That sounds like a plan to me.

Eric

I much prefer going when the foliage is down and sight lines are so much better.

Good luck with it. 🙂

Eric

I’ve been to Gettysburg every month of the year except for July. Too hot and too crowded. Quite honestly I prefer visiting in the fall and winter – fewer people and less traffic. I give The Dobbin House and O’Rourke’s enough business the rest of the year; I doubt they miss me much in July. Me, my wife and kids used to visit so often that we actually thought about buying a palce up there. Having my own place of refuge is about the only way I’d consider visiting around anniversary time. I’ll just stay here in NC and at the appropriate time, raise my glass in honor and remembrance.

Randy

You make good points. I’ve been going every year for maybe 7-8 years now. When I started going to Gettysburg there was maybe one new hotel, the Hampton Inn, near the Rte. 15 exit to York Pike, but now that road is pretty much destroyed with development. The traffic gridlock is as bad as any I go through here in Philly. Like I’ve said in an earlier post, I’m a hiker so I park my car in the morning and I’m on my feet for the rest of the day. I go simply to study the landscape and do a few anniversary walks, which are great fun. I really don’t know what the people are doing there in Gettysburg that weekend because it’s always the same faces on the walks. By the time I come in from the field and shower up it’s way past 9pm every night so I have no problem finding a table but parking at whichever hotel I’m at can be rough.

I do have to say I’m coming around to your point of view. The crush of people has noticeably increased since I’ve been going, which hasn’t been that long. I don’t know if I’ll stop going in the summer but I love studying the field during the fall/winter. Maybe there will be a point where the traffic/people become unbearable but for now I’m still all about the ranger walks.

Sure–come on over. It’s only 6.5 hours worth of driving for you. 🙂

Eric

It’s almost impossible to describe it if you’ve never experienced it. I watched the National Tower come down on TV, and that was just fine with me.

Eric

I concur. Can we come to your house?

Regards,

Phil

After reading this, I will never even consider going there for the anniversary. I thought the Little Bighorn was crowded in 2001 for the 125th. I arrived at the battlefield before 7:00 a.m., left at 8:00 that night, if I left during the day, I would have kissed the parking spot goodbye. That can’t even begin to compare to what you have described, which isn’t surprising considering how close Gettysburg is to huge population centers.

John

No, they didn’t.

They delayed the REENACTMENT. They did not delay the anniversary itself–that will still happen tomorrow, no matter what the weather will be.

Eric

but they delayed the anniversay until July 7th-9th due to all the rain out there.