For Valentine's Day I got my husband and I an overnight at a lodge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I did a search for B&Bs in the area and came up with The Lodges of Gettysburg. I've never planned anything for he and I because he's the one who usually does. He was pretty excited to get away even if it was only overnight.
Thankfully Gettysburg is only a few hours drive from us. If I remember right, I picked the last weekend before the prices went up on nearly all of the places to stay in the area. With spring around the corner, winter is definitely the time to get a reasonable price. I'm telling you, traveling during the off season is the way to go.
There are definitely pluses and minuses going during an off season. To start with for the plus side, the prices are better if you're looking for a one night stay or for the weekend. Another plus is that it's lacking all of the tourists. The minus would be that not all of the shops are open or they open later than usual.
Since we were getting to our lodge later in the evening, Fred did some research before we left and decided we'd eat at The Historic Farnsworth House. It's a bed and breakfast as well as a dining room. Our menu came as a scroll. I got to try food I've never had before. There was pickled watermelon rind which to me was absolutely disgusting. I have it on good authority that people, especially those in the South, love it. We also had Southern Spoonbread. It kind of reminded me of bread pudding and rice pudding when it came to texture and appearance. For our main courses, Fred had the game pie and I had the chicken pot pie. We both loved our food and our server. The house was just surrounded by history.
Our lodge was upgraded. I had chosen the cheapest accommodation (Corporal's Quarters) because I knew we were going to get there late and only be there overnight. A king size bed and a bathroom was all we needed. Well, once I saw our upgrade to the Captain's Lodge, I had wished I'd booked the entire weekend and I didn't want to leave the next morning. We had a HUGE main room with the king size bed and a couple of dresses. I loved that there was an electric fireplace in the corner already keeping the room warm. We had a kitchenette, which we didn't need, but would've been great for an extended stay. The bathroom was stunning with slate everywhere and a really large closet. The exposed beams in the main room were incredible, and there was a fan light over the bed.
The next morning, we had a better view of the surrounding area on the grounds. Out the back side of our lodge was a patio with a couple of Adirondack chairs. As beautiful as the view was in winter, I could only imagine what it looks like in the spring and summer. We headed down to the main lodge to have breakfast. There was only one other couple in there. They had a pretty basic offering, but I'd imagine with as few people staying there, they wouldn't have much. There was enough to make me full, that's for sure! I didn't realize they had a ballroom for weddings and events. What I also like about The Lodges at Gettysburg is that some of the lodges hold up to 8 people which would be great for a whole family getaway. They also have packages for families & couples to enjoy. Can you tell I want to go back already?
As much as I didn't want to leave, there was the mandatory check out time, so we headed into town. We started off with coffee at Eighty Two Cafe. I'm guessing it might be the only coffee place in town. Then we proceeded to walk around the little town of Gettysburg for the next 5 hours. lol We had no idea that we were going to walk up and down it numerous times. Pap invited us to go to dinner with him so we had to find something to do.
We tried to go into every store that was open. Gettysburg Emporium has incredible outfits that resemble the Civil War era clothes. And listen, if I ever went to an event where we had to dress up, this is where I'd get my outfit from. I was also excited to find out there's a shop called Gettysburg Polish Pottery. What a strange place for a store like that, but I'm pretty sure I spent about an hour there and came away with my first piece of Polish pottery!
We ate lunch at Hunt's Battlefield Fries. Not a lot of seating and it was very "cozy". The gal who waited on us was extremely pleasant. We got there just in time because the next thing we knew, there were a lot of people in the entryway. We offered to share our table with some other people and they accepted! I love that.
After lunch we decided to walk over to the Jennie Wade house to see if any tours were available. We were the last 2 for the one coming up. Great timing! We had a man dressed in period clothing give us a tour and tell us all kinds of stories about what might've gone on during the time of Jennie Wade's shooting. She was the only civilian killed during the Gettysburg battle. Seeing those beds I'm thankful for the mattresses that we have these days!
Wandering around more we made our way into A Lil' Something Gettysburg where Fred was able to sample lots of salsas. I think we went into the Country Curiosity Store at Dobbin House several times. Once it was just to look around, once it was to get out of the cold, and last was while we were waiting for dinner. Of course you can't go to Gettysburg and not visit a place that has some history. We walked through Gettysburg Museum of History and that was interesting to say the least. The number of items they have that are historic was pretty mind blowing.
I'm sure there are places I can't remember we popped into to burn the time until dinner. We thought we were going to have a late dinner so we grabbed some ice cream at Mr. G's Ice Cream. Needless to say, I was wrong and we were sitting down for dinner about an hour later at the Springhouse Tavern inside Dobbin House. That was a pretty cool experience. I wish I could've eaten something other than the Baked King's Onion Soup, but my stomach literally hurt from all of the eating we'd done that day!
Gettysburg is an incredible place to visit even if you don't do any of the tours (which we've done in the past). You also don't have to be a history buff to enjoy the little town. It's a great place for an overnight getaway or even an extended weekend when it's more bustling and there's more to do.
