Gettysburg

We did a quick day trip to Gettysburg last weekend. We had the kids get up a bit early so we could beat the rain and the crowds (it was over Memorial Day weekend). It took us a little over 2 hours to get there. The drive was pleasant on a Sunday morning. We had the kids eat breakfast in the car and we were sitting down to the movie in the Visitor's Center for the 9:45 showing.

After the movie, we were shuffled up to see the Cyclorama. The Cyclorama is a giant panoramic painting depicting the battle field at Gettsyburg. There was a short audio and parts of the painting would light up to illustrate what the audio described. It was originally painted in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the battle (1883). However, the one on display has been restored and I don't think it was the original from 1883. It was 42 feet tall and about 300 feet in circumference and very impressive. Luke did not enjoy the movie or the painting. He kept his hands over his ears the entire time and was very relieved when we left the show.

From there we looked around the gift shop and briefly toured the museum. The girls and Luke had reached their maximum educational input and were ready to get outside. We had a cd with an audio tour, but quickly discovered that it was way too much information and too long for the kids, so we just listened to bits and pieces. Jack really wanted to see Little Round Top so we spent a while exploring that site. The view is pretty untainted and it was easy to imagine what it was like for the soldiers there. We also spent a long time in the cemetery and we found the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.

Overall, we spent about 4 hours there, 1.5 in the Visitor's Center and 2.5 driving around and exploring the massive battle field. It was a good trip and the kids were well-behaved. The town was really cute and I think it would be fun to go up and spend a night or two to really explore the area. There was really too much to take in in one day, plus there is a lot of information. It was difficult for me to stay focused and I am an adult with a genuine interest. Thomas said the nerd in him would like to do the battlefield over 3 days, which is how long the battle lasted. We would see the sites that corresponded to each day of the battle, I think he is on to something with that plan. Anyway, it was a nice day trip and we all learned a lot. It was also a good trip to take over Memorial Day (the masses would agree as it was crowded!). We want to make sure our kids know the true purpose of the day.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for us to take our annual trip to George Washington's birthplace, so we stuck close to home for the other two days of the holiday weekend.