Totally overwhelmed by the influx of tourists visiting its namesake battleground, the town of Gettysburg (pop. 7,490) has survived both onslaughts remarkably unscathed. Despite the presence of sundry tourist attractions—wax museums, various multimedia reenactments of the battle and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, even a Lincoln Train Museum displaying over a thousand model trains that include a scale replica of the one Lincoln rode here in—once the day-tripping crowds have dispersed Gettysburg is actually a very pleasant place, with rows of brick-fronted buildings lining Baltimore and York streets out from the circle at the center of town.
There are, not surprisingly, quite a few places to eat, including the atmospheric and inexpensive Dobbin House, south of town at 89 Steinwehr Avenue, serving above-average pub food in Gettysburg’s oldest building. The same building doubles as the Gettystown Inn ($95 and up; 717/334-2100), a moderately priced and pleasant B&B. The dozens of other places to stay include all the usual national chains, plus the circa-1797 Gettysburg Hotel ($95 and up; 717/337-2000) on Lincoln Square right at the center of town.
