Whether you are coming into town on Friday or Saturday, leaving after the wedding, or spending a bit more time in town, here is some helpful information.

Driving directions:

    Driving directions are probably most easily found at mapquest.com. If you are coming from points south, you have two main options.  If you are closer to Rt. 70, take that west until you reach Rt. 15 North, Gettysburg.  Take this to the Rt. 97 exit, Baltimore Street.  Follow this into town and you will come upon the Hotel when you reach the traffic circle.  If you live off of 695 or 95, you may want to take 695 towards Towson, and exit at 795.  Follow this until you reach Rt. 140, and exit there, towards Westminster.  You will be on this road for approx. 15 miles before exiting on Rt. 97, North, Gettysburg.  You will stay on Rt. 97 for approximately 35-40 minutes before reaching the circle and the Hotel. The address of the hotel is 1 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA 17325.  If you need any help with directions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Flight:

    If you are flying in for the wedding, there are two airports that offer the closest service.  The first is Harrisburg International Airport (HIA).  Harrisburg is a small airport, but is located less than one hour’s drive from Gettysburg.  It services most major airlines, including Continental, Delta, United and US Airways.  It is recommended that you rent a car for your stay, as it will make getting around much easier, and parking is relatively inexpensive in the parking garage near the hotel. In-terminal car rental companies include Avis, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.  Off-site companies include Alamo, Budget, Dollar, and Enterprise.  To drive from the airport to Gettysburg, take PA-230 West.  Merge onto the Harrisburg/Lancaster ramp and follow the signs for PA-283.  Once on 283, look for signs for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76.  Take the turnpike west toward Pittsburgh.  You will exit at US-15 South, and pay a small toll.  Merge onto US-15 and follow to the Hanover Street exit towards Gettysburg.  Follow Hanover St. until you pass through a light, and merge with York Street.  Follow York for approximately 3 blocks until you reach the square (which is really a traffic circle).  The Gettysburg Hotel will be on your right as you enter the circle.  This trip is approximately 50 miles., but takes about 1 hour.

    You may also choose to fly into BWI.  BWI is much larger, and services AirTran, American, America West, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Northwest, Southwest, United, and US Airways, among others.  It is again recommended that you rent a car, but make sure there are no restrictions on taking your rental car out of the state of Maryland. BWI has a car rental facility that houses Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.  If you drive from BWI to Gettysburg, follow I-195 out of the airport and exit at I-95 North, Baltimore.  Exit I-95 at I-695 Towson.  Follow I-695 for approximately 10 miles until exit 17, Rt. 70 West.  Merge onto Rt. 70 west and follow for approximately 35 miles.  Exit at Rt. 15 north, Gettysburg.  Follow Rt. 15 for approximately 30 miles to the Hanover Street exit. Exit towards Gettysburg and follow to a light at York Street.  Merge with York street and follow for approximately 3 blocks until you reach the square (which is really a traffic circle).  The Gettysburg Hotel will be on your right as you enter the circle.  The trip is approximately 75 miles, but takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Lodging:

            A block of rooms has been earmarked for our guests for both Friday and Saturday.  To make reservations, please contact the hotel directly at (717) 337-2000 or (800) 528-1234.  Their website is www.hotelgettysburg.com.  Please mention that you are part of the Cook-Kiehl wedding.  While there are a variety of hotels in Gettysburg that range in cost, the Gettysburg Hotel is centrally located on the square and is quite convenient.  Standard double rooms will run $119.00 and king bed rooms will run $159.00.  You can make your reservations as early as today, or as late as May 24th to lock in that rate.  If you would like split the cost of the room, you may also want to consider sharing a room with friends – many come with two beds.

Places to eat:

There are many more than those listed here, but I have eaten at each of these.  If you are interested in eating where the locals eat, definitely hit Lincoln Diner (or LD’s), The Blue Parrott, and Ernie’s Texas Lunch.  Historical restaurants include the Farnswoth House, Dobbin House, Herr Tavern and the Cashtown Inn.  These are more fancy and higher in price.  There are also a few coffee houses in town – the Hard Bean and Ross’ Reads are two.  You may also want to have a traditional tea – there are a few tea houses including Thistlefields and Civil-la-tea.

There are quite a few restaurant choices in town.  Here is a list of those most convenient to the hotel, and the type of fare offered.

• The Pub and Restaurant – Good food as long as you don’t run into the owner (if you do, don’t say Kiehl) – 20-22 Lincoln Square
• Lincoln Diner – The Double T of Gettysburg, the name says it all – 32 Carlisle St.
• Mama Ventura’s – Itilian fare – 13 Chambersburg St.
• The Blue Parrott – Bistro fare – 35 Chambersburg St.
• Ernie’s Texas Lunch – known for hot dogs, but great burgers too – 58 Chambersburg St.
• The Plaza – more of a local hangout, light food, smoky environment – 2-8 Baltimore St.

• Farnsworth House – Small menu of battle period foods – 401 Baltimore St.
• Dobbin House – Dressy main dining, but casual cellar dining; waiters in period costumes – 89 Steinwehr Ave.
• Gingerbread Man – Pub style fare with a large menu – 217 Steinwehr Ave.
• Gettysbrew – Pub style fare with its own brew of beer – 248 Hunterstown Road.
• Friendly’s – Family friendly and good ice cream – 455 Steinwehr Ave.
• Herr Tavern – a bit dressy with a classy menu – 900 Chambersburg Rd.
• Cashtown Inn – featured in the movie Gettysburg, dressy restaurant – 1325 Old Rt. 30
• O’Rourke’s Irish Pub – As the name says, pub fare with Irish flare – 44 Steinwehr Ave. 
• Lupita’s – Mexican, run by Mexican residents of the town – 51 West St.

Things to do:

            Although there are events planned specifically for wedding guests and friends, there is much to do in Gettysburg. Please visit www.gettysburg.com for more details on anything you see listed below, and much more. If you are going to make a little vacation out of this weekend, here are some suggested things to do.

• Gettysburg Battlefield tours (if you don’t take ours)
• Land of the Little Horses (a little creepy for me, but kids like it)
• Ghost Tours (if you don’t take ours)
• Eisenhower Farm (can only go by bus tour)
• Gettysburg Scenic Railway
• Gettysburg College- walk around the grounds and look at the buildings.  It is by far the most  beautiful college campus I have seen.