Adventures in Gettysburg

School’s out, history’s in!

As the Director of Sales here at Bucks and Montgomery Living Magazine, I get to meet many local people and see their businesses (and hear their stories!). Like so many others, my family had to tighten our vacation budget and seek “staycations” close to home. Here in the Bucks and Montgomery and surrounding areas we are lucky to have so many exciting places to visit and experience. I hope to help you plan your staycation adventures!  This month’s adventures took us to Gettysburg, PA and beloved Center City Philadelphia!

I have never been a historian or a civil war buff before now. When we arrived at Gettysburg, that all changed. We chose a nearby campground on the property of a working farm to call home base. Within 15 minutes we were in downtown Gettysburg.  That alone had the charm of a Doylestown or New Hope. After walking around and grabbing some snacks we were ready to hit the battlefields.

Locals directed us to the Cyclorama, a large museum with a three dimensional panoramic painting depicting the battles of the civil war. The tales came to life with a brilliant soundtrack and narration by Morgan Freeman. After around an hour of air-conditioned hands-on education (all ages welcome, my seven-year-old and fourteen-year-old were equally engaged!), we chose to walk the grounds and were greeted by rangers offering several free walking tours. These small groups were a lot of fun, and yes, the dog came with us!  There are also many bus tours that last 2-4 hours but we chose free and walked the grounds. We also brought our bikes to cover more area and discovered that the entire landmark was bike-friendly. At dusk, ghost candle-light tours were offered and I highly recommend them. Without the heat of a summer’s day, you can enjoy a whole new Gettysburg.

We had a lot of fun, and it seems my children actually enjoyed learning about our rich history!  Again only about two hours away!

Another day trip we took was right into Center City Philadelphia, the birthplace of Freedom. By now I was feeling the pride of America and wide open to learning more about our great city. Since it was raining, we started at the National Constitution Center.  We were blown away. After witnessing a beautiful panoramic audio/visual demonstration we stepped into countless interactive activities for all ages. One of the highlights was having my kids sworn in as president. This museum is a must for all Americans. You cannot help feeling the power and pride of being an American. From there we walked the grounds of Independence Hall, saw Ben Franklins Grave, peered at the Liberty Bell and rounded our day riding the “Ducks.”

These two trips were very light on the pocketbooks but heavy with memories to last a lifetime.

If you have any feedback, suggestions or ideas for a local staycation adventure you can email me at bjohnson@locallivingmag.com. Until next time, keep living!