Article and photos by: Steve Blume, Tiffin Ambassador
Sometimes the best adventures aren’t planned months in advance—they just happen. That’s how my wife Nancy and I ended up in Gettysburg. We had a four-day gap between the Hershey RV Show in Pennsylvania and our state Tiffin Allegro Club rally down in Natural Bridge, Virginia. When I looked at the map, there stood between the two the place that had been on my all-time bucket list for years: Gettysburg. It felt almost providential.
Interestingly, that’s not so different from how the Battle of Gettysburg itself came about. Neither army set out with a plan to fight here. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was pushing north into Pennsylvania, hoping for a decisive blow on Union soil. The Union Army of the Potomac was shadowing him. And on July 1, 1863, their paths collided in this small town in rural Pennsylvania. What followed over the next three days would become the most significant and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil.
For three days—July 1 to July 3, 1863—Gettysburg became the focal point of the Civil War. Nearly 165,000 soldiers converged almost by accident: about 93,000 Union troops from the Army of the Potomac and 71,000 Confederates from Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
The result was staggering. By the time the smoke cleared, some 51,000 men were dead, wounded, captured, or missing. Lee had hoped a victory on Union ground might turn the tide—possibly even convincing foreign nations to recognize the Confederacy. Instead, he was forced to retreat back into Virginia, his momentum broken.
Some visitors come with a head full of maps and names of regiments; others arrive simply remembering there was “a battle here.” That’s the beauty of Gettysburg—it doesn’t matter what you bring with you. The battlefield meets you where you are.
The battlefield today covers nearly 6,000 acres, preserved as Gettysburg National Military Park. It feels endless, a patchwork of rolling farmland, rocky ridges, and winding country roads.
Everywhere you look, history is marked. More than 1,300 monuments, markers, and memorials stand across the fields and hillsides, each telling a story of a regiment, a commander, or a state that sent its sons here.
Familiar names leap off the map: Cemetery Hill, Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, Seminary Ridge, and Cemetery Ridge—the lines that faced each other across a deadly mile during Pickett’s Charge.
The Visitor Center is the best place to start. Inside, you’ll find artifacts from the battle and the stunning Cyclorama painting, a 377-foot-long, 42-foot-high work that immerses you in the final moments of Pickett’s Charge. It’s also where you can hire a licensed guide, join ranger programs, or pick up the audio tour map.
We arrived in Gettysburg in the afternoon and did just that—headed straight for the Visitor Center. After touring the museum and Cyclorama, we picked up the self-guided auto tour map and planned our route for the next morning.
The campground where we were staying—Gettysburg Campground—was only a mile from Stop 1 on the tour. That made it easy for me to start the day in my favorite way: with a morning walk. I set out early, as the first light touched the fields—before the cars, before the visitors—just me, the quiet road, and the sun lifting over McPherson Ridge.
I had to stop more than once. A stone wall marked the first field beside me—and a sign telling of 900 Confederate soldiers who lost their lives here in just ten minutes of charging. Reading that, standing in the silence, gave me chills.
One of the best surprises is that the battlefield itself is entirely free. The auto tour, the roads, the monuments—it’s all open without charge. The only fees are at the Visitor Center for the museum and Cyclorama, and both are worth every penny.
Gettysburg today is both peaceful and haunting. Rolling farmland stretches in every direction, dotted with stone walls, old barns, and white farmhouses that look much as they did in the 1860s.
Some places feel almost frozen in time:
Devil’s Den – A jumble of boulders where sharpshooters once hid. Standing at one, I found a marker with a wartime photo of a fallen soldier lying behind stones stacked for cover. Looking down at the same gap was haunting—the boulder hadn’t changed, the memory still lingered.
Big Round Top – Nancy and I climbed the wooded trail to its summit, where rock fortifications remain. I imagined soldiers dragging rifles uphill, under fire, stacking rocks for protection. My short hike left me winded. Their climb must have been unthinkable.
Pickett’s Charge – From the Virginia Memorial, I looked across the mile-wide field where 12,500 Confederates marched into devastating Union fire. Later, I stood at The Angle, where Union soldiers held the line. A marker shows veterans of both sides shaking hands across the wall in 1938. That moment—clash followed by reconciliation—hit me hard.
Scattered around the battlefield are several observation towers. It’s a lot of steps to climb, but the views are sweeping. From above, the ridges, valleys, and fields fall into place, and you finally see why the high ground meant everything.
