Weekend Getaway to Gettysburg

The first weekend of spring was absolutely beautiful - picture perfect sunny, warm days with bright blue skies. Kevin and I traveled north to close-by Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to tour around and enjoy a stay at the historic Gettysburg Hotel, which was established in 1797.

Healthy Hemlock Standing Tall in the Soldiers' National Cemetery

Our first stop was the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center, a huge complex that houses a museum collection of Civil War memorabilia, a theater, the Cyclorama exhibit, and several gift shops, eateries, and offices. After viewing a film about the battle of Gettysburg and taking in the impressive Cyclorama exhibit, featuring a narrated, light-up mural in the round of the fateful "Pickett's Charge," we wandered through the halls of the museum. There were countless artifacts from the war and more historical information than could possibly be taken in and absorbed in one visit. It was an impressive and sobering display.

Abraham Lincoln's Famous Dedication to the Fallen at Gettysburg


One of Many Museum Displays


A Monument Now Stands in the National Cemetery
Approximately Where President Lincoln
Delivered His Dedication

After touring the museum and the Soldiers' National Cemetery, we headed to downtown Gettysburg. Our hotel was located across the street from the Wills House, where Abraham Lincoln stayed and honed his address before delivering it at the Soldiers' National Cemetery. After checking into the hotel, we visited local shops and enjoyed some ice cream. In the evening, we had a delicious dinner sitting at a cozy corner table of McClellan's Tavern which was located within our hotel. The tavern was named after a local war hero.

After dinner, we sat outside on a park bench taking in the scenery of the town and soaking in the ambiance of this historical place. The small town and farming community of Gettysburg was forever changed by the battle that took place here. Our country was deeply affected by the outcome of the battle that raged on for three days in July of 1863. The battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the Civil War. The Union victory here slowed and weakened Confederate forces irreparibly and ultimately determined our fate as a nation that would remain united. Those who lost their lives on the battlefield fought for a freedom preserved and over time extended to all Americans.