Historical Monuments at Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg

55th Ohio Monument

We love visiting Gettysburg Pennsylvania for its historical importance in our nation's history and for its beauty. There is always something new to see, do and learn about Gettysburg every time you visit. Frankly, if you're planning a visit, we recommend that you plan on staying for 5 days, so that you can take in all of the various attractions that Gettysburg has to offer.

On a recent trip down to Gettysburg, we visited Soldiers' National Cemetery, also called the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Its a beautiful place to visit and is home to President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

5th New York Battery Monument

No cars are permitted on the property, so you'll need to obtain parking nearby. The cemetery is quite large, so wear your walking shoes, as you'll be doing a lot of walking. You can go on self-guided tours or pay an admission to go on a guided-tour, other than that, admission is free.

As you walk through the cemetery, please stay on the marked paths. Do not walk through the grass, jump over gravestones or any of that nonsense. If you're bring children along with you, please explain to them the importance of being respectful when visiting a cemetery. Wheel chairs for the disabled and baby strollers can access most areas, as long as you stay on the marked paths.

Friend to Friend Masonic Monument

When walking through, you'll see beautiful historical monuments honoring those who fought in Gettysburg during the Civil War. Throughout this travel feature, we're sharing some photographs of monuments that we took on a recent visit, along with the monument's name. If you're planning a visit, you can check out this WEBSITE for a tour map, to help you find all of the monuments that you want to see.

Soldier's National Monument

Soldier's National Monument

One of the tallest and largest monuments that you'll see in the Gettysburg National Cemetery is this beautiful Soldier's National Monument which draws in thousands, upon thousands of visitors every year. You can see it from most areas in the cemetery, so it's not hard to find. It's located not far from where President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address.

New York State Monument

Another tall monument in the cemetery is the New York State Monument which is very tall and located in a different section. A lot of visitors get the two tallest monuments in the cemetery confused, so I've included photos of each one to help you discern the difference between the two. Both are equally gorgeous to see! 

Throughout the cemetery and around some of the monuments you'll see some old cannons. If your a Civil War artillery buff, I think you'll appreciate seeing them on your tour. Almost everything you see in the cemetery will have an informational plaque on it or nearby to give you information on what you're viewing. If its your first visit, I would suggest doing the guided-tour, but if you've been there before and know your Civil War history, a self-guided tour would be fine.

Overall, it takes us about 1 1/2 hours to go through the cemetery. When we visit, we really do take our time to read all of the presented information, to take photos and often times we'll find a park bench and sit down to people watch. Its a really nice place to visit and if you're visiting Gettysburg, it's a must-see and do!

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