Gettysburg welcomes the world for America’s 250th

01/01/25

The story of America simply cannot be told without Gettysburg.

In 2026, this small, rural Pennsylvania town will join an elite group of historic destinations – Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., who will shine brightly in the world spotlight as America celebrates its 250-year anniversary.

Gettysburg was not just the site of an epic battle during America’s most trying times. The town was a symbol of unification as President Abraham Lincoln took the podium months later to deliver his short, but immortal “Gettysburg Address,” a speech remembered around the world.

It was that 10-sentence speech, just “a few appropriate remarks,” that reminded Americans what the nation’s forefathers envisioned “four score and seven years” earlier and urged the country to come together so that the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice on the farm fields of Gettysburg in July 1863 would not die in vain.

Today, millions of visitors from around the world walk the hallowed ground of the Gettysburg National Military Park – a 6,000-acre homage to the thousands of men, Union and Confederate, who never made it home. Hundreds of monuments and markers stand as tributes to the regiments who marched miles into battle, an event that unbeknownst to them, would change the course of the nation’s history.

The town and surrounding countryside are dotted with historic landmarks, war-ravaged homes, and farms that were once field hospitals for the more than 22,000 wounded in just three days of battle.

History, American history, is everywhere in this town, the place where America was saved.

Just 90 minutes north of Washington, D.C., and 2.5 hours from the nation’s birthplace of Philadelphia, Gettysburg will welcome visitors from around the world who will look to stand where history happened. Places like the Gettysburg battlefield, the national cemetery and the dozens of historic homes, museums and other heritage sites beckon visitors to not just learn about history, but to reflect on it – to learn from it.

Gettysburg will mark America’s 250th with a year-long commemoration, beginning in January 2026. Among its highlights will be special events and programs that bring to life not only the Civil War history, but that of its resident president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the acclaimed apple orchards that feed the country, and stories of Gettysburg’s townspeople whose actions both before, during and after the famous Civil War battle came to their doorstep.

Learn more about Gettysburg’s America 250^th commemoration by visiting DestinationGettysburg.com/America-250^th.

The efforts to commemorate America’s 250^th in Adams County, Pa., is led by a steering commission of eight organizations to engage the local community to honor the people and events that shaped our nation, to support initiatives that attract visitors, and to provide a lasting economic impact while preserving our local legacy for future generations.

For more information:

• MaryGrace Kauffman
• Phone: 717-338-3061
• E-mail: marygrace@destinationgettysburg.com