Autumn in Gettysburg: Fall 2023 Essential Guide

Every year when autumn arrives, Gettysburg Pennsylvania is transformed by the cooling weather and emerging autumnal splendor of the Fall season, the shortening days casting a golden glow over the famous town’s historical scenery to mark the waning year. When the harvest season arrives, both longtime residents and newly-welcomed visitors experience true joy exploring the streets and pathways of the famous town, uncovering the many hidden treasures arrayed amongst the memorials of the Civil War, including various local museums, quaint cafés, and amiable shops.

Autumn in Gettysburg offers a wealth of activities for visitors and locals alike, the town’s remarkable historical heritage and seasonal ambiance providing a cornucopia of experiences to please even the most discerning traveler. Regardless of whether you are a student of history, a nature enthusiast, or simply a visitor in search of an enjoyable means of experiencing the glorious Central Pennsylvania harvest season, there’s always something wonderful waiting for you in Gettysburg when Fall rolls around!

Autumn Activities in Gettysburg

Tours

Bus Tours

Tour the Gettysburg Battlefield on an iconic open-air double-decker bus (weather permitting) or enjoy a climate-controlled coach. Both are available with a National Park Service licensed guide.

Tours depart from the Gettysburg Tour Center located at 777 Suite 100 Baltimore Street beside Ghostly Images of Gettysburg and near the National Cemetery. There is plenty of free parking at the Tour Center for your bus tour!

Click HERE for more info!

Sunset Double Decker Tour

Experience the evening serenity of the bucolic Gettysburg Battlefield aboard an open-air  Double Decker Bus. As you ride through the battlefield, listen to the narrative of a Licensed Battlefield Guide as they relate all the details of the famous battle, while experiencing the dramatic sunset across the scenic fields from the perfect vantage point. Tours run throughout the Fall. Planning a Gettysburg visit? Reserve your spot today!

Click HERE for more info!

Ghostly Images of Gettysburg Walking Tours

Interested in experiencing the supernatural side of this autumn destination? Ghostly Images of Gettysburg offers three walking tours… The Spirits of Jennie Wade Tour, the Haunted Orphanage Tour, and the Ghostly Encounter Tour where your guide will be a GHOST. You’ll have your choice of two haunted houses to explore during your 90-minute tour. It’s creepy fun for everyone!

Click HERE for more info!

Festivals

Labor Day Weekend Corn Blowout

Sep 2, 2023

Come join us for Our 3rd annual Labor Day Corn Blowout at the Marketplace at Gettysburg. They plant a LOT of corn and they will have a lot to sell. Get it while it lasts! This is by far the biggest corn weekend of the year!

Click HERE for more info!

19th Annual Gettysburg Wine & Music Festival

Sep 9-10, 2023

Enjoy a fall weekend at Central PA’s premier wine festival. Savor hundreds of wines from a multitude of Pennsylvania wineries, spirits from Pennsylvania distilleries, and enjoy great live music.

Chairs, portable tents (with the proper ticket and in the designated areas), and blankets are welcome.

Click HERE for more info!

Fall Harvest Festival and Grandparents Weekend

Sep 9-10, 2023

Join in the fun on Opening Day of Fields of Adventure’s 14th annual Fall Harvest Festival, Saturday, September 9. Enjoy activities for all ages and delight in all your favorite fall foods. The festival kicks off with over 25+ attractions including these new ones: Bubble Barns, Rooster Rollers, and a revamped petting zoo barn. There is a large corn maze and mini maze with different difficulty levels.

Celebrate Grandparents Day on September 9 and 10 (Grandparents enjoy 1/2 off their regular admission when purchasing admission for their grandchildren).

Click HERE for more info!

2nd Annual Fall Fest

Sep 16, 2023

Join in the fun at the 2nd Annual Fall Fest at The Marketplace at Gettysburg. Enjoy a day full of awesome local vendors, food, wine, kid’s games, crafts, and more.

Click HERE for more info!

Adams County Heritage Festival 2023

Sep 17, 2023

The Adams County Heritage Festival is a celebration of ethnic music, food, and crafts that reflects the multicultural atmosphere of Adams County. It is a way of sharing our various traditions and appreciating the best that each ethnic group has to offer, as well as a commitment to community and the goal of living together in harmony.

Family-oriented entertainment features musical performances, storytelling, a dance/drum group, a bicycle parade for children, a special Children’s Activities area, and the highly popular Passport Program linked with international displays.

Click HERE to learn more!

10th Annual Sweet Potato Festival

Sep 16-17, 2023

Head out to Thomason’s Olde Thyme Herb Farm and Gift Shop for all things sweet potato!

Sweet potato fries, soup, funnel cakes, whoopie pies, and more. Live music ALL DAY both days, craft vendors, face painting, and alpacas. Come out for Food, Music, and Sweet Fun!

Click HERE for more info!

Street Food Fiesta! // ¡Fiesta de Comida Callejera!

Sep 9, 16, 23

The Adams County Farmers Market is excited to host our first annual Street Food Fiesta in partnership with Casa de la Cultura! This event is meant to be a celebration of Central- and South American culinary traditions as well as a chance to highlight Latino-owned businesses in our community.

