Sunday, August 20, 2017

HISTORICAL GETTYSBURG, PA.

Sunday, August 20 – We headed out this morning under a cloud of fog toward Gettysburg, PA. We chose a southern route through West Virginia and Maryland instead of the shorter route through Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania route was via the PA Turnpike which meant a hefty toll. The route we chose was a beautiful way to travel on the busy Eastern part of the United States. We were amazed how much mountain driving was required. Admittedly, the Appalachian Mountains are nothing compared to the Rockies, but we sure did some steep up and down driving today.

drive to Gettysburg

drive to Gettysburg

This was along the the highway today. What a hoot.
drive to Gettysburg

We arrived in Gettysburg by mid-afternoon without any problems with either the truck or 5th wheel, which is certainly a plus. We are staying at Artillery Ridge Campground which is located right on the edge of the historical Gettysburg battlefields. This is a Passport America park Monday-Thursday. The campground is fairly large. It has a couple of different areas. We are in the back by the horse stables. We have a FHU, pull-through site with 50 amp electric. We requested a site suitable for our satellite. We are in a very open area. The roads and sites are gravel but needing freshened-up with additional gravel. The sites aren't very level. There are picnic tables at each site but are pretty close to your neighbors and have no landscaping. It's all about location when choosing this park over several others in the area since it is located adjacent to the historic battlefields. Also, one of the perks of staying at this campground is by staying 2+ days, we received free tickets to the Gettysburg Diorama, Spirit of Gettysburg, and Lincoln Train Museum. That saves us a ton of money.

Site 427
Artillery Ridge Campground

Artillery Ridge Campground

Looking right.
Artillery Ridge Campground

Looking left.
Artillery Ridge Campground

After getting settled in our site, we headed to the battlefield Visitor's Center about one mile down the road. We strolled through the store and purchased tickets for the movie, museum, and the cyclorama, which we will see tomorrow morning. You need to reserve a time for the tickets. Since we like to get an early start, we chose 9:00 a.m.

Gettysburg Visitor's Center

Gettysburg Visitor's Center

Marsha’s best friend was waiting for her at the front door.
Gettysburg Visitor's Center

We then drove to downtown Gettysburg to check things out and get the lay of the land. We stopped at the famous Dobbin House Tavern for happy hour and enjoyed a couple adult beverages. We opted to have our drinks in the Springhouse Tavern. It is amazing. It is an eating and drinking alehouse amidst three natural springs and two glowing fireplaces. Built in 1776, it has reasonably priced drinks. Although we didn't eat dinner, we were told the food is great.

Dobbin House

Dobbin House

Dobbin House

We sat at the original bar.
Dobbin House

We then headed back to the campground for dinner and to rest up for the next couple days of sightseeing. Stop back and enjoy historical Gettysburg with us.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!