Parks & Recreation - Campgrounds And Rv Parks
Camping around the Gettysburg area offers you the chance to sleep under the same starlit skies that Civil War soldiers gazed upon so many years ago. Here you can imagine yourself among those men, waiting for dawn so the day’s battle could begin. This is especially easy during June, when the campfires of Civil War reenactors illuminate the grounds.
Along with this chance to reconnect with history, Gettysburg campgrounds and RV parks offer affordable lodging with all the modern amenities. You’ll find full-facility restrooms, including hot showers, and laundry facilities, and each campground and park offers a pool, a game room, and a playground in addition to myriad recreational activities. Camp stores are there in case you forgot anything, with gift shops to round out your shopping expedition. Bus tours to the Gettysburg battlefield and to Washington, D.C., are offered, and there are planned activities every weekend in season. But don’t think that the campgrounds are interchangeable—each is unique, and each has something special to offer.
None of the campgrounds is more than 6 miles from Lincoln Square, with Artillery Ridge and Round Top to the south, Gettysburg, KOA, and Granite Hill to the west, and Drummer Boy to the east. Pets are welcome at the campgrounds but not in the rental units.
The rates listed are for the 2008 season. You’ll pay more if visiting during some special weekends, such as around the reenactment. Expect to be required to stay a minimum of two nights during the summer season, and sometimes a three- or four-night minimum might be in effect.
Parks & Recreation - State Parks And Public Lands
Five state parks, Michaux State Forest, and the Appalachian Trail are within 30 miles of Gettysburg, offering ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. You’ll find camping, boating, fishing, ice-skating, ice fishing, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and more.
If a park offers camping, a site can be reserved from 11 months in advance up to noon of the day of your arrival. Cabins and picnic pavilions, if offered, may be reserved from 11 months up to 2 days in advance of your arrival. Call (888) PA-PARKS between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday to reserve your spot.
Lands that allow fishing, hunting, and/or boating have strict guidelines about these activities. For complete information on fishing and boating rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site at www.fish.state.pa.us or call (717) 705-7800. Hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania can be found at the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site at www.pgc.state.pa.us or by calling (717) 787-2084.
Parks & Recreation - Recreation
Recreational choices abound in the Gettysburg area. Active folks will find plenty of ways to release their pent-up energy, with options ranging from the tame pastime of bowling to the thrill of skiing. People who prefer to watch rather than participate can enjoy cheering at a car race or at one of the horse shows hosted by the Gettysburg Riding Club. To make finding your choice easy, entries within this chapter are listed alphabetically by type of activity.
Golf is a popular leisure pursuit, and an entire chapter of this book has been dedicated to the sport. The numerous state parks in the area offer many forms of recreation, and they are also covered in their own chapter. Many carnivals and bingo nights are sponsored by area fire companies, and they are usually advertised in the Gettysburg Times newspaper. Also be sure to check out the Annual Events and Festivals chapter to find other fun ways to spend your time in Gettysburg.
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 610 Taneytown Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 1300 Hanover Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 2030 Fairfield Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 20 Knox Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 3340 Fairfield Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 180 Knight Road
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
8. Granite Hill Camping Resort
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (717) 642-8749, (800) 642-TENT
Address: 3340 Fairfield Road
Description: The 150 acres that comprise Granite Hill Campground are an outdoor enthusiast’s dream come true. (To get a full rundown of all this campground has to offer, see the Campgrounds and RV Parks chapter.) Even if you’re not staying at Granite Hill, you can enter the property and enjoy its lake. (The campground’s minigolf course and snack bar are also open to the public; see the Kidstuff chapter for information on the minigolf.) Kayaks and paddleboats are available for rent at Bass Lake, which is just inside and to the left of the campground entrance.
9. Edgewood Lanes
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (717) 337-1818
Address: 1880 Emmitsburg Road
Description: This is one of the few businesses in town that has shorter hours during the tourist season than during the rest of the year. Open daily in the off-season, during the season Edgewood Lanes is open from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The bowling alley sits at the edge of town, and it offers 16 bowling lanes and a video room with a pool table and video games. Leagues bowl every evening, and there’s a kids’ league on Saturday. Bumper guards are also available for those learning the sport. Edgewood Lanes has been a place to relax, bowl a few games, and have fun since 1978. It will cost you $3.75 to bowl a game, and shoe rental is $2.25.
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 1400 Proline Place (Commerce Park)
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 1080 Chambersburg Road
13. Ywca
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (717) 334-9171
Address: 909 Fairfield Road
Description: This member association offers fitness opportunities and is home to dozens of community programs. Guest passes are available for a daily fee, and membership is open to all. A basic membership gives you access to support programs and services held at the Y, while a Recreation Pass allows you the use of the fitness facilities, which include a 25-meter indoor pool, a whirlpool, two racquetball courts, and fitness and training equipment. Members must be 16 years old to use the fitness center. A variety of groups meet at the facilities, including a book group, a single-mom support group, and a group that meets to talk about how to have the -isms of our society unite us as a culture rather than divide us. On-site babysitting services are available to members or holders of a Recreation Pass.
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 102 Hounds Run
15. Hickory Hollow Farms
City: Gettysburg, PA
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (717) 334-0349
Address: 219 Crooked Creek Road
Description: You can board your horse at Hickory Hollow Farms, which offers private stalls, feeding, and turning out of the horses daily. Boarders can exercise their mounts in the 100-foot-by-200-foot lighted outdoor ring with all-weather footing or the 70-foot-by-120-foot indoor arena. There’s also an outdoor round training ring, and the horse trails on the farm are waiting to be explored. Hickory Hollow Farms, which encompasses 70 acres of fields and woodlands, served as a Confederate field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. Horseback tours of the battlefield are available through the farm, with both scenic rides and historic rides offered (see the Gettysburg National Military Park chapter).