City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (800) 548-8504 (reservations)

Address: 121 Sanders Road

Description: This is the Gettysburg area’s golf resort, although many people also stay here when swooshing down the slopes of Ski Liberty, which is but steps away. The stone mountain lodge you’ll drive up to is where you register, and the actual accommodations are located in the two-story building just behind the lodge. The resort’s restaurants, fitness and billiards rooms, and banquet and conference facilities are also within the lodge. For your accommodation choices you can pick between a room with a view of the Catoctin Mountains south of Gettysburg or a view of the golf course. The resort has 58 rooms, of which 46 are standard rooms equipped with two double beds. The other 12 are parlor rooms. Eight of the parlor rooms have two double beds and a Jacuzzi tub, and four of them have a king-size bed, a sofa, and a Jacuzzi tub. You can enjoy fireside dining at the Inn at Carroll Valley, and casual dining for breakfast or lunch is available downstairs in the Tavern at Carroll Valley. For golfers, the resort has a driving range and two eighteen-hole Ault & Clark championship golf courses (see the Golf chapter). You’ll have a choice of a lot of different golf packages, with lodging, spa treatments, and dining included.

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (717) 334-8868, (717) 642-5410

Address: 15 West Main Street

Description: The Fairfield Inn was built in 1757 to serve as the Mansion House of Squire Miller, an original founder of the town of Fairfield. It was believed that the Mansion House first began welcoming guests when it became an inn and stagecoach stop in 1823. But in November 2004, a colonial-era tavern license for the inn dated 1786 was discovered, making this one of the oldest taverns still operating in America. The inn has welcomed such famous Americans as Patrick Henry, Thaddeus Stevens, Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, and Ike and Mamie Eisenhower. When the fighting at Gettysburg ended, the Confederate army retreated west through Fairfield, and many homes, including the Mansion House, were used as field hospitals. The Fairfield Inn was operating as an inn, so General Lee and other Confederates stopped here for food. And the house was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. With all this history it’s no wonder that the Fairfield Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Innkeepers Joan and Sal Chandon, who previously owned the Doubleday Inn (see the Doubleday Inn entry earlier in this chapter), began an extensive renovation to the inn in February 2003. Five years later, Joan and Sal are thrilled with the results—five of the six guest rooms are completed and hosting guests. All of the inn’s suites have private baths, air-conditioning, and cable TV. And there are plenty of places to warm up—the inn has eight fireplaces. Wireless high-speed Internet service is available throughout the inn.Although the amenities at the Fairfield are totally modern, the accommodations are steeped in history. One room is named for Patrick Henry, famous for the quote “Give me liberty or give me death.” He often stayed in this very second-floor room while visiting his aunt, who once owned the home. Filled with antiques, the Patrick Henry Room has a full-size iron bed and a claw-foot tub as well as a separate shower. Another guest room is named after J. E. B. Stuart, who stayed in the room in 1862 while on a Confederate mission, and who revisited the inn on July 4, 1863, as part of the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg. This room has a queen-size bed, a seating area with a foldout full-size sofa, and a whirlpool tub. The Major Starr Guest Room is named after Sam Starr, a dragoon who fought in the Battle of Fairfield, which unfolded directly behind the inn’s property on July 3, 1863. This battle secured the Hagerstown Road for the Confederates, which helped facilitate their retreat from Gettysburg. In this room you’ll find a full-size Lincoln suite antique bed and a whirlpool tub. The Grumble Jones Room is named for the Confederate general who led his troops to victory during the Battle of Fairfield, and it features a lace-topped, full-size four-poster bed and a whirlpool tub. The Three Colonels Guest Suite is named for three Confederate colonels who were treated at the inn when it served as a field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. Situated on the third floor, the suite has a private balcony that overlooks Fairfield’s main street, which is lined with historic homes. It contains a parlor that boasts a trundle bed, a sitting area, a separate bedroom with a queen-size bed, and a claw-foot tub with separate shower. Breakfast is served in the restaurant in the original Mansion House. The inn’s two chefs and their staffs present mouthwatering meals that can be enjoyed beside a blazing fire in the winter months or on the patio garden off the restaurant in warmer weather. To satisfy your culinary needs throughout the day, lunch and dinner are available at the Squire Miller Tavern and the Mansion House Restaurant. (See the Restaurants chapter for more on the Mansion House Restaurant.) The tavern is on the first floor of the Mansion House, and it has seating for about 25 people. The inn also offers dinner theater, where you can hear ghost stories and see a re-creation of a Civil War séance (see the Gettysburg Civil War Era Dinner Theatre entry in The Arts chapter).

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (717) 334-8868, (717) 642-5410

Address: 15 West Main Street

Description: If you like to drink in history, stop at the Squire Miller Tavern, about 8 miles west of town off Route 116. In November 2004 a colonial-era tavern license dating from 1786 was discovered by the local historical society, making the Squire Miller Tavern one of the oldest taverns in the United States still operating. The inn itself dates from 1757, and the house now serves as a bed-and-breakfast (see the Bed-and-Breakfasts and Guesthouses chapter). The tavern has its own entrance on the side of the inn, or you can reach it by turning left after entering through the front door, which has the original pulley-type lock. A key feature of the tavern is its huge fireplace, which is complete with the original kettle arm and kettle. The bar itself is magnificent. Gleaming mahogany woodwork has large archways cut into it, and this is where the liquor is displayed. The tavern has enough tables to seat about 25 people in addition to the seats at the bar.   

