Need help in planning Gettysburg vacation in October. Where to stay, for how long, what to eat, what to see etc. Any ideas for side trips?

Places to eat: Dobbin House Tavern for fine dining or the Springhouse tavern downstairs for a great "supper"

A nice place to stay: Gettystown Inn, right in the heart of Gettysburg, within walking of everthing.

Take a bus tour of the battlefield, personally I wouldn't spend too much effort on the little museums in town. In October however, there will be ghost tours at night which are alot of fun. A visit to the Eisenhower farm is also interesting. You can make a rrangements for most tours at the visitor's center.

How long to stay depends entirely on your interest in the Civil War and interest in sidetrips to Amish areas, etc. For someone very interested in the Civil War, I would suggest at least two days for the battlefield, which could include a guided tour of part or all of the major sites. This will give you plenty of time to see the visitor center exhibits, Lee's Headquarters, all the battlefield (including lots of time to walk around), the cemeteries, and perhaps East cavalry battlefield as well. Give another day to the town to see historic buildings and sites associated with Lincoln, and maybe do a little shopping (Graystone's American History bookstore is a great place to go). You may want another day to visit Eisenhower's home. For the average visitor, I think 2-3 days would be adequate with no less than one entire day devoted to the battlefield and visitor center (you can do it in less time but may not get as much out of the experience).

Things you may miss but shouldn't include: the area occupied by the 20th Maine (if you have seen the movie Gettysburg, you will remember it - park at the summit of Little Round Top and look for signs that take you back up into the woods a little) and Culp's Hill (an important but overlooked part of the battlefield - wooded, attractive drive and lots of monuments). My favorite times at the battlefield are either early in the morning or late in the evening when the crowds die down. Particularly at places like Little Roundtop, Devil's Den, and The Angle (spot of Pickett's Charge), early morning is fantastic - nice light, maybe a little atmospheric fog, and almost no other people. Make sure to walk around and look at lots of the monuments at The Angle and get a good understanding of what happened where.

For a "different" experience, try driving around the battlefield after dark. Roll your windows down and turn off the radio. Seminary Ridge and Little Round Top can be quite spooky.

If you are interested in learning more about it before the trip (not knowing your knowledge level of course), take a look at Shelby Foote's "Stars in Their Courses," a relatively brief and very readable account and watch or re-watch the movie "Gettysburg." James McPherson, one of the very best Civil War historians, recently wrote a short guide to the battlefield entitled "Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg," which I really like. You can get it new through Amazon for about $11 or buy used for as little as $6. There are several good books by William Frassanito that cover photography at Gettysburg and offer a great look at the current battlefield and how it relates to 1863. One thing to keep in mind is that the field was much more open back then so that the two sides had a much better view of the enemy than it might appear now. The NPS is working to restore some of that original appearance now by planting and cutting trees.

I haven't visited many of the smaller museums but am inclined to agree from what I do know that most aren't worth the time. Along with Dobbin House, the similar Farnsworth House Inn is very, very good for dining.

Assuming you aren't already well versed in the details of the battle, I'd suggest two very good books. The first is an excerpt from Shelby Foote's seminal 3-volume work on the Civil War called "Star's in their Courses." It covers the timing/people/places of the battle in great detail.

Equally compelling is the work of historical fiction written by Michael Shaara called "The Killer Angels."

How long to stay really depends on your level of interest in the battle or in something like photography as there are many interesting shots that can be had by hitting the early morning or early evening light.

Assuming you're not a history fanatic, two nights might be enough.

you can do boyds bear country, halloween tours, amish, hershey, you can (well at least could) take a tour of Three mile island, this might have changed since 9/11

You will probably gather that lodging is not the best. Hopefully a follow-up response will help with the name of the small motel just west of town.Be sure to hit the 2 NPS buildings.The Cyclorama building may be closed for renovations but be sure to visit the basement of the building that sells the Eisenhower tour tickets for amazing artifacts. Walk the National cemetery, climb the metal overlook tower and sit under a tree (away from the crowds)-I won't say it's haunted but your can really feel the history.Ask at the Dobbins House to see their small Underground Railroad exhibition. Try Lancaster for a day trip. Not relaxing but different. Take Rte 30 east. There is a visitor center just west of town. Rte 340 is quaint; Rte 30 is commercial.

If you run out of things to do and see in Gettysburg, you can head south towards Sharpsburg, MD and visit Antietam National Battlefield. Its about an hour away & definitely worth a visit. There is also some outlets in Gettysburg as well if you like to shop.

I highly recommend Battlefield Bed & Breakfast, a Civil War-era farm where they have daily presentations (weapons, uniforms and so forth) before breakfast. One night a local doctor came in his Union uniform, carrying a Civil War surgeon's bag, and talked about medicine of the day. I never had so much fun learning history. They have a great library of Civil War videos and books. Breakfasts are delicious, too. Their website: http://www.gettysburgbattlefield.com/

I second Battlefield Bed and Breakfast. There is a different topic each day - we had one on munitions and got to fire guns. There are 4 Union and 4 Confederate rooms, not far from town but you would have to drive, and the food was great. Also, check out the ranger programs. We went to one in the cemetery which was very good. We also had dinner at the Dobbins House which use to be a stop on the Underground Railroad. The bus tour was very informative, and then we hired a private guide to escort as he drove our car and explain everything in even more depth. Have a great time!

Historic Farnsworth House Inn is my favorite, also haunted, and has a good restaurant. Also the haunted walking tours are a lot of fun and don't forget to see the Jennie Wade house (the only civilian killed in the battle of Gettysburg). I would do 2-3 nights like mentioned above. Be sure to check out the visitors center, you can get audio tapes to play in your car and drive to the historic battlefields, and also the bus tour is good.