An Historical Summer Vacation!

by Jennifer
(Clearfield, PA)

There are so many great landmarks to visit during your summer vacation. Many tourists flock to the beach, or to an amusement park, or out on the waterways to catch some fishing and sunshine. Others flock to ballfields all across America. All of these are great options and provide lots of fun for the family, but have you ever thought about visiting historical landmarks while on summer vacation?

For many kids summer provides an opportunity to play, run, and hang out with friends and family, but it's also a time when academics fall to the wayside and reading levels slip a little. One way to combat this "backslide" is to make your family vacations a hidden learning experience. Gettysburg provides just this opportunity!

For instance, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the battles at Gettysburg. One of the longest and most fiercely fought battles on American soil, the Gettysburg historic districts provides a visitor center, a look out that let's you see far across the battlefield, reenactments of the battles, and even ghost tours! Also located in the small city is Gettysburg College and the hotel where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address. For those who enjoy shopping there are small, quaint shops in the town's square.

Visiting Gettysburg gets your out of the rat race of the big cities. Sure! The memorials in DC are fantastic, but the traffic and the hotels can be costly. Visiting a place like Gettysburg takes you through the scenic back roads of Pennsylvania, and maybe even camping!

So how can you make your family vacation a fun and memorable learning experience? Learn to love history yourself! Read stories and books with your kids to prepare for what they will see at the battlefields. Each day do a craft or activity that kids during the war would have done.

Gettysburg is an amazing part of history that is unique to our American culture and history. This landmark is not to be missed!