Fun Things To Do In Gettysburg With Kids
When it comes to things to do in Gettysburg, PA, the first things to pop in your mind are all likely related to history and the Civil War. After all, this small Pennsylvania city was home to the 3-day battle that essentially led to the end of the Civil War. But, while the history is worth diving into, there are so many more things to do in Gettysburg especially if youre traveling with kids!
Family activities in Gettysburg range from the obvious historical attractions, like the battlefield and museums, to the unexpected and wacky like pig races and a candy shop with an elephant museum attached. And, of course, you cant forget the cat-soldiers!
Many of the exhibits and activities in the area are seasonal and closed during the cold, snowy winters, though several are open year-round. If youre traveling in the winter, just be sure to double-check the hours of your intended attractions.
Whether youre just passing through, spending the weekend, or spending the week Gettysburg with kids is a fun, memorable, and educational destination.
Museums In Gettysburg Pa
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A Must See For Families With Children
Wonderful house museum with lots of hands on activities for kids. It has several first hand accounts of children who lived in Gettysburg during the battle. Its very well done. A must see for families with kids! It just opened in Sept 2021 so not many reviews.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Hoosiernana7. We are glad to hear you had a memorable time visiting the Children of Gettysburg 1863, and we really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us!We work hard to meet expectations like yours, and we are happy to hear that your experience was special. We look forward to seeing you again.
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Retrace The Steps Of History On The Gettysburg Battlefield
Visiting the battlefield is a must when visiting Gettysburg. After all, the entire town is built around the history of this multi-day battle. The battlefield expands a few miles and can be explored via a self-guided car tour, by hiring a guide, or joining a bike, horseback, or Segway tour.
To go at your own pace, the self-guided car tour with audio is perfect. You can also download the Gettysburg Battle App on your smartphone.
The battlefield is extensive so if the little ones are easily bored, you can keep it to the main points of interest like Little Round Top, Devils Den, the High Waters Mark, and the Soldiers National Cemetary.
New Museum In Gettysburg Gives Kids A Glance To The Past
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GETTYSBURG, Pa. A new interactive adventure for young historians opens this weekend in Gettysburg.
The Gettysburg foundation is set to open “The Children of Gettysburg 1863” museum this Saturday at the former Rupp House History Center.
The new children’s museum will tell the stories of children, teens and young adults who lived in Gettysburg during and after the battle.
The museum is designed for children K-5, and takes families through interactive exhibits like Growing Up in Gettysburg, The Soldiers are Coming, Surviving the Battle and Remembering Gettysburg.
The museum’s manager says the location mixes history with fun hands-on activities for all kids to enjoy.
They try to “not make it too scary for our children that are going to come through here, but at least give them an understanding that this was rough,” said Museum Manager Bethany Yingling. “This was not something that was a happy experience for these kids, so we want to make it fun for our kids today.”
The museum is opening after a full interior renovation of the ground floor of the Rupp House, which previously showed visitors what civilian life was like during the battle.
The new adventure will open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting this Saturday. through Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. The museum will then reopen 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, from Friday, Nov. 26, through March 31, 2022.
Children of Gettysburg 1863 is currently free for children ages 12 and younger with a ticketed adult.
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Children Of Gettysburg 1863
Daily, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., April through mid-November Thursday through Sunday, Noon – 5 p.m., mid-November through March
The NEW interactive adventure for young historians.
Journey back to 1863 with your family in Gettysburgs most family-friendly childrens history museum.
The interactive adventure for young historians, Children of Gettysburg 1863 provides young visitors with a hands-on history experience in Gettysburg through the stories of the children, teens and young adults who lived here during and after the Battle of Gettysburg.
Designed for families and children , the interactive adventure takes families on a journey through galleries such as Growing Up in Gettysburg, The Soldiers are Coming, Surviving the Battle and Remembering Gettysburg. The interactive exhibits and experiences provide a history-based setting for creativity, discovery and learning.
Children of Gettysburg 1863 is currently free for children/youth ages 12 and younger with a ticketed adult. Adult tickets are available to purchase online at GettysburgFoundation.org, by calling 877-874-2478, at the ticket counter inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center and on-site at Children of Gettysburg 1863. Living history presentations are offered free of charge.
The National Constitution Center
A History Museum that Kids will Love!
There’s nothing more enjoyable for a kid than to have fun, and there’s nothing more enjoyable for a parent than to watch their kids learn, so why not accomplish these both at the National Constitution Center? This Philadelphia kid’s museum is America’s most interactive history museum. Your kids will have a blast, and learn without even realizing it!