The battlefield may be the main draw, but the town of Gettysburg has its own stories to tell. On the square, the Wills House still stands—a modest brick home where Abraham Lincoln spent the night before giving his address. Walking into the room where he refined those 272 words is humbling.
Just down the street, the Dobbin House Tavern takes you back even further. Built in 1776, its candlelit dining rooms, stone fireplaces, and hearty fare make it easy to imagine travelers pausing here long before the armies ever marched through town. A few blocks away, the Farnsworth House Inn bears more than a hundred bullet scars from the battle—its very walls a reminder of the fighting that raged through the streets.
Baltimore Street and Steinwehr Avenue buzz with a friendlier energy today. Cafés, bakeries, and ice cream shops welcome visitors, while in the evenings, lantern-lit ghost tours lead groups through alleyways and graveyards. Whether you believe in spirits or not, walking the town at night gives you a sense that the past is never far away.
Just beyond the battlefield lies another layer of history. The Eisenhower National Historic Site, once the farm and retirement home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, offers a surprising change of pace. Standing on the porch where Ike entertained world leaders is a reminder that Gettysburg continued to shape American leadership long after 1863.
Drive a few minutes into Adams County apple country, and you’ll trade cannon fire for orchard rows. Farm markets brim with cider and pies, wineries welcome you to linger, and in autumn, the hills blaze with color. It’s a reminder that this land is as much about living as it is about remembering.
Smaller museums add texture to the story. At the Seminary Ridge Museum, you walk through the halls where the first day’s battle began and explore how faith guided the town. The Shriver House Museum places you in the shoes of civilians caught in the crossfire, their homes turned into sniper posts and hospitals.
If your trip allows, Gettysburg makes a perfect base for day trips: Antietam in Maryland, where another pivotal Civil War battle unfolded; Hershey, with its sweet chocolate heritage; and the horse-drawn buggies of Lancaster’s Amish Country.
Gettysburg is wonderfully accessible for RV travelers. The town sits just off U.S. Route 15 in southern Pennsylvania, less than two hours from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.
Several campgrounds make it easy to stay close. Gettysburg Campground, tucked along Marsh Creek, is less than a mile from Stop 1 on the auto tour. Artillery Ridge, right beside the battlefield, adds Civil War–themed touches and horse trails. For a resort-style stay, Granite Hill Camping Resort offers wide sites and extra amenities.
The Visitor Center features a dedicated bus and RV lot, making it a convenient place to park your Tiffin and unhook your tow vehicle before embarking on the tour.
Plan on at least two full days—three if you’d like to see beyond the battlefield. Each season has its charms: spring blossoms, lively summer reenactments, autumn foliage and apple harvests, and quiet, reflective winters when the fields are nearly empty.
Again and again, Gettysburg came down to high ground. On Little Round Top, Cemetery Hill, and Culp’s Hill, Union soldiers clung to the ridges. Across the valley, Confederates lined Seminary Ridge. Whoever held the high ground had the advantage. Whoever tried to take it often paid with their lives.
That struck me deeply: sometimes the difference between survival and disaster comes down to where you stand—and whether you hold your ground.
My chance stop at Gettysburg echoed the unexpected clash that brought two armies here. Neither Lee nor Meade intended to fight in this town, but fate—or Providence—had other plans.
Standing on those ridges, I felt both awe and gratitude: awe at the scale of what happened here, and gratitude that it has been preserved for us to learn from.
Gettysburg wasn’t on our itinerary, but it became the highlight of our trip. Like the battle itself, our visit wasn’t planned—it just happened. Sometimes those unplanned stops are the ones that stay with you the longest.
For RVers, Gettysburg is the perfect blend of accessibility, history, and beauty. You can camp within minutes of the battlefield, explore ridges and valleys by day, walk the town by evening, and reflect at night.
In the end, Gettysburg is more than a battlefield. It’s a reminder of sacrifice, of courage, of holding the high ground when it mattered most. Lincoln’s words still echo here: “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
If you’re mapping out your next RV adventure, leave room for Gettysburg. Drive the auto tour. Hire a guide. Climb the towers. Walk the fields. Stand on the high ground. You’ll carry home more than photos—you’ll carry perspective.
Steve first lives it, then colorfully writes about it, especially his passion for the RV lifestyle. A retired entrepreneur, he and his wife spend half the year traveling the country in their Tiffin Allegro RED 38 KA and the other half at home in Brentwood, TN with family. Married for almost 50 years, once you meet them he and Nancy are easily remembered – he is 6’4″ and she is 4’7″. His articles on business, personal development, faith, fundraising and running have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines over the years.
