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GETTYSBURG
The first time I went to Gettysburg, I was fourteen years old. I went with my dad and my aunt, who were both intensely interested in the Civil War. My two cousins and I were driven from monument to monument and from battlefield to battlefield at Gettysburg. Every picture you see of us, we look like had been dragged behind the car from place to place. That is because there are over 1,300 monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park and from my teenage memory, I am convinced that we stopped and read every single one. I’m sure if you asked my cousins today, they would remember it as the longest day of our childhood.
So, fast forward thirty years. I wanted my children to learn about and experience Gettysburg first hand, but I did NOT want them to come away with only bored, eye-rolling memories.
We booked a tour online ahead of time and reserved spots in the top of an open air bus tour, through Gettysburg Battlefield Tours. They gave us ear buds so we could all hear our fantastic, sports announcer turned licensed tour guide (who sported a handlebar mustache).
“Look left! Now look right!” He talked continuously for the entire two hours as we rode around in the warm sun and pleasant breeze. He led us through all three days of the battle, making the stories come alive while describing things in a way that kept kids interested. He showed us big, important things, like Little and Big Round Tops, but then he also showed us the cannon ball holes that are still visible in buildings around the town of Gettysburg. It really demonstrated how close to home the whole battle was.
The tour guide was serious at times (since the Civil War is a very somber event), but he also threw in some humor (like when we stopped to get out of the bus at an overlook, he told us, “if you aren’t back on the bus in fifteen minutes, you should just start walking toward that water tower over there—it’s only three-and-a-half miles to your car!”). He did a wonderful job of keeping everyone entertained and interested in history.
In addition to the bus tour, there are a number of other interesting and historic things to see in Gettysburg. Here are a few of them:
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Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor’s Center has interactive exhibits and memorabilia that illustrates and explains the war. There is also a film, and the famed Gettysburg Cyclorama, one of the largest paintings in the country. It depicts the famous battle of Pickett’s Charge.
The Lincoln Train Museum displays America’s journey through the ages with exhibits and a neat interactive model train. The museum is near the actual site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Gettysburg Heritage Center has displays, videos, and artifacts from the point of view of the Gettysburg civilians at the time of the war.
HERSHEY
Sure, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell had some cool inventions. But, according to my daughter, Sarah, Milton Hershey is the most brilliant inventor of all time. When we arrived at Hershey’s Chocolate World, Sarah leaped out of the van and cheered, “Yes! These are my people!”
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The sweet smell of chocolate greeted us at the door as we started our chocolate adventure with the free Chocolate Factory Tour ride. We were all eyes (and ears and noses) as we witnessed the conversion from cocoa beans to chocolate. And of course, the tour has a happy ending with free samples. There is no lack of chocolate at this place.
We had purchased tickets ahead of time for the other attractions. There are so many chocolatey things to choose from. Hershey’s Unwrapped which includes the Chocolate Tasting Journey was Sarah’s favorite. There’s Create Your Own Candy Bar Adventure and Reese’s Stuff Your Cup, where you can customize your own one-pound peanut butter cup with a variety of mix-ins.
The average person would be all “chocolated-out” after all of that, but Sarah was ready for more. We headed over to the Trolley Works for our Chocolate & History Trolley tour. This trolley ride was FAR more than just a ride through the town of Hershey. Costumed tour guides sang and told the story of Milton Hershey and all that he has done for the town. They told the stories and performed a mystery play all during our 75-minute tour in an air-conditioned trolley. And to make Sarah’s day even brighter, there were more free samples during and after the tour.
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There are also other chocolate attractions available at Hershey’s Chocolate World including The Great Candy Expedition, which is a train-themed theater production on the Hersheyland Express that allows riders to decide which candy-themed lands they tour. And don’t even get me started on Hersheypark, the enormous 120-acre theme park across the street that was started by Milton Hershey back in 1906 so the Hershey employees would have a fun, leisurely place to hang out. It now includes family rides, water rides, kiddie rides, coasters for every level of courage, a zoo, food, and days-worth of fun for everyone.
There is easily enough entertainment in the area for a family to spend a week, but by just picking a few of the adventures that would interest your family the most, Gettysburg and Hershey becomes a perfect weekend or long-weekend getaway.
Jesse Neve is a wife and mother of four from Minnetrista, Minnesota. She enjoys traveling with her big crowd, and writing about her family’s adventures and what they learn together.