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Rich with history and the site of many festivals and family activities, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is the perfect place for a vacation. And with so many campgrounds to choose from, Gettysburg is the perfect location for a family camping trip. Don’t miss the Apple festival in October, about 20 minutes North of town.  Be sure to make your reservations early, however, as the campgrounds all fill up quickly.

Just a few hours west of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly love, is the site where brothers died in arms against one another in the single bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania marked a turning point in the Civil War, where over 51,000 men lost their lives in three short days in July of 1863, and where Abraham Lincoln later delivered the Gettysburg address.  

General Robert E. Lee, emboldened by his numerous victories, planned a confrontation and victory within the northern states in order to force Lincoln to procure a peace agreement between the North and the South, thus ending the war. Often referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy,” the northward advance of Lee and his 75,000 troops into Pennsylvania was quickly halted when Lee discovered that he was being pursued by 95,000 troops of the Union Army, commanded by General George Meade.

Named in the 1700’s for a tavern owned by Samuel Gettys, Gettysburg just happened to stand between the two armies.  General Lee successfully prevented the northward advance of the Southern troops, but with a very high cost of human lives from both armies.  Now the site of Gettysburg National Military Park, acres of rolling hills are marked with plaques retelling the story of the confrontation and battle. History enthusiasts can spend hours touring the numerous museums, while people of all ages will enjoy the reenactments and tours dedicated to teaching visitors the story of these brave men.

Gettysburg has several campgrounds to choose from, and we have personally stayed in several of them. The area is fairly “hilly,” and we have had a lot of adventures in leveling our campers when visiting Gettysburg. So if you want a nice, level site, make sure to discuss it with the park when making a reservation. Another word of note: the campgrounds on Route 15 may have a lot of road noise. I have written up the campgrounds we have visited. Scroll down for the area map:

Round Top Campground: (A)This is on the southern side of Gettysburg and is easily accessible to travelers, as it sits right on Route 15. The shoppers in the family will appreciate that the Gettysburg Outlet Mall is just a couple of miles to the north. The National Park and town of Gettysburg are just a couple of miles from the campground.

The sites are not the most level, but the bathroom facilities have been spotless each time we have stayed there. They have an ice cream and snack hut next to the Olympic-sized swimming pool. This is one of the few campgrounds in the area that is open “off season,” and where we went during one Ski Liberty weekend. There are a lot of permanent sites that are well maintained and mostly kept in one section of the campground.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania KOA (D) This campground, which won KOA campground of the year in 2003, is a little off the beaten path; a few miles down a winding and wooded country road and across a small bridge. The campground is smaller than some of the others in the area, and the heavy natural woods offer a quiet, serene respite after a day of sightseeing. Some friends of ours swear they experienced a supernatural encounter here, but I don’t think ghost sightings are included in the price of stay. The sights are a little cramped, but more private than some of the other campgrounds offerings in the area.

Drummer Boy Camping Resort‎‎:(C) This is a huge campground we have stayed at several times. The recent addition of a new water park and a very nice pull-through area makes it more of a “destination resort.” The new sites are easy to get in and out of, and are wide, level, and graveled. The older, front section of the campground has shaded sites and a well-stocked store with putt-putt golf. We have used the bath houses when camping without a full hook-up, and they are very clean and well-maintained 

This campground is close to Route 15, so if you are in a pop-up or tent, you may want to bring a fan to drown the road noise.

Gettysburg Campground(B)

Artillery Ridge Campground(E) We haven’t stayed here, but have driven by several times on our way to town. This campground is worth mentioning because it has a stable on-site that offers horseback rides through the battlefields.

Gettysburg Battlefield Resort: I think this is more of “condo” type-ownership campground like NACO/Thousand Trails. If you are thinking about buying into one of these, you can stay here for free for a weekend if you don’t mind the sales pitch.

Granite Hill Campground(G)