<p>On our way to visit DS, H and I will pass Gettysburg (7/6) and Lancaster (7/7). We plan to spend more than half day in each place. Any suggestions what we could do/visit in the limited time we are there? Would half day be enough to visit the battlefield at Gettysburg? There are many tours available at Lancaster. Would anyone recommend a particular one?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>We really enjoyed the ride in the buggy, driven by a teenage girl who actually did a great job as a tour guide and told us about many of the traditions. It was also cute to see the young men in their buggies with the multitudes of reflectors on them – flirting knows no bounds.</p>
<p>We have been to Lancaster/ Gettysburg twice as a family…love that area of the country! I would recommend visiting the Gettysburg battle site, even if you only have 1/2 a day. There is a fairly new museum there (which is wonderful), but it was when we walked around on the battlefield that we really felt history come alive. You can purchase (or maybe rent) a CD to play in your car as you drive from one part of the large battlefield to the next…it’s well worth the investment.</p>
<p>I would second what ararab suggested about the buggy rides…it’s a great way to see the countryside and get a feel for the Amish way of life. There is also a place called “The Amish Village” that we enjoyed visiting…have fun and be sure to try some shoo-fly pie!</p>
<p>I’d say half a day would be the bare minimum for the Gettysburg battlefield. You could easily spend more time, if you have it. The self-guided CD is very good, points out interesting anecdotes, etc. in addition to information related to the actual battle. We also found the ranger talk (remember, it is a National Park…) at the cemetery/site of Lincoln’s famous address to be quite memorable. I’d encourage you to allow enough time for it, as well. The Visitor’s Center will have times, etc. Be sure you get a ‘lay of the land’ at the VC before you strike out on your own. </p>
<p>Please choose a tour company that is respectful of the Amish culture in Lancaster. The locals have great respect for the Amish and value their contribution to the community and enjoy having them as neighbors, but there are those who put $$ ahead of respect, so be careful. It is very easy to get caught up in the tourist traps. There is also a self-guided tour CD that takes you out into the beautiful countryside/farmland. </p>
<p>Two things we enjoyed that may not be on your radar: the quilt museum in Intercourse (!) and the Ephrata Cloister.<br>
[Ephrata</a> Cloister, Ephrata, PA](<a href=“Page Not Found - Historic Ephrata Cloister”>http://www.ephratacloister.org/)<br>
[The</a> Quilt Museum at The Old Country Store - Home](<a href=“http://www.ocsquiltmuseum.com/]The”>http://www.ocsquiltmuseum.com/) </p>
<p>There are also some interesting historical sites in York County, located between Gettysburg and Lancaster, if you have extra time.</p>
<p>We hated the shoo-fly pie! So disgustingly sweet. LOVED the chicken corn soup, though! To each his own…</p>
<p>You might want to consider Lititz or Intercourse instead of Lancaster proper.</p>
<p>As for food, avoid scrapple at all costs. And the red beet eggs.</p>
<p>The new Gettysburg Visitor’s Center is great. I have been visiting for years (relatives who live there), and I got MUCH more out of touring the battlefield after going through the new visitor’s center. So I do recommend that. We enjoyed hiking up the trail on Big Round Top, too.</p>
<p>Can you recommend any places to stay or eat in or near Gettysburg?</p>
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<p>Why no scrapple 
I mean, I know what’s in it, but it still tastes good ~</p>
<p>Have you made reservations? Will you be staying in the eastern part of the county or in the city? If you are staying in town, I would suggest going to market early Saturday morning, maybe take a walking tour, and then take one of the tours in the eastern part of the county. I agree with rutgersmamma about being respectful of the Amish. </p>
<p>We have some great restaurants in town - and you can gorge yourself at market - but I would stay away from the smorgasbords. If you are staying here Friday night some of the possible places would be </p>
<p>Iron Hill
Cap and Cork (one of my favorites)
Belvedere
Fenz
Horse Inn </p>
<p>If you are arriving from Gettysburg - John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville. Sit outside on the lawn - actually we will probably be there!</p>
<p>We were just at Gettysburg last week. We spent at least six hours there (including the National Cemetary). The visitors center/museum was great. I would highly recommend it. I bought a (used) CD guided tour from Amazon. It was nice to be able to drive through in your own car at your own pace rather than riding the bus tour. It was less costly too. The downtown area of Gettysburg was bustling…lots of historic buidlings being used as shops/restaurants. Nice for strolling around. There are a lot of hotels and chain type restaurants on York Rd. That’s where we spent the night.</p>
<p>A friend recommended The Dobbins House for dinner but we were so tired by the end of the day, we just had fast food and vegged out at the hotel.</p>
<p>We did a battlefield bike tour with Gettysbike. It was fun, we saw all the highlights guided by a licensed battlefield guide (makes all the difference to have someone there to tell you what you are seeing), and it took about 3 hours.</p>
<p>Snowdog,
We are doing that in a couple of weeks with Gettysbike with 6 couples on our annual bike weekend. :)</p>
<p>I liked visiting Eisenhower’s house–if it’s still like when we were there, you can only do this by catching a bus at the Gettysburg battlefield park visitor’s center. I actually found it more interesting than most of the battlefield.</p>