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Travel Logs August 2012

Triptalk'en

Gettysburg Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Battle

By Bobbie Green

Painstakingly restored to its glory and displayed in the round with each of the Gettysburg battles highlighted, each small battle is lit up as the speaker describes it. The size and scope of the painting is amazing.

v_greenpicts08aGettysburg Pennsylvania will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War's most famous battle in the summer of 2013. For 10 days from June 28 through July 7, 2013, many special events are planned, making a visit there even more memorable than normal. A re-enactment will take place July 4-7, 2013. www.gettysburgcivilwar150.com

Our visit to Gettysburg was a touching, enlightening experience. Seeing the battlefield, the actual terrain really brought to life the scenes we have all seen in the movies.

Visitors to the area have plenty of things to see and do. You may choose to use the auto tape tours in your own car while driving through the park. Alternatively, you may choose to take a tour with a tour guide who drives your car through the park. We used the tour guide and found it most informative. We made many stops walking the terrain and having the detailed battles explained to us. The guide also pointed out the monuments throughout the park, who built them and why. Gettysburg Battlefield Bus Tours also offers tours on their double decker bus.

Not-to-be-missed is the Cyclorama. The astounding painting "The Battle of Gettysburg" first exhibited in Boston in 1884. Paul Philippoteaux painted it in the then-popular cyclorama style. Painstakingly restored to its glory and displayed in the round with each of the Gettysburg battles highlighted, each small battle is lit up as the speaker describes it. The size and scope of the painting is amazing.

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Outside the military park, you will not want to miss taking the Gettysburg Ghost Tour which begins at dusk. Our tour guide Chris Taylor was captivating. He is a well-known Civil War historian, Civil War re-enactor, actor, storyteller and award-winning Civil War bugler. There have been many ghostly sighting on the battlefields and the town of Gettysburg. The ghost tour show guests where, when and who they think the ghosts are. The storytelling is awesome; this guy spares no details or animation. Some are said to have seen ghosts on the tour. Even without a ghostly appearance, you will leave satisfied -- Taylor can make you laugh, cry or churn you stomach.

We stood on the spot where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. We visited the David Wells house where President Lincoln spent the night before giving his speech and saw the notes he wrote for his speech.

A three-day visit will allow enough time to see the area. We had an interesting dinner at the Dobbin House Restaurant and Tavern, the oldest building in Gettysburg, built in 1776. Patrons dine in the original separate rooms of the house. Unique bed-like tables are used upstairs in the bedrooms. The floors are creaky and the food is good. It was a charming “old” experience.

The town itself is very lively even after dark. The sidewalks are busy. There are many hotels to choose from for an in-town stay, within walking distance to all the action. We chose to stay at the Baladerry Inn, a B & B in a unique and pretty country setting, yet close to town. The charming rooms are in a historic house that once served as a field hospital. Groups of ghost hunters frequent the property at night hoping for a sighting.

Check out www.gettysburg.travel to find events going on when you want to visit.

Gettysburg National Military Park is an eminent achievement; a vacation in and around Gettysburg is a moving experience for all who visit there.


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