Refreshment Saloon

What an amazing experience this place is! The vast size of this battlefield is awe inspiring. Over 70,000 men lost their lives battling over a 24 acre piece of land, to either keep or do away with slavery. To learn and to actually be able to visualize how far a canon ball weighing 8 pounds could be launched a mile away with a canon two hundred years ago is truly incredible. The museum displays of the uniforms, handguns, rifles and various artifacts is extensive. I enjoyed the bus tour with the tour guide. It was interesting and fun to hear the narrative of the battle and learn about the little to unknown facts about the battle. In order to experience the entire Gettysburg site, it is easily a two day trip. For convenience, there is a small cafeteria in the main building. The new museum building was.built in 2008 and is very clean and modern. There is a good sized souvenir shop in the main building as well. There are also numerous nearby hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants in the City of Gettysburg. For the history buff, this is a must see place to visit.

What an incredible place. I didn't have enough time to truly explore the entirety of it, as it is so incredibly vast. The bus tour was well worth the money, and comes with a very nice driver and a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Highly recommend that everyone should go, if possible, take a few days to really take it all in. I plan to return for a few days to hike it.

We took the auto tour and loved it!! It took us about 2 hours and it is GPS driven. Very informative and gives you plenty of opportunity to get out and take pictures or get a closer look. The tour made us realize that we want to come back to the area and spend more time here. There are so many different things to do and see we can't wait to return!

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to visit this national park. I finally visited in July 1st and truly enjoyed the rich history. I loved the auto tour and found it to be interesting and informative. After the museum, I spent some time downtown. It’s was fun and lively! I enjoyed walking around and going in and out of the different shops.

Incredible experience! The tour ticket suggest spending 2 hrs for the museum, film and cyclorama. If you want to do the museum in depth you'll need 3 hrs for those activities. Additionally I also did the 2 hour bus tour- absolutely amazing! The only downside is that you don't get to stop at points that are of personal interest. You do exit the bus 4 or 5 times to view things up close. The other tour options are either a self-guided audio auto guide (upside: make as many stops as you want. Downside: no one to pose your questions to), or hiring a guide yourself. This is the best of both worlds but is more expensive.

How do you put a "star rating" on a place of history so devastating that it split families? Split our Country. Killed so many Americans. Destroyed so many peoples' lives. How do you "rate" that? The Park is impressive...both in size...and in the care it receives. The monuments from each State...the calvary...the infantry. The cannons on every rise of land. The "visualization" of the battles you READ about in history class...but in the Park...you FEEL them! You are on sacred ground. So many lives lost. So many families destroyed. So many soldiers, farmers, "boys next door", lawyers, doctors, shop keepers...all fighting for a cause THEY believed in. You can FEEL it. The Cyclotron is exceptional! The Battle of Gettysburg is all around you! Amazing! Don't skip the movie, the Cyclotron and the Museum. The experience is well worth whatever it costs. Don't miss those opportunities. The Park is open sunrise to sunset. And the Park is free of charge. Give yourself at least 6 hours to visit the Park. There's so much more to experience than you'll ever get in a book.

A sobering glimpse into the tumultuous past of my beloved nation. Having ancestors on both sides of the divide gives me pause to reflect at just how fortunate I really am. I cannot recommend visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center enough! You must go! While there the Film and the Cyclorama are a must see. Whether you opt for a guided or self-guided tour of the battlefield, you’re sure to grow in your appreciation for the magnitude of this great Civil War Battle.