Gettysburg/Hershey Area
 

Hope for some advice. My family is planning a trip to Gettysburg NMP and Hersheypark in late August of 2001. If anyone has been there recently, I would be interested in any info on the following topics: good,reasonably priced hotels in either location; good non-chain restaurants in either area; anything we should be CERTAIN to see; anything to be sure to AVOID. I would also like to stop at Knobel's Grove Park, which is not too far away, so any info on that area would be good, too! Thanks for any help you can provide! <BR>

We were in Gettysburg in early October, so I might be able to help with a few things there. <BR> <BR>As far as where to stay, we stayed at B&Bs, but not all of them take kids (don't know what your family's ages are). One we did stay at was Battlefield B&B which is very family oriented. It is a bit to the SW of the town and a little further out than the other B&Bs we stayed at. While driving around the town (and getting lost - best way to learn the town) I saw Quality Inn Larson's on Buford Ave that looked nice. It sits right behind General Lee's Headquarters which is 8 blocks W of Lincoln Square. Others you might check out are Best Western-Gettysburg Hotel, James Gettys Hotel,& Cashtown Inn - it's 8 miles W of Gettysburg and is reported to be haunted (kids might get a kick out of that). <BR> <BR>Places to eat: The Altland House was excellent but it's 15 mins E of Gettysburg. Also, The Cashtown Inn has a very good restaurant. In Gettysburg for historic fare is The Dobbin House. We ate in the Tavern since we didn't want to stand in line for 1 1/2 hrs for the Dining Room. For "regular" meals we found The Plaza on Lincoln Square, other restaurants recommended were the Gingerbread Man and the Lincoln Diner. The Blue Parrot was recommended by some but others said it was not worth the wait and rude help (we didn't go there). We were also told the restaurant in the Gettysburg Hotel was very good. We also ate at The Farnsworth House - OK, but we found better. <BR> <BR>Tour: We took the Battlefield Tape Tour and hired a licensed Battlefield guide. Kids may find that boring so you might want to check into the horseback riding Battlefield tours they offer. Also a lot of fun was the Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tour. They are offered by Mark Nesbitt who was a Battlefield park ranger at one time and has written 4 books about the Ghosts of Gettysburg. We also enjoyed touring the Eisenhower Historic Site and the National Military Park Museum in the Visitor's Center. Of course, you'll probably want to see the Jennie Wade House, but another excellent home to tour is the Schriver House Museum. It's a home on Baltimore St. that the owners have returned to it's 1860's appearance which included tearing out the modern plumbing and wiring. Also, if the kids get bored, we passed a miniature golf course about 2 mi S of Gettysburg on Baltimore St called Mulligan MacDuffer's. <BR> <BR>There are also a lot of shops on Steinwehn Ave. One is Gibson's Photographic Gallery which specializes in portraits taken in an 1860's working studio with 1860's clothing you can don. Nice little keepsake. <BR> <BR>We were at Gettysburg for a week, so as you can see, we really tried to experience as much as we could. If you need any further info, just post and I'll try to help.

This suggestion sounds SO touristy...but dont discount it. There is a place called something like 'The Electronic Battlefield.' Go there. You sit on stadium seats overlooking a miniaturized battlefield and listen to a narative of the major events of the historic battle. Electric lights embedded in the battlefield call your attention to the sequence. It is THE easiest way to understand what really happened there.

I agree with Polly about the Electric Battlefield - at first you think it's really cheesy, but it makes a huge difference to see it first then tour the site.

The Hershey Chocolateworld ride in the visiors/welcome center is always a favorite for our relatives. You site in cars that move through scenes telling how chocolate is made and you receive a Hershey's kiss or small candy bar on exiting into the huge gift shop (surprise). The ice cream and sundaes in that building used to be quite good with one or two unique flavors, but I think they are now gone. Some time in the year the Zoo portion has night visits that my young nephews enjoyed (but that may be in offseason).

The "map" Polly and Elizabeth are referring to is the Electric Map and it is located in the National Military Park Visitor Center. I believe the last show of the day is at 4:25 PM.

Lew, I live about 20 miles from Knoebel's Grove, which is a lovely, family-owned park, holding fond memories not only for me but for my parents, who spent time there when they were kids in the 1930's. Still has free admission, free parking, free use of picnic facilities. There are several big chain motels in nearby Danville (right along Rt. 80) and smaller motels and Bed and Breakfast places all around the area. I've never stayed in any of them, but they would probably be fine if unexciting. Knoebel's has a big campground, including rental cabins and motorhomes, if you're into that sort of thing. Are you a roller coaster fan? The Phoenix is my favorite! They have a website, which might have other info about local places to stay.