Explore Gettysburg National Military Park
Battlefield. Memorial. Graveyard. Gettysburg National Military Park www.nps.gov/gett/ is all of these things and more. Not only does the excellent Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War offer a good primer on the conflict; but the vast Gettysburg battlefield and the National Cemetery are reminders of the grave losses suffered in this bloody battle. And since it’s just a short drive from the Keystone State’s capital city, Gettysburg National Military Park makes a great addition to any Harrisburg visit.
A Civil War Primer
The best place to begin your Gettysburg visit is at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. There’s accessible parking near the entrance, barrier-free access to the building, a large accessible restroom inside, and a wheelchair for loan at the front desk. A ranger information desk, which is also located inside, offers free battlefield maps, but to get the most out of your visit it’s best to buy tickets to the visitor center attractions — a film, the Cyclorama and the Museum of the American Civil War.
There’s level access to the theater where the film, A New Birth of Freedom is shown throughout the day. Accessible seating and companion seats are located in the back of the theater. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the 20-minute film offers a good overview of the Civil War from the first shots at Fort Sumter to General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, with an emphasis on the Battle of Gettysburg’s importance in the conflict.
A more intimate view of the Battle of Gettysburg is offered in the next exhibit — the Cyclorama. Popular in the 1880s, a Cyclorama is a 360-degree image, which surrounds patrons and offers a panoramic presentation of a particular subject. In this case, the image — a historic painting — depicts Pickett’s charge during the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Lights, sounds and a narration bring the artwork to life, and create a three-dimensional view of the battle. There’s good wheelchair access inside the Cyclorama, and you can roll around to different vantage points during the presentation.
From the Cyclorama there’s elevator access out to the lobby and level access to the final attraction , the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War. This excellent museum features interactive exhibits, videos and interpretive displays of the bloody conflict.
Tour the Gettysburg Battlefield
Although there are organized bus and car tours of the battlefield, the best way for wheelchair-users to experience this historic site is to take a self-guided driving tour. Not only will this allow you to take things at your own pace, but you can also skip the inaccessible sites and stops. There is some uneven terrain there, but you can still get a good feel for the site from a driving tour.
The route begins at the visitor center and travels through the battlefield in the chronological order of the skirmishes. From the visitor center head up to McPherson Ridge and Oak Ridge where the fighting began on July 1, 1863. The landscape remains unaltered, although there are some memorials and interpretive plaques along the way. From there the route winds through Pitzer Woods, Warfield Ridge and Little Round Top, before it heads over to Spanglers Spring and East Cemetery Hill, back near the visitor center. The last stop — The High Water Mark — is where Lee’s army retreated on July 3, 1863. When all was said and done over 40,000 soldiers perished in this bloody battle.
The National Cemetery, which is located near the visitor center is also worth a stop. Not only is this the final resting place for most of the Union soldiers killed at Gettysburg, but it’s also the site of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. There are some paved paths through the cemetery, but if you have mobility issues it’s best to do a driving tour. Contact the park ranger at the visitor center, for more information, and for approval to drive through the cemetery. It’s a fitting end for any Gettysburg National Military Park visit.
