Gettysburg Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Tour

Gettysburg Heritage Center

A visit to the Gettysburg Battlefield is not complete without stopping at the Gettysburg Heritage Center Museum. The tour begins at either the Heritage Center or the National Park Visitor Center. If you’re not at either location yet, head over now. From there, we’ll follow the official Auto Tour route. Note: This 20+ mile long tour covers the essentials of the Gettysburg Battlefield in 2-4 hours.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As we continue driving, dawn breaks on the first day of battle. At McPherson's Ridge, Union and Confederate armies clash and generals on both sides order their regiments into place. We'll be able to imagine the movements of the battle as we look out over the ridge.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Our drive takes us over the Railway Cut, where we'll explore the different battle strategies of the generals on both sides of the fight. This was the unlikely site of a major skirmish during the first day. We'll continue forward, diving into the backstories of some of the key battlefield players.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Eternal Light Peace Memorial

As we drive, we'll pass the first of many memorials at Gettysburg - the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. This memorial commemorates the reunification of the United States. Maine granite forms the base, while Alabama limestone forms the pillar -- a symbolic unification of north and south.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll continue driving along the Gettysburg Auto Road. Our next stop is at the Oak Ridge Observation Tower. Here we'll be able to jump back to that first day of battle -- but by now, it's the afternoon. We'll "join" the fight as Union soldiers try to keep the Confederacy at bay. The top of this tower is a great place to get panoramic views of the historic fields that once saw so much violence and bloodshed.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll continue driving, following the progress of the first day of battle as we follow the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Road. Though we'll pass several more memorials, one in particular stands out: the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument. There’s a dog sculpted on the other side of the statue’s base. That’s Battlefield Sallie! She served as a mascot of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, and accompanied these Union soldiers for most of the Civil War. We'll drive past Sallie and learn a little about the importance of drummers and military music during the war.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

Our journey continues along the Gettysburg Auto Road as evening descends on the first day of battle. Union soldiers have paid heavily and lost ground. Is there any hope of success? We'll explore the various plans and strategies the generals come up with as they bunker down after the first day.

• Admission Ticket Free

Our drive takes us past the North Carolina Memorial and Virginia Monument.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll continue driving along the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Road. The infamous Pickett's Charge on Day 3 began at this stop, but we'll save that story for a little later on the tour. Instead, we'll now enter the second day of battle. Troops on both sides have begun to organize and mobilize. Whose strategy will finally succeed?

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Our drive takes us past the Longstreet Observation Tower, which offers a great vantage point over the second day's battlefield.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Eisenhower National Historic Site

Here we can take an optional detour off of the Gettysburg Auto Road to visit the Eisenhower National Historic Site, which overlooks the battlefield. President Eisenhower often stayed here.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We're back on the Gettysburg Road, following the activities of Day 2 of the battle. Confederate troops assemble here, ready to attack one of the strategic Union outposts. Specially trained Union marksmen are in a position to defend. The stage is set...

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Little Round Top

Due to ongoing construction work, Little Round Top is currently inaccessible to visitors. However, you don’t have to miss out on this historic site's fascinating stories and sights. With our tour, you can still listen to the narrations and view the pictures of the battle that took place at Little Round Top. You will learn about the brave soldiers who fought and died there, the strategic importance of the hill, and the heroic actions that changed the war's course. Our tour will give you a vivid sense of what it was like to be at Little Round Top, even though you can’t see it in person.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Here, Confederate sharpshooters set up positions among the volcanic rocks. From the safety of the rocky cover at Devil's Den, they’re able to pick off soldier after soldier on the Union side.

• Admission Ticket Free

We continue driving along the Gettysburg Auto Road, passing the Wheat Fields. This area represented the second major skirmish site on Day 2. We'll find ourselves in the heat of battle, fighting alongside Union soldiers to defend against the Confederates. We'll also learn about the strange tale of Union soldier JJ Purman.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Our drives takes us past the Peach Orchard, where the battles of the second day continued. We'll start seeing which strategies were successful and which were not as we drive past.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll continue past the Trostle farm. When fighting broke out in Gettysburg, the Trostle family fled their home. They left so abruptly that dinner was still on the table!

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Our journey along the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Road now takes us to Plum Run, where we catch up with the soldiers who just escaped the skirmish at the Peach Orchard.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll continue towards the George Weikert Farm. Like the Trostles, the Weikert's hastily evacuated when the battle erupted. But they returned to a grislier scene -- their farm had been converted into a battlefield hospital. As we drive, we'll learn a little about military doctors and the effects of war.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

State of Pennsylvania Monument

Our path brings us to the Pennsylvania Memorial. This monument commemorates the nearly 35,000 Pennsylvanian soldiers who fought in this battle. While the stakes were high for everyone, they were particularly intense for these men of Pennsylvania: they weren’t fighting for an abstract idea, they were fighting for their very state.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Gettysburg Auto Road brings us deeper into the Gettysburg woods, where we'll come across Spangler's Spring. We'll dive into the significance of this small but mighty site and then continue forward to Culp's Hill Tower. Here, Union and Confederate soldiers clashed again, fighting for control of this strategic outpost. Luckily for the Union, they are able to defend the hill until evening finally descended.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We continue the driving tour to East Cemetery Hill. Night has fallen across the battlefield, and ordinarily this would mean an end to the fighting. But the Confederate failure to fully capture Culp’s Hill bothers them, so they try a nighttime raid. This was the moment the Union came closest to losing. Through a mixture of perseverance, skill, and luck, the Union prevailed. Once we explore this historic site and understand what was at stake, we'll continue driving. Day 2 has come to a close; the third and final day of battle is ahead.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Gettysburg National Military Park

The Battle of Gettysburg, a pivotal moment in the American Civil War, marked a significant turning point as it concluded General Robert E. Lee's audacious second invasion of the North. Often described as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion," this harrowing conflict stands out not only as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War but also as the source of inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's iconic and immortal "Gettysburg Address," a speech that would resonate through history and remind the nation of its enduring commitment to liberty and unity.

10 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The third day dawns, and the Union and Confederate troops prepare for a final, epic battle. This is the infamous Pickett's Charge by the Confederates. We'll stand at the top of the hill, looking down at the empty expanse of the final battlefield. As we follow the progress of this last charge, we'll take a look at the "high water mark" -- the spot that marks the farthest the Confederacy advanced up the hill, towards the Union defenses.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

We'll follow the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Road to the final stop: the National Cemetery. Here we visit and honor the graves of the fallen Union soldiers who defended their country and morals.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

This is also the site of President Abraham Lincoln's famed Gettysburg Address. Given the monumental nature of the battle, most people expected President Lincoln to deliver quite a lengthy speech. But Lincoln didn’t want to steal attention that he believed belonged to the Union soldiers who sacrificed their lives here. Our tour officially ends at this final, poignant stop.

• Admission Ticket Free