Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Climbing Monuments







What to do on the Gettysburg battlefield? Go climb monuments! No trip would be complete without climbing the Pennsylvania or New York--or the rocks of Devil's Den. And if you are travelling with a baby, pose on the cannons. The monuments truly give the field additional character and fun, but visitors can't forget the tremendous sacrifices there. The Peace Light gives a sense of that, as does a look at the wheatfield. If you are driving the field, we recommend playing the Gettysburg movie soundtrack or one of the CDs of ghost stories to provide an additional element.


Following some battlefield photo ops, we went to the center of town for some shopping. Abe's Antiques has closed--really too bad. If you weren't familiar, Abe's was owned by a Lincoln impersonator who was quite talented and had a nifty collection of civil war items. By asking around at shops, we were able to determine he is fine--just out of business. The Gettysburg Antique Center is still going full speed and is a nice place for locally-oriented ephemera, toy soldiers, and military items. We tried to shop the Farnsworth House bookstore, but their hours were quite unpredictable. A new art gallery features contemporary images of Lincoln and a saleswoman who's won on Jeopardy--Lincoln Into Art is worth a stop.



And some more Gettysburg travel advice: Going out for breakfast? Try the reasonably-priced Avenue Diner, a fixture in town and an easy walk from most centrally-located motels. Hungry for a snack? You can share Hunt's cheese fries with lots of friends and still feel full. Want a relaxing dinner? Head downstairs at the Dobbins House to the Springhouse Tavern for an atmosphere as casual and welcoming as a basement can get!

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