Located only two blocks from the iconic Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center is devoted to the U.S. constitution and educating children about it. They offer a large number of exhibits and events, including Presidential Artifacts. Start planning your visit to the National Constitution Center today – you and your kids are sure to have a great time!
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Get Spooked On A Gettysburg Ghost Tour
It is no secret that Gettysburg is considered haunted, especially on the battlefield and some of the hotels and restaurants that were originally used as medical tents. You can learn more about these spooky spots and the ghosts that haunt them on any number of ghost tours.
A family ghost walking tour is available and appropriate for kids. While other ghost tours are later at night.
Many ghost tours are considered a family activity in Gettysburg but, of course, consider the comfort level of your child before joining.
Horseback Riding And Carriage Rides
You can bring your own horse and ride the National Park trails, or you can join one of the horse tours that are offered in the warmer seasons. There is a minimum age limit for horseback riding, usually around 10 years old. Carriage Rides are offered in warmer weather. Some will take you around historic downtown Gettysburg and others will go on a battlefield tour.
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Experience Farm Life At Fields Of Adventure
For a day of outdoor fun that doesnt involve history and monuments, take the scenic drive to Fields of Adventure. While some activities are seasonal, they range from a corn maze and pumpkin patch in the fall to an animal barnyard, climbing tires, sandbox, tractor ride, rubber duck races, and all kinds of other farm games for the family.
Throughout the year they also have special events, like pick-your-own-tulips, breakfast with the Easter bunny, a Fathers Day BBQ, and more. Be sure to check the calendar to see if anything is happening during your visit!
Get A Peek Into Civilian Life At The Jennie Wade House
Despite the high number of casualties for both the Union and Confederacy, only one civilian died during the entire battle. Jennie Wade was kneading dough when a bullet went through two doors and struck her. Today, you can visit her home which is authentically furnished for a peek into civilian life during the battle. Guided tours are led by actors in period attire for an interactive tour of the home.
Whether the focus is on the educational and historical aspects of Gettysburg or some good old-fashioned family fun, the things to do in Gettysburg with kids are endless!
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Your Kids Will Love Battlefield B& b
Our rescue horses love making new friends.
Book the best family vacation in Gettysburg, PA! We have two horses and lots of outdoor kitties we encourage all of our families with children to visit them while they are staying with us.
Your kids will love being outside at the inn. Sometimes kids find the best thing they did on their vacation was visit cats and horses and look for frogs. Your kids will not be bored at our inn. Come and have a fun getaway.
History Programs
Every morning you and your children are invited to our complimentary history program about the Civil War from one of our own Civil War Historians.
Family-Friendly Ghost Stories
Our in-house storyteller Lance Windish has created a special Gettysburg ghost-story time designed especially for young children. Lance has had extensive experience with children and will entertain and educate your children with his ghost stories without frightening your children. Please ask for the childrens ghost stories if this interests you. Tickets are $15 and Lance is available by request.
Delicious Breakfasts
We offer full, delicious breakfasts and we can accommodate special requests. Our daily sidebar has fresh fruit, home-made granola, Cherrios, and baked goods. We usually offer a daily savory or sweet entree. If none of these suit your children, please tell us what they like to eat.
Explore the battlefield.
Plenty of Space to Relax
Be A Kid In A Candy Shop At Mister Eds Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium
Like a kid in a candy shop isnt just a phrase when you visit Mister Eds! There are over 900 varieties of candy to choose from, with many varieties of homemade fudge and roasted peanuts, as well as old-time candy like pop rocks, root beer barrels, and wax bottles.
After you stock up on candy, head into the Elephant Museum where youll find over 12,000 elephants from circus souvenirs to toys.
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What Is There To Do
Explore & More is a super fun hands-on Children’s Museum that offers not only fun interactive exhibits, but exhibits dedicated to providing challenging & educational experiences to help kids grow and develop!
The museum was created by former pre-school teachers, so you know they have created their seven rooms filled with activities designed to be fun, and at the same time, to stimulate the cognitive, small motor, social, and creative development of young minds.
Love history? Of course you do, which is why the 1860’s vintage house is a super fun place to start that day of play, which was created for kids aged 3 to 8 years . Here, kids can play in a Civil War era house, and a general store, and experience what life would have been like in the 19th century!
Those creative kids in the family will love the Art Room, where they can just express themselves through art using a host of fun craft items provided by the museum, including feathers, pipe cleaners, glitter, glue and more!
