Gettysburg Sidetrip

We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Gettysburg and had only planned on staying for 2 days and heading back to our resort in Massanutten, VA. The room was adequate, with two queen beds, and we were fortunate to have a room by an entrance on the ground floor so that we didn’t have to haul our things very far. It was located off of Highway 30 close to Highway 15, which was good, since we had planned a side trip up to Hershey.

We were getting ready to check out when we had car problems. The employees were extremely helpful during this hardship period. We were hoping the problem wouldn’t take too long to repair, and the clerks allowed my wife, our two-year-old, and our three-month-old baby to stay in the lobby for as long as we needed. Well, everyone who has a two-year-old knows that they don’t stay still very long. After 4 hours at the Ford dealership, I called my wife and had her see if we could get another night. We had overheard that the rates for that night had gone up by $40 from what we had for the two previous nights. The clerk gave us the room for the same rate we’d had for the previous two nights and booked us for the following day in case we couldn’t leave. They were very helpful, so I thought I would give them a good review for excellent customer service. Thank you, Comfort Inn Gettysburg.

We ate at General Pickett’s Buffet the second night we were in Gettysburg. The restaurant closes between their lunch and dinner buffets, as we found out; we arrived initially at 3:45, looking to have an early dinner, and found that they were closed until 4:30. So we decided to go downtown and walk through the shops before we went back to eat.

We were glad we did, as the food was excellent. Having a two-year-old, we try to go to restaurants before they get busy so that she can run around, and the employees at General Pickett’s Buffet were great. They didn’t mind her running around and getting under their feet, or at least, they didn’t complain to us about her. They specialize in ribs and catfish, with everything on their bar prepared fresh, including the cornbread. The interior of the room has pictures of most of the monuments from the battlefield, so if you missed one, you can find it on their walls. The restaurant itself is easy to find - it is at the end of battlefield auto tour. We definitely recommend going to eat there if you are staying in Gettysburg.

While we were traveling around on the Auto Tour at Gettysburg, we ran into General Lee’s HQ Museum. This place was very nice and well kept. The entrance fees were $3.00 for adults, so we went ahead and saw the original HQ for Robert E. Lee during the battle of Gettysburg. It was a very interesting display and it told about how he got his generals together to talk strategy before each day of the battle. It also told how the homeowner didn’t leave her house, and that she ended up caring for the wounded as well. When she claimed her war losses to the Government, she claimed most of her linen and towels that she had used to care for the soldiers. This attraction was near the Eternal Light and was on the way to the North Carolina Monument on the tour. They had a nice little gift shop there that had as many trinkets as you could possibly want. I definitely recommend stopping by there if you have an opportunity.

The Gettysburg National Battlefield is a pilgrimage that I believe that every American should make during their lifetime. We were staying in Massanutten, VA (only about a 3-hour car ride) and decided to head up there to pay our respects and learn more about the battle that changed the outcome of the Civil War. We have a two-year-old and a three-month-old, so we didn’t get to do everything that we had intended on doing; however, we still had a great trip. I recommend seeing the Electric Map at the Visitor’s Center. It’s a 30-minute show that goes through the battle, day by day. It is very educational and gives you good background information before you start touring the battlefield. I recommend doing a guided tour if possible (at the very least, buying the audio tour and listening to it) - it only cost $40, and they will get in the vehicle with you and give you a very detailed account of the battle.

We spent most of the first day driving around and seeing different monuments. Our favorite location on the battlefield was Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den is a rock area that the Confederate snipers used to kill Union officers on Little Round Top. My daughter and I enjoyed climbing around the rocks, and she enjoyed getting on top of the cannons that were on display in the Den. We actually went back to Devil’s Den several times during our trip in order to play on the rocks. I definitely recommend getting on the ground and looking at what those brave soldiers saw during the battle. It was definitely the learning experience that I had hoped for when we decided to make the trip. You can read as much as you like about the battle, but until you step foot on Little Round Top and look at the Valley of Death, you cannot image how brave the soldiers were who both were trying to take the ground and trying to hold the ground. When we were at the high-water mark and looked back towards Seminary Ridge, I tried to image what Pickett’s charge must have looked like, and the fear that both sets of soldiers were overcoming during cannonade that had occurred moments before the charge began.

This is definitely a pilgrimage that I recommend, and that our family will make again when my children are older and can enjoy more.