Do the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour with Your Dog

Dog-friendly Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour

Are you looking for ways to include your pup on your Gettysburg Vacation? Bring them along on this dog-friendly Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour! This audio tour will take you to multiple locations throughout the battlefield at your own pace, giving you and your dog as much time as you like to walk and sniff around each stop. Read on to find out what to expect, what to bring, and other tips to make sure you and your pet will be prepared for a day of historical fun!

Is the Gettysburg National Park Battlefield Audio Tour Dog Friendly?

The Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour is dog-friendly!  Your pup can get out at every one of the 16 stops except the last one at the National Cemetery. Your dog does need to be on a leash, and you do need to pick up after them. Many of the stops do NOT have a trash can, so make sure to bring another portable container to put your poop bags in until you can dispose of them properly.

What is the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour?

The Gettysburg National Park Auto tour is a free service available through the National Park Service app. The audio tour consists of 16 stops that will take you throughout the battlefield. Each of these stops has its own recording that details the Battle of Gettysburg. These audio clips help visitors have a better understanding of what happened during the 3 days of intensive fighting.  

Where to Stay When Visiting Gettysburg National Park

Gettysburg is a popular historical destination full of Civil War attractions including a National Park which means that you will have a TON of choices for places to stay.

Campsites Near Gettysburg Pennsylvania

If you are looking to camp during your stay, there are several pet-friendly campgrounds in the area where you can tent camp, bring your RV, or rent a cabin:

• Artillery Ridge Campground and Horse Park– starts at $80 per night (pet-friendly)
• Drummer Boy Campground– $57 per night (pet-friendly)
• Round Top Campground– starts at $63 per night (pet-friendly)
• Gettysburg Campground– starts at $79 per night (cabins and RV area is pet-friendly)

Hotels Near Gettysburg

Use our booking.com link to find the best dog-friendly hotel for your vacation!

Where to Eat When Visiting Gettysburg National Park

Gettysburg is FULL of a variety of restaurants to choose from. If you are looking for a place to enjoy a meal with your dog, look for a restaurant with a patio! Many of the restaurants with outdoor seating are pet friendly.  To save time, here are a few places around town where you can bring your pup:

• Appalachian Brewing Company of Gettysburg- Battlefield
• Battlefield Brew Works
• Montezuma Mexican Restaurant
• O’Rorke’s

Gettysburg National Park Battlefield Audio Tour

This free Gettysburg National Park Battlefield Auto Tour will take you to 16 different stops where you will hear how the three-day battle played out. Each of the stops played an important role in the Battle of Gettysburg and will give visitors a chance to see where and how the battle played out. Out of the 16 stops, only the last one at the National Cemetery is NOT dog friendly.

Gettysburg National Park Battlefield Price and Hours

Gettysburg National Park is completely free to visit and includes a free Audio Car Tour. This particular tour is available on the website or through the NPS app. You can watch it as a virtual tour, or just listen to the audio version as you drive from stop to stop.

The Battlefield is open to the public from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sundown. This gives you plenty of opportunities to take your time at each of the stops.

If you are looking for a more in-depth tour, you can purchase one in the Gettysburg NP gift shop located at the visitor center. You could also book a private tour with a licensed tour guide at the information desk. The cost of these private tours depends on the number of people going and typically starts at $75 a vehicle.

You could also book a tour with one of the many companies in the city. I did visit with a couple that had paid for a tour from one of the companies and were currently doing the free NPS version to see what they thought. The couple said that the information given on both tours was very similar and the main difference was the personality of the tour guide and whether you had to drive yourself.

Gettysburg National Park Gift Shop

If you want to support the National Park system and purchase some souvenirs to remember your visit, stop at the visitor center’s gift shop. You can buy everything from old-fashioned pocket watches and miniatures cannons to homemade fudge and preserves.

How Long Can You Spend Doing the Free Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour?

If you don’t plan to get out of the car and just drive from stop to stop, you could probably complete the tour in about 3 hours. If you do plan to get out to look around and take photos, plan on spending at least a full day to complete the tour.

When we did the tour with our dogs, a few of the stops were closed and it still took us about 6-7 hours to finish the tour.

What to Expect at the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour

The Gettysburg Battlefield Auto tour will take you to 16 different locations throughout the battlefield.  Each stop has an audio clip for you to play on your phone that will explain the historical significance of each stop and what happened there. The tour takes you to the places in chronological order to see what was happening over the 3 days of fighting in the area.

If you are bringing your dog with you, it is important to remember that the last stop at the National Cemetery is NOT dog friendly.