Future engineers in the family will gravitate towards the Construction Zone, where the hard hat area allows them to use pulleys to hoist heavy loads, experiment with gears, and even seen how far a whisper can travel!
The Nature Area is fun for kids who love to explore all wildlife, and the Exploration Room brings science to life, complete with bubbles, magnets and more!
A day of fun and learning is waiting at Explore & More Children’s Museum, so we better get started!
The Children Of Gettysburg 1: A Sneak Peek At A New Museum
GETTYSBURG, Pa. The Gettysburg Foundations Rupp House History Center has always concentrated on the lives of civilians before, during and after the battle. After almost two decades of interactive, hands-on experience, the displays needed to be updated. At the same time, they realized they were underserving an important demographic.
There isnt a lot for kids to do here, Bethany Yingling of the Gettysburg Foundation said. Sometimes when we get phone calls, they say Im bringing my grandkids, what is there to do for kids? And our answer usually was Well, therere some museums, and some of them have a couple displays for kids, or the kids love going out on Devils Den and playing on the rocks. So we decided, lets make a museum about kids for kids.
The renovations are almost complete, and Bethany is the manager of the new museum.
The Children of Gettysburg 1863 Museum is an interactive experience for kids, where they get to learn the stories of six kids who actually lived here during the battle, she says. Its all hands-on, they can touch everything, play with everything, but learn what it was like to be a kid, from the experience of a kid.
Theres a problem here, which Yingling herself is quick to point out.
The option-cutouts with mirrors where the faces would be.
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Burn Off Some Energy On A Battlefield Hike
If the kids have some extra energy to burn off, there are also several family-friendly hikes in Gettysburg. You can even walk the same mile from Highwater Mark to the Virginia Memorial that the Confederate soldiers marched on July 3, 1863.
Other hikes include Cemetary Ridge North & South and the popular Big Round Top.
Why We Recommend This Kid Friendly Activity
Sumptuous food, handicrafts, and lively entertainment define this festival.
Merchandisers, manufacturers, hobbyists and artists converge to put color to this affair resulting in one of the biggest events in the state.
Every year, an average of seventy vendors and outfits meet here to showcase their products ranging from mouth-watering foods to rock climbing walls.
Spend a day in this affair and surround yourself with lots and lots of attractions for kids and things that are fun for teens as well.
Your kiddos will thank you big time for bringing them here.
Do you love steam engines, arts and crafts and vintage cars?
This is a perfect place for you.
Hundreds of vintage show-quality cars show up at the event every year.
This is your chance to show your appreciation for the things you love the most.
And ultimately, be prepared to taste a lot of apple-based recipes and cocktails you think wouldnt even be possible, but yeah, they exist!
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See The Cat Soldiers At Civil War Tails
Rebecca and Ruth Brown were just 11 years old when they began to make cat-soldiers out of molding clay. Now, there are over 8,000 furry soldiers depicting various battles throughout the Battle of Gettysburg.
Each diorama is made to scale, with each cat-soldier representing a real soldier, giving a true birds eye view of the battle.
While the soldiers certainly didnt have furry faces and tails, everything else about the exhibit is historically accurate, making this a fun way to teach kids about the battle.
Discover How Kids Lived During The Battle Of Gettysburg
The Shriver House Museum is one of the most popular museums in Gettysburg. Here youre transported back in time as you walk through the restored home of a Civil War soldier and his family.
During the guided tour, you see first-hand the living quarters of the family, including children Hattie and Mollie . You will also learn how almost all homes in town were taken over by soldiers, either to be used as hospitals or to house the soldiers, including the Shriver House.
While many other exhibits in Gettysburg focus on the soldiers, the Shriver House is the best glimpse into the life of the civilians.
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See How Potato Chips Are Made At Utz Potato Chips And Snacks
A tour of the UTZ potato chip factories is one of the best free things to do in Gettysburg. UTZ is a popular Pennsylvania chip and pretzel brand and on their UTZ Chip Trip Tour, you can see exactly why.
Youre guided step-by-step through the entire production process, learning about the ingredients used, and the history of this Pennsylvania icon, all while basking in the aroma of freshly made chips.
Just be prepared to buy a bag after, as youll certainly have a craving!
When Can We Go
10am – 5pm Monday to Saturday, in addition 12pm – 5pm Sundays from October to March
Closed Wednesdays from October to March, and closed Sundays from April to September. Also closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day & December 24 & 26
Other great things to do with kids near to
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