Mar 17 2009
Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour
Because we were planning to be in Gettysburg on Christmas Day, one of the few days each year when the visitor center is closed, we purchased a copy of the CD Audio Tour before we left on our trip. This ended up being a good move, because it allowed me to put it on my MP3 player as a backup. For some reason, the audio tour (and later, the audio tour at Valley Forge) would not play on our car CD player.
The audio tour itself is on two CD’s, and guides you along the driving tour of the battlefield, telling you when to stop and listen to the history lesson being presented. It begins at the visitor center, and although the visitor center has been relocated from its old site, the directions work from either site.
We completed the tour in about 90 minutes. It could have taken much longer if 1) it had been a busier time of year with more traffic in town and in the battlefield areas, 2) we had taken one of the optional segments of the tour, and 3) we would have gotten out of the car and looked around more. With four little kids in the car, we were looking for a balance between learning something and hitting their breaking point.
There were a few turns that were confusing; we never did see exactly where the Peach Grove was because it seemed that we had passed it before the tour told us about it. Otherwise, the tour was interesting, providing some background to what we were seeing as we drove through the area. It helped that we had printed out a map from the National Park Service website before we left since we did the driving tour before going to the visitor center.
Doing the tour after the visitor center might have made more sense, but that combination didn’t fit into our time constraints.
Overall, the money spent on the audio tour CD was well worth it. It provided background and insight into the Gettysburg battlefield and ensured that we didn’t miss any of the highlights. Even with young kids in the car, it moved along quickly enough that they didn’t mind it, and they liked looking for the next stops along the route.
The day I went to Gettysburg it was pouring rain so I barely got out of the car. I have to go back again. I will remember to get the audio tour! thanks!
Sharlene’s last blog post..Tucson Part 3- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
[...] tour, so if you can manage to stop at the visitor center to pick up the books before you do the driving tour, the kids will have activities to complete along the [...]