History Trippin' 

On April 14^th when Gettysburg's new Visitor's Center opened, we were there.  It was our first trip to Gettysburg and it was truly memorable.  Before we went, since we had not yet reached the Civil War in our studies, we read a little about what happened there.  I gave the boys the usual background and explained the importance of that particular battle.  Then we read an account by Tillie Pierce, an eyewitness to the events on those first few days of July in 1863.  It was chilling, especially for the boys, considering she was school-aged when she witnessed what she did.  At one point they asked me to stop reading because they were so horrified, but we managed to make it through her story.  It brought life to the things that we would see later that day. 

The visitor's center not only looks great on the outside, but the artifacts and the way they are presented are phenomenal!  The galleries are filled with shorter films in mini-theaters, all carefully structured to draw the viewer through "a narrative" presentation of the war, its causes and its aftermath.  It's presented in the order of the Gettysburg Address, and you'll see parts of the speech as headers leading you through the different areas.  The whole experience is so well organized that even kindergarteners will understand and appreciate what they're seeing.  We were very impressed. 

After touring the visitor's center, stop by the gift shop and pick up the Gettysburg Expedition Guide made by Travel Brains.  The CD guides you on an auto tour through the battlefield giving information about what you're seeing and suggesting places to stop along the way.  You also get a guidebook and a CD ROM with animated battle maps, virtual tours, movies, games and more.  It's $30, but worth it. 

Our favorite memory along the way was stopping at Little Round Top.  The movies at the visitor's center had given the boys a good idea of how important that location had been and had taught them about Pickett's Charge.  As we stood on top of the actual mound, looking down at "Devil's Den", I told the boys to try to imagine what it would be like to charge up that hill with the enemy blazing down on you from the top.  Even better, they could crawl around the massive rocks at the top of the hill and pretend they were taking part in Pickett's Charge.  The abstract became real for them.  They "got it".  They even asked if we could go back the next day.  So if you go, don't miss Little Round Top.  Get out of the car and walk around.  It's worth it, for the young and the old.

Recommended Reading (for older student and parents):
One of the best books I've ever read is Pulitzer Prize winner The Killer Angels

Amazon review:  This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3, 1863. Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages.