October 16, 2019 • 43 mins
For the final episode of our first season, we're changing things up just a little bit. This episode is our first one highlighting a national park service unit that isn’t a technical national park. But Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania is no less amazing. It’s the kind of place every student in America learns about growing up, and maybe even visits. And especially from a historical perspective, it’s one of the biggest bucket-list destinations in the country.
We also cover our trip to nearby Hershey!
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was read by Winston Tharp.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
When we first moved into our RV and started traveling
the country, we initially were mainly interested in national parks,
specifically meaning places like the Everglades, blad Lands, and even
Carl's Bad Caverns. Yeah, and there's actually a lot of
confusion and blurred lines when it comes to national parks
because even though there are currently only sixty one technical
(00:26):
national parks, the National Park Service overseas more than four
hundred units across the country. This includes national recreation areas,
national reserves, national seashores, national monuments, national military parks, etcetera. Yeah,
it really shows the depth and diversity of America's national
park system. There's just so much more to see and
learn about on our travels than just the highlights of
(00:48):
national parks. Exactly. Yes, and speaking of national military parks,
today's episode is our first one highlighting a National Park
Service unit that is at a technical national park. But
Gettysburg Sational Military Park is no less amazing. It's kind
of that place that every student in America learns about
growing up and maybe even visits. Especially from historical perspective,
(01:09):
It's one of the biggest bucket list destinations in the country.
I would completely agree with that, and I'm really glad
we're talking about Gettysburg today and that we visited this
amazing place. It was a real eye opener, I think
for both of us and hopefully for other national park
enthusiasts everywhere too. Hi. I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This
is the park Landia Podcast from my Heart Radio. We
(01:31):
packed up our loft in Chicago, moved into an r V,
and now we're chopping the country full time with our
dog Finn, exploring America's national park. And today we're talking
about Gettysburg National Military Park. Ever since learning about Gettysburg
(01:52):
in school, probably junior high time, for me, I had
always been fascinated by it and I've always wanted to
visit the Civil War there was always like one of
the most endlessly interesting history subjects for me. You know,
I think that Gettysburg has just been one of those
parts that inspired me to join the Marines. I mean, wow,
huge finding out about that history growing up, Um, it
(02:16):
just it was inspiring in my history classes. You know,
it's huge. It's a very very significant area event military park.
This will war obviously in general, but Gettysburg I feel
like like exemplifies such a pivotal moment for that war
and for America in general. So it was always really
(02:37):
fascinating to learn about it and always one of these
places that's so iconic and that I had been dying
to visit, but it was kind of, yeah, kind of
on the backburner, kind of out of the way. It's
not there's no like, it's not in a major city.
You can't easily fly in and out of it. So
this is a prime example of how the RV just
makes it so accessible and easy, and how we're able
(03:00):
to enjoy it fully in our own way. Yeah, it's
really about enjoying the in between when you're in the
r V and you're getting to explore all these different
elements of the United States other than the big highlights
like the big cities, the big national parks. Yeah, there's
some oceans, the big beaches. You know, we get to
see so much more beauty of our country everything else. Yes,
(03:21):
And I was really excited when you told me we're
going here because I didn't know about it. We hadn't
really talked about it seriously anyway. It was a total
surprise for me, and I was flying back into Baltimore
the Baltimore Airport. I think I was in shoot, like
I was in Chicography, like a week or so, and
then like the day before I was flying into Baltimore,
where you're going to pick me up. You texted me
to tell me that you reserved in our v site
(03:43):
near Gettysburg for a week, and I was like, oh, amazing, Wow. Yeah.
It was running between some work events for myself, and
I was traveling up and down the East Coast doing
these sugar Loaf craft events selling barrel aged maple syrups,
and Matt was meeting me after I spent the work
a week in Maryland and um right near Baltimore, and
since I had a couple of weeks off between events,
(04:04):
I thought it was the perfect opportunity to drive up
and spend some time exploring a different part of Pennsylvania
that neither of us have really seen. Yeah, Pennsylvania in
general was the state that I had very little experienced with,
and I think you're the same way. Prior to this
event series, Sugarloaf is great. I'm glad that you did
that because it the way earth Formative was really nice,
Like you would do events for a few days and
then a half a week or sometimes even two weeks between,
(04:26):
so that we could explore like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Baltimore,
all these places that neither of us had really any
experience with. So that was great. And yeah, so in
this instance, I was especially excited because not only is
Gettysburg in this area of Pennsylvania kind of like south central,
(04:46):
not quite central, it's more eastern, but not only is
getty Gettysburg there, but also Hershey, Pennsylvania, another place that's
been on my personal bucket list for entirely different reasons.
