Our final excursion from our Harpers Ferry basecamp was a trip North to find the good and bad of Gettysburg. This is a site I’ve always wanted to visit so being roughly an hour away meant it was finally happening. Little did I know what a disappointment this park would be.

GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

Gettysburg is arguably the most known battle of the civil war due to the casualties and the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Today the park is largely comprised of fields and monuments highlighting various units that were involved in the battles. The disappointing part of the entire park is that our public history has been largely privatized. The museum that holds virtually ALL of the exhibits and history of the area is privately owned. Even though this museum sits right tin the middle of the park people have to pay exorbitant fees to enter! No passes are accepted here including the National Parks pass.

The park service does have an information booth inside the museum and offices throughout the building but they have no jurisdiction, or direction, over anything that happens there. We found this out after commenting to a park employee about how rude and disrespectful some of the staff members were in the building. Keep in mind that the National Park Service arrowhead logo was everywhere; INCLUDING on the museum sign! It was VERY apparent that Gettysburg National Military Park has become a profit seeking entity with absolutely zero customer service skills!

After a horrible experience inside the visitor center we left to drive the auto tour around the battlefield. We left with nothing more than a map and ONE junior ranger book for TWO kids! That’s right folks……they wouldn’t even give each kid a junior ranger book!!

We made the best out the visit and enjoyed the views as we rode through the park and surrounding areas and the kids did get the answers to the book. We also found a couple observation towers where we were able to look out across the battlefields and take in the beauty of the Pennsylvania countryside.

THE BRIGHT SPOT

After completing the auto tour we set out to find a place to eat lunch before heading back to Harpers Ferry. As usual we chose to find a local spot just hoping to end our day on a positive note. Fortunately for us we were able to do just that! Enter Gettysburg Eddie’s!

Gettysburg Eddie’s sits right in the middle of the town of Gettysburg and is named for a major league baseball player from the area. Parking can be confusing with the cluster of businesses in the area but we did find it tucked away in a gravel lot behind the building. Inside we were quickly sat and served delicious food even though they were slammed from Gettysburg Bike Week patrons! The kids sandwich even came out with a baseball toothpick making Jacob happy!

The trip to Gettysburg overall wasn’t bad with the exception of the park itself. The Pennsylvania countryside is absolutely beautiful and the folks at Gettysburg Eddie’s were amazing. I would NOT recommend visiting the “visitor center” other than to grab a map from the outside stand. We can usually find a bright spot in anything but not here. I left without even a sticker from the gift shop and Jacob said it was his “worst experience ever in a national park.” Until next time…..