Gettysburg National Park is a trash-free park, which means there are NO trash cans at the sites. You are expected to take your trash with you and dispose of it properly when you are able. This includes your dog’s waste! I highly suggest bringing several larger bags or an airtight container to store your dog’s poop bags in to help with the smell in your vehicle (especially on hot days).

Gettysburg Battlefield Tour Bathrooms

If you are looking for a bathroom, you can find seasonal restrooms at Tour Stop #12 Pennsylvania Memorial and Tour Stop #13 Spangler’s Spring. There is a year-round restroom at the #16 National Cemetery and the visitor center. You can usually find a trash can at these locations.

During the summer months, Stop # 4 McMillan Woods and Stop # 6 Amphitheater should also have porta-potties.

How to Prepare for the Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour

There are limited shady areas on this tour which means that it can quickly get very hot during the summer months. Try to start this tour in the morning to avoid the heat. Make sure to bring plenty of water, ice, fans, shade umbrellas, etc. to help keep you and your animals from getting dehydrated or overheating.

There is no spot during the tour to buy drinks or snacks so make sure to pack your own! Bring a fully stocked cooler to make sure your drinks can be kept cool and don’t forget to bring a trash bag so you can easily clean up after yourself until you make it to a garbage can. 

The battlefield is spread out over many fields and ticks (and other bugs) are abundant. Consider wearing long pants and socks and/or tick repellent to lessen the risk of getting bitten. You will also want to make sure your animals are up to date on their flea and tick preventatives and do frequent tick checks throughout the day.

Driving the Gettysburg Battlefield Auto Tour

You can do this car tour at your own speed, which means you can start and stop as needed for food and/or bathroom breaks. Some of the stops are along one-way streets so it may be beneficial to plan when the best time to take a break from the tour may be.

It is also up to you how much time you want to spend at each stop. Some locations have more trails to explore than others as well as a number of memorials to pay respect to. Keep in mind that there are over 1300 monuments and markers spread throughout the park so it will be almost impossible to see them all on your visit.

I recommend waiting until you reach each tour marker before you start listening to the correlating audio clip. Many clips will point out buildings or landmarks to help orient you to what will be talked about. If you try to save time by listening to it on your way to each stop, it might be hard to know what they are talking about.

If there are locations that are currently closed or if you don’t have time to finish the tour, you can do it virtually. Go to the Gettysburg NP website and play the virtual tour of the areas that you missed. The virtual and audio tours are made from the same recordings, the only difference is whether you are just listening to the audio or watching the video.

Dog Travel Tips for Gettysburg Battlefield Tour

If you are doing this car tour with your dog, here are a couple of tips to make your day go smoothly:

• Start early to avoid the hottest times of the day. And remember that the hottest time is usually between 2 pm-4 pm.
• Bring a lot of water. It can get very hot in the summer months and there is minimal shade throughout the tour.
• Have ways to keep your pet cool (window shades, portable fan, cooling towels, shade umbrella, etc.). Again, Gettysburg Battlefield= limited shade and hot temps. Call it quits if your dog is showing signs of overheating.
• Prepare, treat, and check for ticks. Ticks here are abundant. After walking about 10 feet at the first stop EACH of our three dogs had at least one tick on each of them by the time we got back to the car.
• Have an airtight system to carry your dog poop. There are almost no trash cans in the park so you will have to carry your dog waste with you for long periods of time. This can make your car smell quickly. Either have one or two bigger bags that you can tie off to help keep the smell contained or bring another type of airtight container for this purpose.
• The last stop at the National Cemetery is not dog friendly. If you want to visit this stop, plan to either drop your dog off at your hotel or vacation rental or prepare to take turns exploring with your human travel companion so someone will always be with your pup. 

Nearby Attractions:

For ideas of places to visit in and around Gettysburg, check out these stops.

Attractions in Gettysburg:

• Jenny Wade House
• Beyond the Battle Museum
• Gettysburg Diorama

Attractions Near Gettysburg:

• Berkeley Springs State Park
• Hershey Park and Chocolate World
• Flight 93 Memorial
• Harper’s Ferry National Park

Dog-friendly Attractions near Gettysburg:

• Antietam National Battlefield
• Harper’s Ferry National Park
• Monongahela Forest (areas like Seneca Rocks or Cranberry Glades Botanical Area)
• Trans- Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Why You Should Visit:

The free Gettysburg Battlefield Audio Tour is a fantastic way to see the park while learning about the historical 3- day battle that happened here. Bring your dog with you as you explore the 16 stops giving you both an opportunity to spend time together during your vacation.

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