In Gettysburg, of course, but both places that I'm like
of aways wanted to go here, but I've never fully
researched how to make it happen or like why I
would do this on my own, I guess, So I'm
(05:07):
glad it worked out this way. Yeah, Gettysburg and Hearses
are about his opous you can get but they're conveniently
close together as long as you stay somewhere in the
middle like we did. Um called town York Yeah right, Yeah,
York was very It was good, a good like happy
medium and made both locations very accessible and ultimately it
(05:28):
was really good. But I remember when we were staying
in York and like playing out to the r V park.
Me being such an anxious, restless person, I was initially
kind of worried that I would get board here or
antsy for like a week, knowing full while they were
gonna be it for a week. And I had been
accustomed to these like larger than life national parks with
endless hiking opportunities, So I'm like, what am I gonna do? Yeah,
(05:50):
that's true. You can get really angsty really quick, and
especially if you're like stuck and you can't venture off
on your own. Trying to take that bike. Oh never,
it's a single speed bike. It almost built for the city,
and yeah, not for hell. I was in a lot
of pain. I tried. I researched, and I found this
like hiking trail most kind of I used to be
(06:12):
like a rare road track. Now it's a trails to
the wood, which is really pretty. But it was like
six or seven miles when we were staying, and I
was like, maybe I'll just take your bike. Big mistake. Yeah,
that bike was not meant for hills. I thought my
legs were gonna light on fire and my muscles were
gonna melt. Were drenched when you got back to the
art awful because like, I love hiking, and I hike
(06:32):
a lot, but biking is just I'm using different like
my muscles that I'm not accustomed to, and it like
drains the life out of me. And then I remember
getting to that trail and I'm like, well, I'm already
pretty much dead, so how am I gonna go for
a hike now? Um? But whatever, I'm here now. So
clearly I worked out. And I remember during this week,
(06:54):
like in between our Gettysburg days and stuff, I remember
distracting myself by listening to the Beyonce Homecoming Live album
that had just come out, I think came out like
the week We're here. So I would literally just like
walk around the side roads and even like there was
essentially a freeway that would walk him the side of
because I was determined to just go for walks, and
(07:15):
here I was walking on the shoulder of a highway
essentially just zoned out listening to the Homecoming album with
earbuds in, and it was it was great. I mean
it kind of worked out. I guess. Yeah, thank god
we had like Beyonce to help save you from your boredom.
She always helps. Yeah, but um, you know, we also
(07:35):
saved today that week to drive out to Gettysburg. Um,
of course. And it's just about forty five minutes southwest
of where we are staying in New York. And easy drive, especially, um,
if you get an early start, or if you're like myself,
just like minutes feels like ten minutes of a drive. Yeah,
not bad, very doable. And that's another thing. Getting up
early and arriving early is always a good idea for
(07:57):
us in our r V because places like Gettysburg get
kind of crowded, especially this time of year, and especially
considering Gettysburg has more than one million annual visitors. And
that fact became immediately obvious when we saw the parking
lot later that afternoon. It was at capacity. So thankfully
we arrived when we did. Because we're driving in that
r V, we can't afford to delay our travels and
(08:19):
run out of parking spaces, even if they do have
r V designated, it's easy for things like this to
be taken up because we need the room. Yeah, we
need twenties six feet of parking space, and like National parks,
in places like Gettysburg usually almost always have RV designated spaces,
but there are kind of few and far between compared
(08:42):
to car spaces, so and sometimes cars parking working them,
which is like, what are you doing? This is not
for you, oh God, but well, yeah, that happens. It happens.
We made it worked out for us anyway. Museum unfortunately,
we got there in the morning and we're able to
make a bee line for the visitor center, which was
(09:03):
absolutely beautiful. It really was. I mean it was just massive.
