New Gettysburg Visitor Center and Museum

The new $130 million Gettysburg visitor center and museum opened on April 14, 2008. It's the centerpiece of Gettysburg National Military Park, offering guidance for understanding the 6,000 acres of battlefields with nearly 1,400 memorials. It displays more artifacts and is more interactive than the old museum was.

Buildings
The new building is designed to resemble a 19th century barn, so it will be less intrusive on Gettysburg's unique historical atmosphere. The new Gettysburg visitor center is located behind some other buildings on route 97 (Baltimore Pike), just south of town. If you're traveling south, it's located on the right.

The old visitors center will be demolished as part of battlefield restoration to restore the landscape as it appeared in 1861. I think battlefield restoration is a neat idea, but they need to add some animals. I would like to see some cows, sheep, and chickens on the farms.

Cyclorama
The famous 377 foot cylindrical painting of the "Battle of Gettysburg" that was created in 1884 will have a new home. The Gettysburg cyclorama has been undergoing restoration for the past 5 years and will be unveiled in September 2008. I remember seeing it for the first time on a 7th grade fieldtrip. I thought it was such a cool concept of painting in the round and couldn't fathom how the artist had been able to plan it. It was like the Sistine Chapel to me!

Movies
The new Gettysburg visitor center and museum features a three minute orientation video near the entrance that gives an overview of Gettysburg and offers advice on how to plan your schedule. You can also buy tickets to "A New Birth of Freedom," a 22 minute film focusing on the battle events.

Word of Caution
If you're visiting during a weekday, especially in spring, be prepared to run into large groups of students on fieldtrips. This advice goes for all of the historical sites and food courts in Gettysburg.