Gettysburg's new visitors center

The new visitors’ center at Gettysburg National Military Park opened in April and I just had an opportunity to explore it.

It is about a ¾ of a mile hike from the old center but there is a nice level walking trail. There’s a fair amount parking around the facility but I’ve heard from the locals that they are still sorting out the details.

My group was vehicle less so we hoofed it from the McDonald’s on Steinwehr. A leisurely stroll took us behind the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge, past General Meade’s headquarters and lasted about 15 minutes.

The new museum offers plenty of interactive displays and does a wonderful job of describing and interpreting the battle of Gettysburg. However in my opinion the new electronic multimedia presentation was lacking in detail, too broad and tried to cover many years of history in 40 minutes.

I hope that the National Park Service will find a home for the old electronic map (50’s-60’s technology) and make it available to students & visitors.

It is still worth the visit plus if time & budget permits hire a licensed battlefield guide for a narrated tour of the battlefield.

For more information visit http://www.nps.gov/gett.