This is a guest post, written by my 10 year old daughter, with her thoughts about visiting Gettysburg and our Battlefield Tour. So if you are wondering what kids think about Gettysburg, read on and I hope you leave her some positive feedback in the comments! This post is the first of a new series called “Kid’s Turn,” where we get the kid’s point of view about our travel experiences.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a soldier or a citizen of a town made into a battlefield? Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did the generals have such complex battle plans?” or “What were the townspeople thinking when the Confederates started invading?”
I asked myself those questions over and over when we were driving through the Gettysburg Battlefield on the way to the Gettysburg Visitor’s Center to see the museum and the Cyclorama.
When we arrived at the Visitor Center we first saw a movie about the Civil War that was an introduction to the Cyclorama. The Cyclorama is a 365-foot long painting of Pickett’s Charge by Paul Phillipoteaux. Phillipoteaux painted himself in the painting as a soldier leaning on a sword under a tree. After that, we walked around the museum and watched some informational videos.
After our trip to the Visitor’s Center, we went on a Battlefield Tour with a licensed Battlefield guide. This is some of what we learned:
- If a monument was facing north, the regiment/general was facing north
- Little Round Top is way too windy
- One of the Rhode Island cannons still has a stubborn cannonball stuck in it
- Rhode Island troops helped a lot by stopping the Confederates from gaining the high ground
- You should NOT go to the top of the Pennsylvania Monument on a windy day (Really, Don’t.)
- You shouldn’t go to Devil’s Den if you are worried your kid will fall into a deep crack between rocks
I think even if you have a kid that loves video games and hates history, they’ll still love the Battlefield tour if you go with a guide.
I loved our visit to Gettysburg because I’m very interested in history and the Civil War. It was an amazing experience. If you like the Battlefield tour, consider visiting the Shriver House. Your guide will tell you a tale of a family who lived in Gettysburg until the battle. I loved that almost as much as the Battlefield tour, but the Battlefield tour was longer so we learned more. Both tours were fun and informational at the same time so everyone in your family will love it.
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