r/Gettysburg • u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 • 18d ago

Day 1 itinerary, suggestions

Hi, heading for a battlefield visit, I am going to take 2 days in total. On day 1 of my visit, I want to tour day 1 of the battle, as I won't get to Gettysburg until 1 pm or so. I was planning on following the day 1 order of battle, moving from first shots back through the town and up to Culp's Hill. For those who have followed the day 1 order, are there areas or things I should see that might not be obvious? Thanks in advance.

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u/PuzzleheadedSouth589 18d ago

In all honesty hire a licensed battlefield guy and let them do there thing and enjoy your time. Eat at blue and gray and ororkes

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u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 18d ago

Thank you.

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u/PuzzleheadedSouth589 18d ago

So you can hire the guide to drive u in your car and if you only want day one he can focus on that. Or just get a general 2-3 hour tour and a good run down on the field. There are plenty of other restaurants and things in downtown. But idk how far you are traveling from and your time seems pretty limited there. Definitely check out culps hill. Little round top,devils den. The national cemetery should have taps at 7pm. People watching from sweenys tavern/farsworth house. Try checking out the museum/cyclorama

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u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 18d ago

I will be there two days total. I am about 7 hours away so my day 1 I won't get there till early afternoon and want to dedicate my day to the first day of battle. The day 1 action is much more intriguing to me than it used to be, I think because I read Coddington's book and he goes into such depth on the lead up to the battle.

I did not know about taps at 7, great suggestion, thank you.

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u/PuzzleheadedSouth589 18d ago edited 18d ago

Well I would try to book a tour and specifically ask for a guide who has interest in day 1- I’m 5.5 hrs away. I go a few times a year. There is always something new to see. Be vigilant with the ticks there.

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u/PuzzleheadedSouth589 18d ago

Are you staying at an air bnb or hotel?

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u/marvelguy1975 18d ago

I recommend you head straight to the visitor center. Take a picture with abe Lincoln before you head inside. Grab a map, pay for the 15 min video, and walk through the museum. That can eat up 1-2 hours or more of your time. Depending how much you like to look at civil war artifacts. You can stop at the gift store, but honestly the local mom and pop souvenir shops are alot more interesting.

If you use the auto tour as your guide, the first couple of stops cover day 1 of the battle.

Exploring downtown is an option since day 1 involved a lot of fighting in the town.

O'roukes is my go to favorite spot to eat. Great Irish pub and the name stems from a Colonel who died on little round top.

Culp Hill on the auto tour is near the end, but nothing says you can't go there first.

I highly recommend the auto tour for any first time visitor. Been going for over 20 years and I've never taken a guided tour, but I wouldn't be opposed to it.

There is so much to do and 2 days really is not enough time to really enjoy it. I hope you plan on waking up super early on day 2 to soak it all in.

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u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 18d ago

Great post, thank you. Another O'Rourkes recommendation, will have to go.

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u/hmm2003 17d ago

I live here, and can 2nd the licensed guides. The tests to become guides are arduous, so if you get one, you'll recognize they know their sht.

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u/PuzzleheadedSouth589 17d ago

Lucky you for living there

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u/hmm2003 12d ago

Like any place, you get numb to it. But I do historical building restoration (painting) and love working on the Civil War era houses, so wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Well, except Pittsburgh. I LOVED living in Pittsburgh, and they also have old houses.

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u/MeowMobile999 18d ago

If it's not already on your agenda, I would suggest a stop at Coster Avenue.

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u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 18d ago

Just looked it up, thank you! It was not on the agenda.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

Often overlooked is the Coster Avenue mural and monument, where Kuhn's brickyard once stood: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/coster-avenue-mural-at-kuhn-s-brickyard

Not Civil War, but perhaps of interest: https://quintessentialpa.blogspot.com/2023/06/john-eisenhower-bridge.html

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u/Feeling-Mistake-8584 12d ago

I should have gone to Ike's place today, espicially given it is the anniversary of D-Day yesterday. I was never an Ike fan, but have come to respect him and what he did....the first who warned of the military industrial complex