We went there for the first time in April while on a long road trip. It was a truly touching experience. We stayed in town in an 1880s Airbnb for 3 nights, and we would have liked to have stayed longer. If you want to read every monument, you may want to stay for a month. We got a private guide at the battlefield visitor’s center who really was amazing and answered every question we could think of.
If you stay in town, you are right there. My wife did her daily runs through the battlefield. There are tons of cannon and monuments all over the place, including outside the park. In that regard, even the guides in the park can’t cover it all in 2-3 hours.
Note that there are some closures for restoration. The Little Round Top area was not accessible. The closures are listed on the park website. I suspect that there always will be some area under renovation.
One other nice thing was the ability to tour President Eisenhower’s retirement home which is just outside the battlefield. They have limited viewings, so you may want to pay attention. It was not bad in April, and the fall may not be bad, either.
While we were there, it was during spring school trip season. It was refreshing to see so many well mannered students learning history. I chatted with one kid and a teacher from California who went through their itinerary, and it must have been exhausting.
While we were driving on U.S. 30 (the historic Lincoln Highway that also passes through my city), we drove past the Flight 93 Memorial. I really felt bad that we were not aware of it and were not in a position to stop. I don’t know if that would be too far out of reach for your trip.
There are many on 24HCF who can provide more detail than me. If you go, enjoy your trip!
