East Coast Family Reunion - Day 26 - July 2, 2021

Slept in again today a little. Breakfast in the RV then on to the Gettysburg National Battlefield Visitors Center about 2 miles away.

This is the 4^th time we have been here and every time we come back something seems to have changed. For the better. Not the history thankfully, but how it is presented and the accommodations for the many visitors that come here each year.  According to park information, 3 million people visit the park each year.  The visitors center is the place to start the visit.  There are lots of staff and volunteers, an information center, a place to buy tickets to various attractions in the park, an eating/snack bar (the restaurant is still closed due to COVID restrictions) and of course, a bookstore and gift shop.

Parking is not really an issue as they have at least three lots with free, regular shuttle service to/from the visitors center.  Here is a little background about the development of the Gettysburg Battlefield:

Gettysburg Battlefield - Wikipedia

Our first stop was the Gettysburg Cyclorama.  The Cyclorama is a 360 degree painting of the Gettsyburg battle created in 1884.  It is an amazing creation.

The painting is the work of French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. It depicts Pickett's Charge, the failed infantry assault that was the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. The painting is a cyclorama, a type of 360° cylindrical painting. The intended effect is to immerse the viewer in the scene being depicted, often with the addition of foreground models and life-sized replicas to enhance the illusion. Among the sites documented in the painting are Cemetery Ridge, the Angle, and the "High-water mark of the Confederacy". The completed original painting was 22 feet high and 279 feet ) in circumference. The version that hangs in Gettysburg, a recent (2005) restoration of the version created for Boston is 42 feet high and 377 feet in circumference. Here is some additional information about the cyclorama:

Gettysburg Cyclorama - Wikipedia

Shows are every 15 minutes and are 45 minutes long.  You start in a IMAX type theater and see a very well done overview off the battle, with background leading up to the war and the Gettysburg battle, a recap of the battle from July 1-3, 1863, and the aftermath following the battle and the Civil War.  It is narrated by Morgan Freeman is very well done.

After the movie, you move upstairs to the cyclorama. It has been restored and enhanced with audio, lighting effects, foreground props, sound effects and a narration.  It is a  spectacular presentation.  We had previously seen it in its old location, but it was nothing like this.

After the cyclorama, we had lunch at the snack bar then toured the Gettysburg Museum attached to the visitors center.  It is very extensive, very well done and displays many original artifacts form the battle and the era.  There is also many audio visual displays as you travel through the museum. 

At the bookstore there was a relatively famous actor and author, Steven Lang, who has played many roles in Civil Ward movies signing books he has authored.  I passed on buying his book or getting a $37.00 Gettysburg tee shirt at the gift shop. 

All this was a pretty full day for us.  It was back to the RV in late afternoon and dinner in the RV and early to bed.  Tomorrow is our self-guided battleground tour – a 24- mile circuit of the battlefield with 15 stops along the way.

Gettysburg VisitorCenter Pictures