While there were many battle sites during the Civil War, none of them are as famous as Gettysburg. We were able to visit this massive destination a few years ago for a Boy Scout campout and it was quite different than what I thought it would be like!

First, you cannot possibly see all of Gettysburg in one day. Trust me on this, as we drove along the entire thing, rushing around, and accomplished maybe a quarter of what we wanted to!

The fields, the monuments, and statues are remarkable, and we stood there in awe as we saw what all the soldiers who fought in the war saw at that time. Everything has been carefully preserved and it was one of the best places to learn a lot about the Civil War.

My favorite part was when we visited the cemetery and looked across the way to where the only civilian of this battle was buried. Jennie Wade was killed by a stray bullet as she baked bread in her kitchen one morning. Her grave is marked by the American flag flying high next to it.

Of course, you cannot miss the panoramic piece of art inside the Visitor Center either. We needed to wait our turn to go see this magnificent work of art and we were amazed at how it seemed to come to life before our eyes as sounds of the war were played in the background.

Do me a favor though, if you want to explore many of the Civil War battlegrounds, do not start with Gettysburg. We have been to a few since and have been terribly disappointed with how this piece of history is portrayed everywhere else.