ALERT: During the Federal government lapse in appropriations, the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center and its complex, owned and operated by the Gettysburg Foundation, will remain open during its regular operating hours to serve visitors. Learn more.

Special Events

Now Open!

TICKET TO THE PAST—UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEYS

A NEW cinematic, immersive and must-see virtual reality experience at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

Get Your Ticket to the Past
Exhibits, Tours & Events / Special Events

Exhibits.
Encounters.
Illuminations.

Students stare in wonder at the Gettysburg Cyclorama

Start your Gettysburg journey at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center—your gateway to history. 

Discover special exhibits, tours, programs and events that bring history to life—on the battlefield, in the museum and beyond.

Include our special events on your itinerary and enhance your experience for a more memorable visit to Gettysburg.

Visit our YouTube channel to view videos of select programming hosted by the National Park Service at Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Foundation.

The Gettysburg Foundation is the official non-profit partner of the National Parks at Gettysburg. Every visit, ticket and purchase supports Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.

View More Experiences & Buy Tickets

Your gateway to history when you explore Gettysburg

Begin your Gettysburg visit with the Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience. Tour the battlefield  with a Licensed Battlefield Guide. Purchase tickets to explore Gettysburg's historic sites and experiences—all through the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. 

Exhibits & Tours

F E A T U R E D

An Evening with the Painting

Museum & Visitor Center
Ford Education Center | Gettysburg Cyclorama Platform
Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 | 5-7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 | 5-7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 | 4-6 p.m. & 5-7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 | 4-6 p.m.

Join us on the Cyclorama platform for an exclusive after-hours, close-up look at the iconic Gettysburg Cyclorama painting. Enjoy additional time on the viewing platform to observe in full light the remarkable, close-up details and distant battle scenes of the painting. Journey under the diorama to see how the 360-degree illusion comes to life. Read more about this extraordinary program.

Friends of Gettysburg members receive special member rate.

Purchase Tickets

Double Decker Battlefield Bus Tour

Departs the Museum & Visitor Center
Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 | 4 p.m.

Sensational views and spectacular scenery await you on your battlefield tour aboard a double decker bus. With a 360-degree view of the Gettysburg battlefield, you will gain a new perspective of the battle as your expert Licensed Battlefield Guide provides the narrative for this insightful and visually stunning tour.

Double Decker tours can be included in your Battlefield Value Package that includes the Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience.

Purchase Tickets

Living History

Children of Gettysburg 1863®
451 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg
Select Dates/Weekends Through Oct. 5, 2025
Living History | Times Vary
Museum Adventure | Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Step into the past as you interact with living historians and explore their camps and stations on the lawn in the side yard, unless noted otherwise, of the children's history museum throughout the summer.

Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 4-5 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Officers for the Union & Ladies for the Union Encampment
Saturday, Oct. 4 | Evening Lantern Talk | 8 p.m.

Living history presentations in the side yard and on the front porch are free and open to the public. Presentations and displays inside the museum are included with a ticket to the children's history museum adventure. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Weather permitting. Tickets are required to experience the museum adventure.

Buy Tickets to Experience the Museum Adventure

C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T

Fall Family Day at Spangler

George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital
488 Blacksmith Shop Road, Gettysburg
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Join us during the Columbus Day holiday weekend for a free day of history and exploration at the historic George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital—the best preserved field hospital from the American Civil War.

Fall Family Day features family-friendly programming and activities—including living history, Civil War encampments, Civil War medicine, Spangler family experiences, historic barn preservation presentations and local favorites.

Guests can drive directly to the property for this event where limited on-site parking will be available.

Learn More About this Free Event

C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T

Adams County Day

Museum & Visitor Center
Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.  
Free admission for residents of Adams County, Pa.

Residents of Adams County, Pennsylvania, are invited to enjoy free admission and Adams County history, highlights and treasures on Columbus Day. The Adams County Day offer includes the:

Adams County residents, present proof of residency (driver's license) at the Ticket Counter to obtain free admission tickets.

S P O N S O R E D  B Y

Learn More About the Museum & Visitor Center

Gala 2025

Featuring Special Guest Peggy Noonan

Gettysburg National Military Park
Museum & Visitor Center
Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 | 5:30 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Dinner and Program
8:45 p.m. Private-post reception with Peggy Noonan
9 p.m. Dessert Reception, Live Music and Dancing

The Gettysburg Foundation invites you for an unforgettable evening of Vision, Purpose & Possibility.

We look forward to having you join us in supporting history, education and civic engagement at Gettysburg.

Learn more about the Gettysburg Foundation Gala and make your plans to attend. For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Hotel Gettysburg on Lincoln Square in downtown Gettysburg, available at a special rate through Oct. 10 or until sold out.

View sponsorship opportunities for this special evening.

Proceeds from the evening advance the Gettysburg Foundation's mission of education and preservation in partnership with the National Park Service at Gettysburg.

