(This article by Colorado-based writer Judy Christie originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members. Learn more about the magazine here; learn more about joining MOAA here.)

Stepping onto the soil of Gettysburg National Military Park gives you a feel for the real world of the Civil War battle beyond what you might have seen in well-documented movies, according to Col. Dave Spess, USA, who grew up near Pennsylvania, went to college in the state, and was once stationed at Fort Indiantown Gap.

For history buffs, Gettysburg is a must — and a moving — experience. The park highlights the three-day Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War with the Union victory that ended Gen. Robert E. Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North. With an estimated 50,000 casualties, Gettysburg

was the Civil War’s bloodiest battle and the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln’s immortal Gettysburg Address.

“You can stand in the tree line where Pickett’s Charge left from” in one of the largest assaults and take in sights such as water marks and rock fences for the feel of that battle, said Spess.

A renovation set to open by this summer is at Little Round Top, the scene of intense fighting on July 2, 1863. From its summit looking northward, you can see much of Gettysburg, and improvements will allow visitors to immerse themselves better in the historical landscape, essential to understanding the battle. The rehabilitation of Little Round Top includes improved interpretive signage, new accessible trail alignments, and gathering areas.

Adjacent to the Gettysburg battlefield, Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves the farm of 34th President Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, which served the president and first lady as a weekend retreat and as a meeting place for world leaders.

The site, which offers views of South Mountain, was a respite from Washington, D.C., and a backdrop for efforts to reduce Cold War tensions.

If planning a summer trip, nearby Gettysburg Bike Week is four days of motorcycling with everything from live entertainment, poker runs, bikini and tattoo contests, a parade of chrome, vendors, and more. The 2024 gathering is July 11-14. If you prefer a more somber Gettysburg experience, the event will result in many motorcycles and more noise in the park that week.

While Gettysburg is a must-see, Spess, who has done a lot of RV camping, has other suggestions, too.

“Pennsylvania is a great place to visit because you can get an experience of being far out in nature and get lost in the woods and be an hour or two away from a much more urban experience,” he said.

He recommends Cook Forest State Park, an “incredibly scenic area” with several thousand acres of big Eastern hardwoods in northwestern Pennsylvania. Known for these stands of old growth forest, the “Forest Cathedral” of towering white pines and hemlocks is a National Natural Landmark. A scenic 13-mile stretch of the Clarion River flows through this park and is popular for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing.

From the rock ledges of Seneca Point Overlook, you can see the Clarion River Valley, and an 80-foot climb up Historic Fire Tower #9 reveals a view of the area.

A popular destination in the park is the Sawmill Center for the Arts, a nonprofit craft organization, housed in a historic sawmill. Thousands visit each year for live theater performances, festivals, and a craft market, full of one-of-a-kind handcrafted items. Others come seeking to learn a new art form at one of many classes throughout the summer and fall that honor traditional crafting methods.

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Another “bit of a hidden gem” to stop at, Spess said, is Memorial Lake State Park, popular with members of the military and civilians. The park’s 230 acres are near the base of Blue Mountain in East Hanover Township and surrounded by Fort Indiantown Gap, headquarters for the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard, a key installation for 90 years. The history of the area goes back centuries, with Fort Indiantown Gap deriving its name from the American Indian village known as Indiantown and the gap in the Blue Mountain where Indiantown was located.

The fort’s proximity to the state park provides military personnel with nearby amenities. “It’s a pretty neat little spot to stop over,” Spess said.

Don’t hold back as you explore the state, he said. “There really isn’t anything you want to see or do that you can’t do in Pennsylvania.”

Military Site: Bushy Run Battlefield in Jeannette is Pennsylvania’s only recognized Native American battlefield, dealing exclusively with Pontiac’s War, one of the most significant Native American conflicts in American history. The battlefield is topographically intact, and the site helps visitors return to the days of the battle.