The Paved Frontier

If you follow us at all on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed we took Big Lou on his first trip to Gettysburg National Military Park and Philadelphia, PA over Memorial Day weekend.  It was tiring and hot (really only 80 degrees with very little humidity, but when it was in the 60’s just earlier that week- boy were we melting!).  But as a history buff, it was a great weekend seeing things I’ve never seen before!  And Memorial Day is a perfect day to see the famous battlefield of Gettysburg and hear the amazing stories of valor and sacrifice during the Civil War; as well as witnessing the birthplace of liberty in Philadelphia.

Here are my best recommendations and what I think you should avoid if you go up to Gettysburg and/or Philadelphia.

Gettysburg-

AMAZING!!!! I have no complaints at all about Gettysburg National Military Park– except that I wish I had more time there (I didn’t get a chance to really tour the museum or explore the battlefields/memorials on my own- we had a strict timeline).  We got the “Value Package” for $36/per adult and we reserved it and paid for it over the phone the day before.  There are timeslots for the video and Cyclorama as well as the bus tour, so if you need to be in/out at a certain time, buy ahead of time.  We also avoided the ticket lines in the museum, which were quite long on this particular Saturday- so if you want to simply avoid lines, call ahead.

Vintage Ad for the Cyclorama, Gettysburg, PA

The video was great, narrated by Morgan Freeman and very well done.  The Cyclorama was amazing!  I wish was had more time to wander around to see all the details, but a tour behind us kind of pushed us out.  The video and Cyclorama together lasted about 45 minutes, so if you have wiggly kids, it might be a good idea to bring a quiet distraction (my kids were with my dad running around and having fun, so I had a kid-free experience-  THANKS, DAD!).  Next was the bus tour, which was great, because it was hot and the battlefield is huge.  You can drive around it on your own and there are parking areas scattered throughout so you can view the memorials and other key locations.  Our tour guide Jeff was a great story teller and knowledgeable about the history.  He told amazing stories of companies and soldiers that I had never heard before.  He focused on both Union and Confederate and helped keep the feeling positive- not berating the South or over-glorifying the North, which I found refreshing.

Katherine and the boys at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA

That night we stayed at Timberlane Campgrounds in Clarksboro, New Jersey, which was nice (remember to ask them for a military or AAA discount!).  We were in an “overflow” spot, because I didn’t make the reservations until a few days before….and it was Memorial Day weekend….at the closest campground to Philly.  It was a 30 minute drive into the city.  My best description of the campground is that it was “fine.” It had a good pool (which we didn’t get to use), good bathhouse with good showers, and an ok lounge with free wifi that was open from 9am -9pm, and very friendly and helpful staff.

Rowan and Katherine on the Duck Tour.

The next day was Philadelphia day!  First we took the Duck Tour.  It was disappointing and expensive.  I’ve taken Duck Tours in Seattle, WA and Washington, D.C. and enjoyed them.  But I would not recommend the Philly Duck Tour.  It was not very informative, driving by the different sights or buildings was way too fast, and it just felt like we were driving through generic downtown traffic.  For a history buff, the Duck Tour isn’t worth it at all.  Everything in the historic/downtown Philadelphia is within walking distance, so I recommend just getting a touristy map and pick and choose what you want to do.  The museums we saw were all great.  We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall Square- which included Congress Hall and Independence Hall.  You need to get tickets for Independence Hall tours ahead of time or get “left over” tickets from the visitors center.  Left over tickets could be a gamble.  I recommend calling ahead to get your tickets and plan your day around the time slot assigned to your tour.  This was the second highlight of my trip- you really don’t want to miss out.

While in Philly, I had my first ever Cheesesteak- it was better than I thought it would be.  I just got it from a random food court, but next time we go, I’m going to find a restaurant known for their cheesesteaks.

Over this weekend we encountered our first issues with the RV:

#1- The jacks had some issues. They would raise and lower, but had no “power” behind them, so we couldn’t level the RV.  We were very nearly level anyway, so we ended up putting out the slide so we could access our clothing.  My dad and I were up until about 9pm trying to get it worked out, and our dinner plans were ruined- but we soldiered on and the kids were very forgiving.

#2- The driver side window leaked in a massive rainstorm the second night.  And I think this was due to the slightly forward slope that the RV was on, so the rain was pooling when usually it would run off the side of the RV.  I was able to rig up a system to catch the leaking rain, but my dad had to get up every 2-3 hours to empty it.

I had to call the dealership when we got back- I’ll talk more about that in a later post.

All around, it was a great weekend! I highly recommend Gettysburg and Philadelphia as a patriotic weekend trip.  And finally, thank you to all those who have gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation, you are never forgotten.