I mean, a modern facility doubled as a museum and
a theater, and you know, I even had a couple
of cafes. I mean, there's just a lot here. And
there was plenty of helpful rangers to give you ideas
for where to go, what to do, who to see.
It was very well staffed. Yeah, and just huge and pristine,
(09:24):
very contemporary. And don't forget about the able Lincoln statue
out front. That was so cool and apparently a very
popular spot for photos. Unsurprisingly, also another reason to get
there early because that was a able Lincoln statue was
like a mosh pit later and that yeah, no, we
definitely had to snap a selfie with a before getting
in a two crowd right right, and then kind of
(09:46):
tying it back to the Beyonce thing. I remember posting
that phototo Facebook with the caption you mean Abe, and
I captioned it saying the Destiny's Child of Gettysburg. It
was a big, big head on social media. Everyone was huge.
That was really awesome. I don't think we we're like
talked about who we would be in each you know,
Destiny Child's member. Okay, well, obviously as Beyonce. Yeah, I
(10:07):
think that's clear. As much as I'm jealous of that,
a would be Beyonce front and center and then no offense.
But I think I'm probably Kelly. There's no offense taken. Oh,
I'm totally Michelle in this. Yeah, well you have to
own a Michelle is underrated. I think she's great and
it's not like you're like one of the original group
members who was kicked out of Destiny Shallott or anything.
So anyway, anyway, we've got to give more props to
(10:30):
the visitor center because it's one of the best things
I think I've ever seen, or that we've seen. Really.
I mean, it's actually operated by the Gettysburg Foundation and
that works with the National Park service to educate visitors
about all the different military park and civil wars. Yeah,
they do an amazing job and very thorough. And the
first thing you gotta do when you arrived at the
(10:51):
visitors center is get inline to buy tickets especially for
the film and something called the cyclo rama. Y Yeah,
because that stuff has the most likelihood of filling up
and there's only a limited amount of them per day.
So I had never even heard of this cyclorama before,
so I was very intrigued and we obviously needed to
(11:12):
see what this is all about. Yeah. I definitely lived
up to all the hype for sure. I mean with
our tickets. We had a timed entry to the film,
which was called a New Birth of Freedom. This was
screened on a in a large modern theater that actually
reminded me of like a regular high quality movie theater.
And one of the cool things wasn't who did the voicing?
(11:34):
Um like he killed it. Of course, He's always a
welcome surprise and perfect in this context. Like hearing Morgan
Freeman's voice talking about the Civil War in Gettysburgo's just
absolutely amazing and made it so much more emotional. Morgan
Freeman's voice is the Voice of America. Let's be weird beautiful. Yeah,
(11:57):
we love you so Yeah. This theater was really impressive.
Like the rest of the visitor Center, everything feels very new,
very polished in like kind of state of the art,
and this one was farmer modern than the typical visitor
center screening rooms we've been in. It had literally like
stadium seating, very comfy chairs, and it's the type of
(12:20):
theater that you want to spend like a couple of
hours in eating gummy worms, drinking soda or in our case,
soda with air quotes, because that usually means like a
little sneaky flask that you bring in. I don't know
what you're talking about. No, this was really winky emodi. Um. Yeah,
it was a really great movie experience. I mean, I'd
(12:41):
be happy to sit in there all afternoon. That would
be definitely be weird to be drinking out of a
flask at a Gettysburg film. Yeah, it's that's not a
good idea, but I was just really into it and
could I could absolutely sit there for hours. I totally agree.
