markers
Mason Dixon Distillers
Mcpherson Farm
Mcpherson's Woods
Monuments
National Park Service
Navigating The Visitor Center
Night Life
One Lincoln
O'rorke's
Patrick Gorman
Podcast Introductory Episode
Podcast Production
Podcast Sponsors
Podcast Support
Robert E Lee
Rock Formations Of Gettysurg
Ron Maxwell
Rose Farm
Sherfy Farm
Snarky Not Snarky
Snyder Farm
Stephen Lang
Stonewall Jackson
The Irish Brigade
The Pub
The Railroad Cut
The Wheatfield
Things Tourists Say
Tom Berenger
Trostle Farm
Visitor Center
We're All Tourists At Some Point
Why Is The Visitor Center So Hard To Find At Gettysburg
Winery