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I wonder if any of you have any tips about a quick trip I'm making to Gettysburg PA. Am going there for the first time, Amtrak to Philly 30th, then car with a friend. It seems the original Gettysburg station (where Lincoln came in) has been gutted and all tarted up as a virtual tour venue. Plus, it's closed on the day when we can go. What's with that? Also, there is another private rail museum near the cemetery. Is it worth a visit? Any other (fairly recent esp) tips about Gettysburg including things to see, hotels and restaurants much appreciated.
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Google is obviously helpful, but a lot of times people are looking for first hand reports from people they interact with/know. I often ask people questions like this even with google.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Sorry I never got back, have been very lax. The trip to Gettysburg was excellent. We stayed in a Comfort Inn that was pretty inexpensive and perfectly fine, good location; one could even walk into town if one were a bit of a walker. It was past the main tourist season and a good thing: I hear it is something of a zoo in summer. Now, late September and weekdays, it was still pretty busy but OK. Weather was terrific. The town is quite lovely, full of pre-Civil War buildings, well worth walking around in. We walked all over and also stopped at the college campus, though we didn't see much of it. The old train station building was closed on the weekdays we were there but I gather has been turned into a touristy display for kids anyway; we did walk around outside and take pictures. The restaurants are no big deal foodwise and the popular ones were crowded but we found a nice quiet one we liked and also an Asian one near the old movie theater, which has been nicely restored by the college. The Eisenhower farm was interesting to visit; it is not open every day off season so check times. The battlefield is of course the main thing, and I found visiting it deeply moving. I kept thinking of "Grass" by Carl Sandburg. We took a ranger tour and also visited the New York area monuments, including those to the unit with which my husband's family fought. The visitor center had some interesting displays, including the original Gettysburg cyclorama. If you're interested in a well-written relevant book about the period, with train travel, strongly recommended: Lincoln on the Verge.
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