But the movie is only about twenty minutes. It's narrative
(13:01):
by Morgan Freeman. Like we said, fantastic surprise. The Gettysburg
Visitor Center really pulled out all the stops with the
A listers on this one. Very impressive. Yeah, Morgan Freeman
is like the best narrator I could listen to talk
about any literally anything. He could narrate a fun book
and I would be weeping with the motion probably. So this, uh,
(13:22):
this movie really was a good primer on the Civil
War and the Battle of Gettysburg in particular, including in
the um the timeline of the steps that led into
this iconic event. Right, So, I obviously knew Gettysburg was
epic and iconic, but I had kind of forgotten about
a lot of the details since my junior high days
(13:43):
and this was a good refresher. And then even further
than that, not only did it refresh, but it like
informed me every on everything about Gettysburg, And like, I
feel like, instead of taking a whole history class in
junior high, I could have just watched this twenty minute
movie and got it all done in one go. Would
have probably been more impactful. It really would have. Yeah, Yeah,
it's I mean, it's really described as the turning point
(14:06):
in the war and the Union was finally able to
turn the tables on the Confederacy and pave the way
for victory of war. Yeah. So, up until this point,
until Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee was pretty much on a
tear through the North. He was gaining so much momentum
that the Union was struggling to keep them back. Now
and then there's another like national park tie in here
that we learned about two and since Lee actually led
(14:28):
his troops through the shen into a valley on his
way to Gettysburg, right, Yeah, I had no idea about
that as well. That was that was a fascinating little fact.
But it does make sense geographically since the Confederate troops
were heading there from Chancellorsville, Virginia, so making its way
through the Shenandoah area, which was not a National park
at the time. No, of course not, obviously not. But
(14:49):
his initial hopes were to keep pressing northward to add
more pressure to the Union, aiming to just weaken them
ultimately and then be able to succeed at Gettysburg and
then we'll hopefully make his way to Philadelphia eventually, and
then who knows what what happened after that. Yeah, everything
came to a head on July one, of eighteen sixty three.
(15:11):
At first, it seemed like Lee might be successful, since
on the first day of the battle, Confederate forces defeated M.
John Buford's Union forces on the northwest side of Gettysburg. Yeah.
And then the next stay, July two, was complete mayhem.
The Union formed this huge hook shaped defensive line and
the Confederacy made a full charge right into it. There
(15:32):
was a ton of bloody battles fought at sites like
Little Round Top, Peach Orchard, and Devil's Den, which sounds
appropriately ominous, I think. And then on July three, things
took a different turn. There was many losses on both sides. Um.
But Lee was too ambitious with his charge on the
Cemetery Ridge. Um. He had more than twelve thousand soldiers
leading the assault. But the Union's defensive line was too
(15:54):
strong with its rifles and artillery. Yeah. So this wound
up being a huge blow to the Confederacy, so much
so that Lee had to retreat back to Virginia. And
altogether there were about fifty soldiers killed over this three
days ban on both sides, which is absolutely horrific. Yeah,
it really is. And and then several months later Lincoln
visited Gettysburg for the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery, and
(16:20):
that's when he delivered his famous address. Four score and
seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the
(16:42):
proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are
engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation,
or any nation so conceived and so dedicated ken long endure.
We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
(17:05):
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field
as a final resting place for those who here gave
their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we should do this. But in
a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, We
(17:28):
cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor
power to add or detract. The world will little note
no long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here. It is for us,
(17:51):
the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished
work which they who fought here have thus far so
nobly advance. Ense it is rather for us to be
here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that
from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that
cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.
(18:17):
That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not
have died in vain, that this nation under God shall
have a new birth of freedom, and that government of
the people, by the people, for the people shall not
perish from this earth. Right now, we're gonna take a
(18:46):
quick break. I'm gonna come back. We're gonna explore more
of that amazing visitor center. Hi, I'm Matt and I'm Brad.
(19:26):
This is park Landia, and today we're talking about Gettysburg
National Military Park. Yes, so the movie and the Civil
War museum at the visitor center. We're both super informative
and very illuminating, even though a lot of the content
was hard to watch. Of course, this is very heartbreaking,
somber stuff. After the movie, the whole group we moved
(19:46):
into the Cyclorama, which is like this dark, domed room
that's part of an installation and a forty art show. Basically, Yeah,
basically I felt like we're on a field trip, just
migrating these big groups and then this was the culmination
and was incredible. I'd never done something like this before.
I'd never heard of something like this. It was amazing.
The room felt like one of those auditoriums planetariums, you know,
(20:08):
where you go sit down and like look up at
the domed ceiling the stars and stuff. But instead of
stars in this case, it's the cyclorama that's filled with
war torn Gettysburg. So it's somewhat graphic. It's um, not
too bloody or gristly, but like it definitely paints a picture. Literally, Yeah,
I gets you really emotional. I mean, the whole room
has a massive seven ft painting on the ceilings walls,
(20:32):
and it was created by that French painter M. Paul
Philoto Philip, I'm not sure if we're saying that right,
but um, and it's also forty two ft nie it's huge. Yeah.