Click HERE for more info!

Pippinfest 2023

Sep 23-24, 2023

Welcome to the 42nd community wide celebration of the Pippin Apple Harvest. The Borough of Fairfield and the Pippinfest Committee invite you to join us for two days of fun, food, crafts and entertainment. Enjoy walking down Main Street full of craft vendors. Fun for kids located on Steelman Street. The Festival is held rain or shine.

Click HERE for more info!

Gettysburg Bacon Festival

Sep 23, 2023

Prepare your taste buds for an unforgettable celebration of sizzling, crispy goodness at Gettysburg Bacon Fest! Enjoy a day of mouthwatering flavors, smokin’ aromas, and bacon-themed delights that will leave you in a state of pure joy. With family-friendly activities, live music and entertainment, great food and treats, craft and market vendors, fun-filled contests and prizes, carnival games of chance, and all the bacon your heart desires!

Click HERE to learn more!

Harvest Fest at the Farm Winery

Sep 30, 2023

Happy Harvest Season! Are you ready for fall wine, grape stomping, live music, and more? Then don’t miss the annual Harvest Fest at the Farm Winery. Live music, wood-fired pizzas and  and appetizers. Wine by the glass or bottle, wine flights, wine slushies, local brews, and non-alcoholic options available. Children are always welcome at the Winery with supervision. We are pet friendly at the Farm Winery only. No outside alcohol is permitted. This is a rain-or-shine event.

Click HERE to learn more!

National Apple Harvest Festival

Oct 7-8 & 14-15, 2023

Located in the heart of Pennsylvania Apple country, The National Apple Harvest Festival has been celebrating the fall season with beautiful handmade crafts, delicious food, and jam-packed entertainment for 56 years! The Festival has something for everyone with special attractions ranging from steam engine displays, live music, antique cars, orchard tours,  pony rides, tastings, craftsman demonstrations, and nearly every apple food that comes to mind, from apple pie to nontraditional treats like apple guacamole!

Click HERE to learn more!

Museums

Jennie Wade House

Experience the historic tale of Jennie Wade, the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. Authentically furnished from cellar to attic, the Jennie Wade House is a shrine to Jennie and her life during the American Civil War. Guides in period attire who are well-versed in the history of the home will captivate visitors with passionate retellings of the battle and Jennie’s fate. Artifacts from that fatal day in 1863 are on display to illustrate the events that befell Jennie and her family. History comes alive, as seen through Jennie’s eyes.

Click HERE for more info!

Shriver House Museum

Dedicated to civilian experience. Guided tour of Shriver family’s home and business: Shriver’s Saloon & Ten-Pin Alley. One of the wealthiest families in town, their home was occupied by Confederate sharpshooters; two soldiers killed in the house. Live civil war bullets discovered during 1996 restoration. Period garden; bullet holes. Allow 1 hour.

Click HERE for more info!

Seminary Ridge Museum

Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge Museum features three areas of emphasis not focused on anywhere else in Gettysburg including the First Day Battle, July 1, 1863, on the very site where it happened, Civil War field medicine in the building that was the largest Field Hospital at Gettysburg; and the larger issues of Faith and Freedom.  Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Click HERE for more info!

Gettysburg Heritage Center

Witness the town of Gettysburg through the eyes of the civilians. Interactive displays, 3-D videos, artifacts and storyboard panels tell the story in a way that will entertain and educate the entire family!

Included is the Civil War Trust’s award-winning “Gettysburg: Animated Map,” movie; the perfect orientation to the battle and the battlefield!

Click HERE for more info!

Gettysburg History Center Presents The Gettysburg Diorama

Stand face to face with those whose roles shaped and created the Battle of Gettysburg. Enlighten your senses with a walk-through of Pickets Charge as the battle unfolds around you. See the famous Gettysburg Diorama presenting the Battle of Gettysburg in a fully narrated, truly unique and original light and sound experience.

Click HERE for more info!

Gettysburg Beyond The Battle Museum

The recently opened Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum is located inside the new home of the Adams County Historical Society, a 29,000-square-foot complex. It features twelve galleries of immersive exhibits exploring more than three centuries of American history, all from the perspective of one very famous community.

In addition, the museum hosts frequent history programs for all ages inside a stunning event venue and education center overlooking the battlefield. The complex also includes an extensive library and archives where researchers can access some of Gettysburg’s rarest archival holdings, including hundreds of civilian accounts from the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Click HERE for more info!

The WWII American Experience

This museum and education center strives to educate the public about American sacrifices made during the world’s largest conflict of the 20th century, both on the battlefield and on the Homefront. Here you can experience a wide variety of authentic WWII vehicles, uniforms and artifacts, arrayed in realistic dioramas and exhibits that portray not just the battlefield, but the Homefront as well.

Click HERE for more info!

Visit Gettysburg in Person

Plan your next excursion with us! Our bus tours of the historic Gettysburg Battlefield are active and ready to show you the sites of the historical battleground. Reservations can be made by calling our toll-free number at 877-680-8687. You can also purchase bus tour tickets online.  Tours depart from the Gettysburg Tour Center located at 777 Baltimore St., Suite 100.