Justin's Happiest Place on Earth: Gettysburg, PA

No trip to Gettysburg is complete without seeing some of the monuments.  We say some because there are literally over 800 on the battlefield honoring brigades, veterans from certain states, clergy, and others.  If you are Justin, they represent historic events and figures.  If you are Kim, they represent an interesting period in American tourism and means of creating memory that are both sacred and profane (read a little Durkheim).  Our beloved nerdiness aside, the monuments are attractions in themselves, especially for kids.  You can climb the New York and Pennsylvania monuments, two of the largest on the battlefield, and Elijah enjoys "climbing" the elevated Peace Monument, fascinated by the concept of the eternal flame.  You can also go up the Longstreet Observation Tower on Confederate Avenue and get a great view of the overall site, associated monuments, and the Eisenhower Farm.  Elijah surmounted it for the first time this year.  We recommend visiting quieter sections of the battlefield as well--Barlow's Knoll is a particuarly peaceful site with many monumental cannons--as well as the monuments to well-known figures (the humble Longstreet, the Lincoln Speech Memorial, and Father Corby statue in particular).  Tour in your car, on your motorcycle, on a rented Segway, or on horseback. 

If you go, visit the National Park Service Visitor's Center, getting your picture taken with the Lincoln statue and taking in the Cyclorama and/or museum.  The new visitors center is spacious, but the bookstore is no longer fully controlled by the National Park Service, meaning some of the "academic" books and resources available are, well, less than academic.  There are still good finds in the store for history buffs--you just have to have a willingness to evaluate them.  Don't bother with the DVD Gettysburg Monuments and Statues and Their Stories, a showcase of 75 select monuments on the battlefield--Justin can teach you more.  Serious book buyers should still join Friends of Gettysburg for a valuable discount.

Relevant Twitter Handle:
@visitgettysburg