As seen in the 2026 Destination Gettysburg Getaway Guide

Family-Friendly Historic Getaways for America’s 250th

Within a few hours’ drive, families can turn a Gettysburg visit into a road trip filled with places where kids can walk, climb, imagine, and ask questions as highlights of American history come to life.

In Philadelphia, families can stroll the same streets as the Founding Fathers, explore interactive museums, and discover how big ideas were born in small rooms.

Washington, D.C.. invites kids to connect the dots between history and today through hands-on museums, open-air monuments, and wide green spaces made for exploring.

Baltimore,  blends harbor views with stories of resilience.

Antietam offers wide-open fields perfect for slowing down and helping young visitors understand the cost of conflict.

At Harpers Ferry, steep streets, rivers, and trails turn history into an adventure, showing how events before the Civil War helped lead to Gettysburg.

Nearby Frederick offers a gentler pace, with walkable streets, bridges, and waterways where families can relax and recharge. Each destination feels different, but all are connected by a shared history. Together, they turn a Gettysburg trip into a family journey through America’s past, one stop at a time.bi

Gettysburg + Frederick (2 Days)

Day 1: Gettysburg
Explore the battlefield in ways kids enjoy—drive the park roads, stop at monuments, climb overlooks, walk short trails, and join ranger-led programs that make history approachable and engaging.

Day 2: Frederick, Maryland
Spend the day in Frederick, where historic streets, Civil War stories, bridges, and Carroll Creek create an easygoing environment for families to explore together.

Gettysburg + Antietam (2 Days)

Day 1: Gettysburg National Military Park
Tour key battlefield sites, walk open fields, and visit Soldiers’ National Cemetery, helping kids understand why Gettysburg mattered, and still does.

Day 2: Antietam National Battlefield
Visit Antietam’s wide, quiet landscape, where families can walk, reflect, and learn about the war’s bloodiest day, comparing it to Gettysburg’s three days of conflict.

Gettysburg + Harpers Ferry (2 Days)

Day 1: Gettysburg
Begin where the Civil War reached its turning point, exploring the battlefield and learning how Gettysburg shaped the nation’s future.

Day 2: Harpers Ferry
Head south to Harpers Ferry, where rivers, trails, and historic streets help kids grasp how events before the war—like John Brown’s raid—helped lead to Gettysburg.

Gettysburg + Philadelphia (Long Weekend)

Day 1: Gettysburg
Explore the battlefield and discover colonial and Civil War stories at the Adams County Historical Society’s Beyond the Battle Museum, then walk through historic Lincoln Square.

Day 2: Philadelphia
Dive into the story of our nation’s founding told during the peak of America’s 250^th, through walkable neighborhoods, iconic sites, and museums designed for the commemoration to engage visitors of all ages.

Gettysburg, Frederick & Washington, D.C. (3 Days)

Day 1: Gettysburg
Kick off your adventure where history feels big and bold. Drive along the battlefield roads, climb hills with sweeping views, spot monuments like landmarks on a treasure hunt, and stand where stories still echo across the fields.

Day 2: Frederick
Slow things down in Frederick, where kids can hop bridges, follow the creek, duck into museums, and discover how a real town grew up alongside American history.

Day 3: Washington, D.C.
Wrap up your trip in Washington, D.C., where larger-than-life landmarks help tie together the places and stories you and your kids have explored along the way.

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