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (717) 642-5840

Address: 1537 Mount Hope Road

Description: Exploring the habitats of wet and dry woodlands, three ponds, two pristine mountain streams, and more is possible within the 609 acres of Strawberry Hill Nature Center & Preserve. This private nonprofit education and conservation institution opens its land to the public for free. More than 10 miles of blazed trails meander through the property, with trails to please both the strolling family and the more serious hiker. White-tailed deer, bobcats, coyotes, and many other animals live here, and birders will be thrilled by all the species of birds to be discovered. The Nature Center hosts a variety of programs that explore nature. In 2008 the programs taught participants how to read animal markings in a forest, how animals and plants adapt to the changing seasons, and how our actions affect the environment. A junior naturalist camp is also held here during the summer; see the Kidstuff chapter for full details on the camp. Strawberry Hill holds an annual pancake breakfast and maple-sugaring event, where participants actually see a maple tree being tapped and the syrup being cooked down over an open fire. Most programs are free to members of Strawberry Hill, and nonmembers pay a nominal fee, usually $2 to $3. To reach Strawberry Hill, take Route 116 (Middle Street) west for 8.5 miles and turn right onto Carroll’s Tract Road. Head north toward Cashtown to the first intersection and turn left onto Mt. Hope Road. Proceed another 3.5 miles to a parking area; the nature center is on the left. Hiking trails in the preserve are open daily dawn to dusk, and the nature center is open when staff is on-site or by prearrangement.

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (717) 642-5410, (717) 334-8868

Address: 15 West Main Street

Description: When you enter the Mansion House Restaurant at the Fairfield Inn, you step back in time. The inn dates from 1757, when it was the home of the founder of the town of Fairfield, Squire John Miller, and you can actually dine in the room that served as the home’s downstairs. The Fairfield Inn is also a bed-and-breakfast (see the Bed-and-Breakfasts and Guesthouses chapter), and its Squire Miller Tavern is one of the oldest taverns still operating in America, with a license that’s dated 1786. Besides providing lodging for many famous Americans, the Fairfield also served General Lee chicken and biscuits as the Confederates stopped throughout the town of Fairfield on their retreat from Gettysburg. You can order this dish just as General Lee did almost 150 years ago; the restaurant serves more than two tons of it annually. Other menu selections include grilled and roasted game, pasta, seafood, and steaks. Your meal will be served in one of several dining areas, with tables throughout dressed in linen tablecloths and napkins. (The ambience is elegant, but casual dress is perfectly okay.) If you’re interested in knowing the historic significance of the room you’re dining in, the inn has a great brochure that takes you on a history tour of the inn. The tour also shows the hidden attic room that served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Mansion House Restaurant serves lunch on Friday and Saturday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and a colonial brunch on Sunday. Fireplaces are featured throughout the house, and a patio garden filled with flowers and privacy hedges makes for perfect outdoor dining in nice weather. In 2008 the Fairfield Inn was voted the Best Romantic Restaurant in Celebrate Gettysburg magazine’s annual readers’ poll.

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (717) 642-5410, (888) 246-4432

Address: 15 Main Street

Description: The Fairfield Inn opened its dinner theater in August 2001, and entertainment is provided by Civil War illusionist and storyteller Joe Kerrigan. The one-man show lasts 21⁄2 hours, and Joe comes to life as three different characters. He leads off as Professor Kerrigan, who performs Civil War–era magic, and then he changes to a gifted storyteller who talks about being a civilian at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. This character also chills the audience with a few stories of ghosts haunting the area. Joe then stages a theatrical re-creation of a Civil War séance. A full-course meal accompanies all this fun, and you can catch a show Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Reservations are required, and the dinner theater costs $39.95 for adults and $19.95 for children age 12 and younger.

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (717) 642-5229

Address: 320 Zoo Road

Description: Formerly known as the Gettysburg Game Park, in 2000 this area became a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary rather than a private zoo. Besides saving unwanted exotic animals, the sanctuary also strives to educate the public about these animals’ special needs, so people realize what is involved before deciding to own a wild species. Animals you’re likely to see include bear, alligator, deer, elk, goat, llama, parrot, macaw, cockatoo, emu, conure, ostrich, peacock, gibbon, rhesus monkey, ring-tailed lemur, tigers, lynxes, and a lion. The rescue is located 9 miles southwest of Gettysburg off Route 116 and is open only weekends. Children younger than age two are admitted free.

City: Fairfield, PA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (717) 642-5840

Address: 1537 Mount Hope Road

Description: The Junior Naturalist Camp teaches kids about the natural world in a fun way through an assortment of hands-on activities, games, and crafts. It’s one of the programs offered by Strawberry Hill Nature Center & Preserve, which has walking and hiking trails and offers nature programs within its 609 acres. (See the Recreation chapter for details on all there is to do at Strawberry Hill and directions to get you to the fun.) At the naturalist camp kids from age 4 to 10 explore ponds and streams and take hikes through forests to learn how various habitats support different animals and plants. Camps are held from the end of June to the beginning of August, rain or shine. The number of days of the camp varies, but all camps are daylight hours only; these are not overnight excursions. Different sessions are held for children age 4 and 5, age 6 and 7, and age 8 to 10, and some of the older age group’s sessions include a cookout on one of the days. The number of children involved is limited to 10 for the youngest age group and 12 for the older groups. Cost is based on the length of the program, with members of Strawberry Hill paying slightly less per hour than nonmembers. Two staff members work with each of the camps and cookouts, ensuring that each camper receives personal attention and the chance to be an active participant in all activities.