So it's this massive oil painting that took a year
to make, quite an undertaking, and this painter he based
(20:53):
basis work on extensive studies of Gettysburg battlefield and time
spent here personally, and the paintings services the back job
for this immersive show with lights and sound effects that
kind of recreates the battle and brings it to life. Yeah,
it sounds a lot scary than it is, but it's
really not that dramatic as you might think. No, it's
not that bad. It's um it's doable for kids. Like,
(21:14):
it doesn't show people dying or anything or anything like
that or anything to um bloody. It's actually I thought
it was kind of beautiful and very impressive to the least,
and it's really special to be able to witness this
piece of history come to life almost in such a
vivid way and from such a unique vantage point like this. Yeah,
(21:36):
the lighting was really great on bringing in the depths
of battle and the depths of the field, and even
some like almost movement. It felt like it was like
the people were moving even though they were not. It
was just the like so all around you and above you.
It was insane and it was just a huge, huge
success in making me feel all the fields, all of them. Yeah.
After the cyclorama, though, we made our way through the
(21:58):
Gettysburg Museum of American Civil War. Yeah, seriously, you could
spend an entire day at this visitor center alone and
still there'd be tons to do and see. It's so
informative and enlightening. This museum was incredible, really set a
like high bar for visitor center museums. There's so much
here and so many rooms filled with one of the
largest collections of Civil War items in the world. Yeah,
(22:21):
I definitely believe that. I mean the museum is two
square feet no correction, twenty two thousand square feet um
and with all these interactive exhibits and short videos, basically
anything you could possibly wonder about the Civil Wars here,
from cannons to closing, to the woman of the war,
and even to the civilians who died. Yeah, I know
(22:43):
there's a lot here, and obviously it goes well beyond
Gettysbury too. There's a ton of intel about the battlefield
of Gettysburg, but really every aspect of the Civil War
and the people involved are highlighted in their own ways. Yeah,
that's the perfect place to stroll through before visiting the
battlefield itself, really, because you just go so much backstory, um,
and it's not all there, which is crazy to think about.
(23:03):
It's not all there, and there's so much more, but
there's so much there. Yes, this is the context that
we need it and that I think all visitors need
before you're heading out into the military park like itself,
because it just really prepares you and for you know,
I think like sets your emotions and like about the
(23:26):
strategies and why they've chose what they chose, and where
they were at and how they created the defensive lines,
like what exactly happened on the timeline. Everything. There's just
a lot and this did a very good job of
that battlefield. So from the visitor center, once you've made
your way through all of this, there's an easy paved
trail that winds through some woods to the heart of
(23:48):
the battlefield and also to Gettysburg Cemetery. Now this isn't
kind of park with like hiking trails obviously, I mean,
but there's so many scenic walks and iconic historic places. Yeah, exactly,
so not so much hiking, But I was more than
happy to travel back in time in this massive, sprawling
field that just and gac at the sheer size of
(24:11):
it and depth of it. It's all situated on a
sloping hill, most of which is a big meadow, and
it's lined with cannons and statues of generals and horses
and other monuments. Tons of cannons. I mean, the park
actually built a cannon shop to maintain and preserve more
than four D cannons in the field. Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah.
And like I said, the monuments here too are really striking.
(24:32):
There's even this huge spire shaped building that looks like
a mini Washington monument or something. And again, something that
I did not know existed here. Even though I learned
a lot about Silver and Gettysburg in school, I wasn't
really prepared for any of this. And this was the
perfect opportunity to get much closer look at the stuff
that we had just learned about in the visitor center.
