Exploring the Site of This Northern Civil War Battle
Even if visitors only remember the barest of details from high school history class, there are several informational paths to take that will fill in gaps of memory and make the events of over a hundred and forty years ago a vivid and immediate occurrence.Visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield
Visitors have several options when visiting the battlefield. Depending on an individual's background knowledge of the Civil War and their desire for information, take a group bus tour, an individualized tour with a personal guide, or follow a self-guided route.
Visitors can journey through the park with the many bus tours available in town. The disadvantage to these tours is that people aren't allowed out of the bus during the tour. Take a bus tour for the background information, but then plan on going through the park a second time to walk around and get a close up view of the many monuments.
Another option is to hire a personal guide who will drive around with visitors, focusing on some of the visitors' interests. For the American history buff, the opportunity for an individualized tour with someone who can answer questions has strong advantages.
Somewhere between the bus tour and the personal tour is the Gettysburg Expedition Guide by TravelBrains. This package includes a 2-cd set, a book, and even a cd-rom for the computer. Pop the disk into the car's CD player. Then follow the map in the book while listening to a guide explain the history of the battle and the battlefield. Visitors can get out of their cars when they wish and explore at their own pace.
The Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Park
Go to the Visitor Center either before exploring the battlefield or afterward - in both cases, the added layer of information adds to understanding the importance of this battle. Pay a little bit more to watch the film "A New Birth of Freedom" and experience the 600 foot long painting of Pickett's Charge in the cyclorama - complete with special effects similar to what people over a hundred years experienced when viewing the image.
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