Cocktail Attire

Reserve Your Place Today

Fall Into History

Gettysburg National Military Park
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 24-26, 2025
Free and open to the public

Enjoy a weekend of ranger-led and family-friendly programs, dramatic storytelling and immersive battlefield walks, set against the vibrant backdrop of autumn in Pennsylvania.

Program Schedule
  • Friday Evening Campfire, 6:30 p.m.: “Damn the Torpedoes!”
  • Saturday Battle Walk, 10 a.m.: “Barksdale’s Charge”
  • Saturday Evening Campfire, 6:30 p.m.: “Shadows of the Past"—For the first time ever, a fresh take on Gettysburg’s ghost stories
  • Sunday Battle Walk, 10 a.m.: “Alexander Hays and the Blue Birds”

Program dependent on Federal government status.


Get Program Details

Eisenhower Home Tours

Eisenhower National Historic Site
250 Eisenhower Farm Lane, Gettysburg
HOME TOURS TEMPORARILY CLOSED
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Through Oct. 26
10 a.m., 11 a.m., Noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. & 3 p.m.
General visitor parking & accessible parking available
Free & open to the public

HOME TOURS TEMPORARILY CLOSED | GROUNDS OPEN SUNRISE TO SUNSET

A visit to Gettysburg would not be complete without a visit to the home and farm of our 34th President Dwight D. and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. Enjoy a free tour of the home and grounds when you include Eisenhower National Historic Site in your Gettysburg itinerary.

Home tours are offered on a first come, first served basis to the first 40 visitors during each tour time. Arrive on-site at least 15 minutes prior to the home tour time you hope to attend. Check in at the visitor contact station to secure a spot for the home tour program. For driving directions, visit Eisenhower National Historic Site online.

Learn More About the Temporarily Closure of Home Tours

Gettysburg Guided Tours, Hikes & Walks

Gettysburg National Military Park
NPS PROGRAMMING TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE
Friday-Sunday Through Oct. 26, 2025
Times Vary | Free and open to the public

Enjoy guided tours, hikes & walks to explore the battlefield and the people and places that made history at Gettysburg.

While all programs are family-friendly, Family Programs are developed for families and children. Times and days vary.

Hands on History Carts are offered for visitors of all ages to explore some of the people and stores of the 1863 battle with hands-on replicas and original artifacts. Times and days vary.

Young visitors are invited to discover the history of the park through the Junior Ranger Program (self directed) and have fun while they learn about the importance of history that is Gettysburg. Booklet and materials are available at the ranger desk in the Museum & Visitor Center.

Visit the National Park Service Information Desk inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center or Gettysburg National Military Park online for details and updates. Schedule subject to change without notice. Prepare for a variety of field conditions and wear clothing to match the forecast. Park in designated locations only.

Learn More About the Temporary Unavailability of NPS Programming

Gettysburg Living History Programs

Gettysburg National Military Park
Through Oct. 19, 2025
Program Schedule Varies | Free and open to the public

From the roar of artillery to the flash of bayonets, living history demonstrations at Gettysburg National Military Park help bring the past to life. On select dates, Civil War living historians encamp on the Gettysburg battlefield. Explore their camps, interact with these knowledgeable historians and witness as they demonstrate the tools, tactics and firepower of the two armies that waged war across these now hallowed fields.

Schedule subject to change without notice. Prepare for a variety of field conditions and wear clothing to match the forecast. Depending on your planned activities, have sunscreen, insect repellent, hiking boots and extra water with you. Park in designated locations only.

View the 2025 Program Schedule

Remembrance Day Illumination

Gettysburg National Cemetery
97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025
5:30-9:30 p.m. | Free and open to the public

Join us for the 23rd Annual Remembrance Day Illumination to commemorate the 1863 Gettysburg National Cemetery dedication. This solemn event features a luminary candle on all of the 3,512 Civil War soldiers' graves. Names of the fallen soldiers are read throughout the evening.

Volunteers are needed to help set up, read the names of the Civil War soldiers and clean up at the end of the event. Volunteer opportunities are limited and will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis. Contact Erin Pearce at epearce@gettysburgfoundation.org to inquire about volunteer assignments.

Sponsor a luminary candle in honor or memory of a loved one. The Gettysburg Foundation is accepting candle sponsorships by phone or online through Nov. 7, 2025.

The event is dependent on favorable weather conditions.

Sponsor a Luminary Candle

SAVE THE DATE

Dedication Day

Commemorating the 162nd Anniversary of the Gettysburg National Cemetery Dedication and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 | 10:30 a.m.
Free and open to the public

Join us for the annual Dedication Day ceremony in Gettysburg National Cemetery. The program features a wreath-laying, music and a U.S. Naturalization and Citizenship ceremony. Speakers to be announced soon.

Officially recognized event for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Sponsored by the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania in partnership with the National Park Service, the Gettysburg Foundation and Gettysburg College, the ceremony begins at the cemetery’s rostrum. Location is dependent on favorable weather conditions.

Get Updates on this Commemorative Event