<div class="xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs">“History Kids” Reading Adventures Club includes books and activities for kids ages 4 to 10, and this year’s theme is “250 Years of Change-Makers” to commemorate 250 years of American history.</div>
<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s">All programs are free of charge.</div>
<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s">Join us inside the theater at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.</div>

A park ranger reads to a group of children.

"History Kid's" Reading Adventure

Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, this popular eight-week Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) Museum and Visitor Center in 2026! The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center from January 10 through March 8, 2026. Seating is available on a first come – first serve basis. Free tickets are available day of at the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
This week:
Ranger Susan Ashman, Springfield Armory National Historical Park During and after the Civil War, thousands of firearms were sent back to Springfield Armory. Some of these with soldier’s names, battles fought, artwork, and sweethearts – all carved in the stock. Similar to books on a library shelf, historic firearms have a story to tell. Most remain silent, but some are waiting for their story to be told, anonymous no longer. From a family farm in Tennessee to the Battle of Franklin, Finding R.H. Weakley is one of those stories. Sadly, not all have a happy ending.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: Finding R.H. Weakley

Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, this popular eight-week Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) Museum and Visitor Center in 2026! The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center from January 10 through March 8, 2026. Seating is available on a first come – first serve basis. Free tickets are available day of at the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
This week:
Ranger Karlton Smith, Gettysburg National Military Park Join Ranger Karlton Smith as he peels back the layers of myth to explore the real man behind the lore. Through contemporary accounts and evolving historiography, this engaging talk reexamines General Joseph Hooker's controversial choices during the war and confronts the legends that have long clouded his legacy. Come ready to question what you think you know about "Fighting Joe" and discover a story as complex as the Civil War itself.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: The Legends and Lies of Joe Hooker

Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, this popular eight-week Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) Museum and Visitor Center in 2026! The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center from January 10 through March 8, 2026. Seating is available on a first come – first serve basis. Free tickets are available day of at the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
This week:
Ranger John Nicholas, Gettysburg National Military Park While battles raged across American soil, another struggle unfolded in quiet rooms and diplomatic courts across the ocean. Join Ranger John Nicholas to explore how Union leaders worked to prevent foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and how President Lincoln’s shrewd diplomatic strategy—summed up in his phrase “One war at a time”—helped preserve the Union by keeping Europe out of America’s Civil War. Discover the high-stakes world of Civil War diplomacy and the international threads woven into the Gettysburg story.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: One War at a Time- Diplomacy during the Civil War

Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, this popular eight-week Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) Museum and Visitor Center in 2026! The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center from January 10 through March 8, 2026. Seating is available on a first come – first serve basis. Free tickets are available day of at the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
This week:
Tyone &amp; Sue Cornbower Visitors can step back in time for a historical audio-visual experience reminiscent of magic lantern shows of the past. Guests can view images from original magic lantern slides projected through the lenses of an 1890s stereopticon, accompanied with narration and music played on an 1880s portable parlor organ. Cornbower is the operator and narrator for the evening, along with Sue Cornbower providing music on the organ.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: In Camp & Field 1861-1865- The Civil War Through the Lenses of the Stereopticon

Auto and ATV

Scenic Driving

Biking

Food

Guided Tours

Self-Guided Tours - Walking

Self-Guided Tours - Auto

Bus/Shuttle Guided Tour

Hiking

Horse Trekking

Horseback Riding

Living History

Reenactments

Historic Weapons Demonstration

Junior Ranger Program

Wildlife Watching

Birdwatching

Park Film

Museum Exhibits

Shopping

Bookstore and Park Store

Gift Shop and Souvenirs

Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite

National Cemetery

Medicine

Hospital

Military

Infantry and Militia

Artillery

Cavalry

Battlefields

Monuments and Memorials

Presidents

Religion and Spirituality

Churches

Schools and Education

Transportation

Trains and Railroads

Wars and Conflicts

Civil War

Animals

Birds

Tortoises and Turtles

Fire

Grasslands

Prairies

Meadows

Scenic Views

Wetlands

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".

A canon sits in front of an equestrian statue.

The Henry Slocum Monument

The Mississippi Monument at sunrise

The Irish Brigade Monument

The Soldiers' National Cemetery during special illumination event

A ranger-led interpretive program

A rainbow over the Abraham Brian Farm on Cemetery Ridge

The Cyclorama painting

The view from Little Round Top

Gettysburg

The battlefield and roads are open thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty minutes after sunset.
Visitors can plan their visit and obtain a listing of sunrise and sunset times by day in Gettysburg, PA at: https://sunrise-sunset.org/us/gettysburg-pa.

Battlefield Hours

Day	Hours
Friday	Sunrise to Sunset
Monday	Sunrise to Sunset
Sunday	Sunrise to Sunset
Tuesday	Sunrise to Sunset
Saturday	Sunrise to Sunset
Thursday	Sunrise to Sunset
Wednesday	Sunrise to Sunset

Gettysburg National Military Park

Park Photos

Activities

Operating Hours

Weather info

Events

"History Kid's" Reading Adventure

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: Finding R.H. Weakley

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: The Legends and Lies of Joe Hooker

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: One War at a Time- Diplomacy during the Civil War

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: In Camp & Field 1861-1865- The Civil War Through the Lenses of the Stereopticon

Date(s)

Plan

Get Involved

Gettysburg National Military Park

Info

Park Photos

Activities

Operating Hours

Weather info

Events

"History Kid's" Reading Adventure

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: Finding R.H. Weakley

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: The Legends and Lies of Joe Hooker

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: One War at a Time- Diplomacy during the Civil War

Date(s)

2026 Winter Lecture Series: In Camp & Field 1861-1865- The Civil War Through the Lenses of the Stereopticon

Date(s)