Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Community Forums > Campgrounds & Destinations
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-31-2019, 03:55 AM   #1
FlyingAroundRV
Senior Member
 
FlyingAroundRV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Brisbane Australia
Posts: 708
Gettysburg

I just thought I'd pass on a tip about visiting Gettysburg for those who haven't yet.
This place is amazing. We went to the battlefield museum and watched the movie about the battle, narrated by Morgan Freeman. Elsewhere in the museum, we saw much the same video but narrated by other people. MF's measured, solemn narration made quite an impact to the experience. After the video, you go upstairs to the cyclorama, a painting done by a french artis only a few years after the battle. The painting is circular, 42 feet tall and 300 feet around. It was done from the perspective of the top of Cemetary Ridge which was the center of the battle. Then we went to Cemetary hill where it actually took place and listened to a talk by one of the rangers. It was one of the most moving experiences we've had in our Civil War stops.
So far, on our Civil War pilgrammage we have visited
Fort Sumter
Cold Harbor
Chancellor's ville
Mechanicsville
Andersonville POW camp and cemetary
Newmarket
Appomattox (Courthouse)
And now Gettysburg.
__________________
Regards,
Scott
2015 F250 2WD Crew Cab
2018 Outback 272UFL

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCscotthendry
FlyingAroundRV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2019, 04:25 AM   #2
steve eboe
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Amherst Junction, WI
Posts: 34
Thanks for posting. Reviews like this are interesting and very helpful for those of us planning future trips.

steve e-boe
steve eboe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2019, 05:33 AM   #3
captcolour
Senior Member
 
captcolour's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Verona, KY
Posts: 320
Here's a tip on Fort Sumter. We visited late in the afternoon and were taking the last boat back. Since the flag flying over the fort is not illuminated 24/7, it has to be taken down. So all of us remaining helped the soldiers on duty fold the flag. Was a really cool experience for the family.
__________________
New: 2021 Solitude 380FL
Old: 2016 Alpine 3600RS
Tow: 2017 F-350 DRW diesel
captcolour is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2019, 06:07 AM   #4
Pull Toy
Senior Member
 
Pull Toy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Southeastern Connectiut
Posts: 1,305
Gettysburg is one of our favorite destinations. We have made the trip from Connecticut four times. The first two were with the Toy Hauler and the 'Wing. There is some excellent motorcycle riding to be done, both in the park and around the area, but be sure to use sunscreen and sunglasses as the roads are mostly concrete, and reflect a lot of UV. You'll cook in no time!

For the first time visitor, The "Grey Line" guided bus tour is excellent, and gives you facts that will enhance your experience, beyond what you will get just driving around and also includes the downtown area. The Harley Davdson Factory Tour in York, PA is an easy trip from the Gettysburg area, by bike or by car, and makes an interesting side trip. If you explore the areas back roads, it is not unusual to see the "Dutch" out and about in their buggies, or tending their fields with horse drawn gear. They are friendly, but prefer not to be photographed.

Drummer Boy Campground is an excellent choice for camping. It is rather large, but the sites are a good size. It is clean. quiet, and friendly, near downtown, and the Battlefield, We have found it to be a good base of operations.

Good Luck,
__________________

Pull Toy

Steve & Jan, Ava & Emma (Mini Schnauzers):
2016 F350 Lariat 4X4 Powerstroke CC/SB "PULLTOY V"
2013 Alpine 3535RE "MAGIC CARPET IV"
Proud Navy Vet!
Pull Toy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2019, 12:00 PM   #5
FlyingAroundRV
Senior Member
 
FlyingAroundRV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Brisbane Australia
Posts: 708
We are staying at Gifford Pinchot. It is reasonably close to Gettysburg and also close to York. We wanted to visit the HD factory, but the holiday weekend and advance booking beat us this time.
Re Gettysburg: To do the driving tour justice, allow at least a day and a half to go and see it and try to take in the scale and magnitude of the battle. We have been to a number of other CW battlefields and I guess I expected Gettysburg to be similar ... It aint! A LOT of soldiers fougth and died here. This place is hallowed ground and I wish the young parents that let their children climb all over the monuments would consider that. We pulled up alongside a bronze statue which I think was Longstreet on his horse. Of course three littlies had to get up on it to get their picture taken on the "horsie". Their parents encouraged them.
Grrr!
__________________
Regards,
Scott
2015 F250 2WD Crew Cab
2018 Outback 272UFL

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCscotthendry
FlyingAroundRV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 05:31 AM   #6
notanlines
Senior Member
 
notanlines's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Germantown, TN
Posts: 6,300
Having lived in Washington DC for a year, we did visit many battlefields in the surrounding areas. But nothing seemed to put the horror of war into perspective like visiting ‘bloody pond’ on a cool, foggy morning at Shiloh Battlefield just east of Memphis. It truly was a terrible time in the history of our country. More than 600,000 deaths is hard to fathom.
__________________
Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
2018 Mobile Suites 40RSSA
2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
notanlines is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 06:55 AM   #7
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,772
Another "must see" is the Vicksburg National Military Park. All of the states built memorials in the park to commemorate their losses in the Civil War. It's a somber drive through the park and there always seems to be enough parking and "space" to reflect on what actually happened during that horrible time in our history.

Right off I-20, if you're passing though that area, plan to spend a day or more. It's at exit 48. Don't forget to include the USS Cairo exhibit, a "ironclad gunboat" that was instrumental to capturing Memphis. It sat in the mud at the bottom of the Yazoo River until the mid 1960's when it was salvaged for reconstruction. It sits on Clay Street in Vicksburg and is the only example (that I know) of Civil War maritime activity on the Mississippi River.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 08:28 AM   #8
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,553
We have spoken of getting to Gettysburg many times and somehow our plans seem to just "wander" off and we never get there. I am going to cement that and make it a "for sure" destination. Thanks Scott.

As for Vicksburg, it is awesome as well. We've been to it several times. The monuments are actually very beautiful and creative. The battlefield itself is sort of hard to comprehend, logistically, to one only familiar with mechanized armor. Having had family on both sides of the conflict it's very hard to understand the depths of the loyalty and commitment each person had to whatever their beliefs were (please, let's not devolve into a political/right/wrong etc. conversation. Not one of us knows what anyone's motivations were back then). To contemplate the staggering loss of life in that "civil" war is sobering indeed.

The Cairo exhibit is extremely interesting. You can see some of the inner workings, armor, construction, how it was powered etc. DW, who is not particularly interested in "war" stuff, found that exhibit to be very interesting - particularly the choice of design.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 12:28 PM   #9
02camp
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Charleston
Posts: 13
We are thinking about a trip to Gettysburg in the spring with a side trip to Hershey. I'm guessing this is as good a time as any to visit the Keystone State.

Another site for Civil War buffs is Ft Pulaski just outside Savannah, Ga (I see you've already visited my hometown and Ft Sumter). Allow at least a half day to take it in. The fort is pretty much as it was left after the war. Wormsloe Plantation is also interesting with it's history dating back to pre-civil war and the Mighty Eighth Museum B-17 for WW II. We stay at Creekfire Motor Resort while visiting Savannah.
02camp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 12:41 PM   #10
FlyingAroundRV
Senior Member
 
FlyingAroundRV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Brisbane Australia
Posts: 708
Quote:
Originally Posted by 02camp View Post
We are thinking about a trip to Gettysburg in the spring with a side trip to Hershey. I'm guessing this is as good a time as any to visit the Keystone State.

Another site for Civil War buffs is Ft Pulaski just outside Savannah, Ga (I see you've already visited my hometown and Ft Sumter). Allow at least a half day to take it in. The fort is pretty much as it was left after the war. Wormsloe Plantation is also interesting with it's history dating back to pre-civil war and the Mighty Eighth Museum B-17 for WW II. We stay at Creekfire Motor Resort while visiting Savannah.
Fort Pulaski was very interesting. The story of the attack on it using rifled cannons for almost the first time in warfare was fascinating. The attack signaled the obsolescence of defensive forts because of their vulnerability to accurate, concentrated heavy artillery fire.
__________________
Regards,
Scott
2015 F250 2WD Crew Cab
2018 Outback 272UFL

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCscotthendry
FlyingAroundRV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 04:37 PM   #11
flybouy
Site Team
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,695
Stop by Antietam Battlefield in Maryland, single bloodiest day of the war. If you're traveling up thru the Shenandoah Valley on I 81 you're tracing the steps of Lee's army to PA. Tons of history and interesting towns. Winchester, VA held the record for the town that changed hands the most during that war, went from South to North control and back 22 times. Also Harper's Ferry WV is along the way and a lot of beautiful scenery and depending on rainfall some good rafting. They say that the people living along the northern end of the corridor up the valley from Winchester, VA to Fredrick, MD would keep a Confederate and a Union flag so they could fly the flag of whoever was marching thru at the time in hopes that they wouldn't get burned out.
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
flybouy is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-14-2019, 05:24 PM   #12
RWRiley
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Wells County, Indiana
Posts: 112
Shiloh is a great stop also. (Tennessee)

We have been to Gettysburg and Also recommend Antietam as others have done. Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle, but Antietam was the bloodiest single day.
RWRiley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2019, 02:16 AM   #13
kksfish
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Rincon
Posts: 192
The Richmond, Va./Fredericksburg,Va. area has so much to see and visit that after living there for over 30 years I still didn’t do it all before leaving the area!
One place that stood out/ made the hair stand up that I often visited during morning walks was Chatham Manor which was used as a hospital......on foggy mornings one can almost hear the injured. Old photos show two trees that are still there where amputated limbs were thrown from the windows.....
__________________
2017 Ram 3500 CC Cummins
2011 Keystone Laredo 266 RL
kksfish is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:42 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.