(24:53):
I mean, it was cool to be actually be able
to hike through the cemetery ridge where most of the
fighting occurred on July two and third. Yeah, and also
the Soldiers National Cemetery to that's there, and this is
where Lincoln diskivered. This is where Lincoln delivered his famous address,
which he actually wrote primarily on the train arrived from
DC to Gettysburg. And now this is where thirty five
(25:14):
hundred soldiers killed in the battle are buried. Now, even
though that speech is so famous, there's still so many
things about it that we don't know, um like the
fact that Lincoln wasn't even really the main speaker at
the ceremony. Yeah, right, but he totally stole the show, obviously,
and even more impressively, he did so in just two
hundred seventy one words. That's incredible, powerful words for such
(25:39):
a concise speech. Yeah, and spiritual. I mean, it was
a very somber walk through this area to see so
many graves. Yeah, somber is definitely true, eerily beautiful as
well to be visiting one of the most important places
in American history. So in eighteen six and eighteen sixty three,
this place was the bloodiest battlefield and then today, fast
(26:00):
forward to today, it's a place of complete serenity and
quiet and reflection. It's really moving. And we should also
talk about the amazing Ranger programs that Gettysburg offers, because
this park does a great job with that as well. Yeah,
So Gettysburg is just NonStop with the pleasant surprises. They
really set the bar with visitors center, with museum, with movie,
(26:21):
and now the Ranger programs are just so much, so
abundant in such a variety and between the many many
Rangers programs and the movie we saw and it's like
the Rama. It's just an incredibly impressive place. With what
they're accomplishing and offering to visitors, it's wonderful. The programs
rotate throughout the year, but some of the ones that
they offer include automobile tours of the battlefield, history hikes
(26:46):
of pickets, charge cemetery tours, a tour of the Little
Round Top battle site, and campfires at Priska Woods. Yes. Please,
there's really just so much to do. You could probably
spend weeks here and still not see least to it.
Especially since they're constantly rotating and adding more ranger programs.
It keeps it fresh and dynamic, and new things and
(27:07):
elements of Gettysburg to discover on a near constant basis.
Food Now, and after all that time in Gettysburg, I
feel like we needed to lighten up the mood a
little bit and do something a little bit more fun
and silly. So we decided to spend Easter in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yeah,
oh my god, we really needed this. I think Gettysburg
is an absolute gem and I would happily visit there
(27:28):
over and over again, but it just felt weirdly poetic
to spend such a candy focus holiday in the candy
capital of the country. I think, yeah, and well, like
Gettysburg is actually a bucket list park for history lovers,
Hershey is a bucket list place for people who have
a sweet tooth. Ak a math. Yes, this is my mecca.
I totally admit it, even though I always tell myself
(27:49):
and I tell others, I don't really have a sweet tooth.
The audacity of me to say that, because it's so absurd.
I can't deny the fact that I frequently catch myself
eating like cupcakes for breakfast or pieces of cake for dinner,
which I literally do. I told I remember, like recently,
I was somewhere like on a Richard by myself, and
I told you that, like when I'm alone, I go
(28:10):
to the grocery store or something to like have cake
for dinner. I get a piece of cake from the bakery,
like whatever. It's like so weird. Yeah right, yeah, I
remember when you told me about that, um and how
much you loved it. I mean, it's just my little thing. Yeah,
it's your thing. Yeah, Like it was my thing for
a while. Like I would go to Whole Foods when
I this was like in Chicago, like when I had
(28:31):
my own apartment before Brad and I met. I'll go
to Whole Foods because they had a great cake by
the slice selection, and then I just go to my
apartment and put on like a trashy dvt and it
needed to be trashy to match my trashy dinner. Well,
it's perfect for you because you don't need to be
ashamed of your sweet tooth year. It's actually sage that
you eat and drink nothing but chocolate here. Basically, it's
(28:53):
the coolest thing to a real life While he wonk
on the chocolate Factory, it really is. And I guess
that makes me Augustus Glue because he's of all the
like Brady children that movie, he's the one I relate
to the most. I'm just gonna admit it, I do.
And if there was a river of chocolate here at
Hershey had totally dive in, regardless of the consequences, regardless
(29:14):
of if I get sucked into a pipe, I don't care. Yeah,
there weren't a lot of opa loopa is here, but
we did take a photo of someone dressed in a
giant racys peanut butter cup costume. Yes we did. I
loved it, especially since we were like the only adults
at Hershey World Factory without kids at all. We we
were not really like their their target demographic for Racy's people,
but we totally embraced it and we had the best day.
(29:35):
It was so like kitschy and fun. Yeah, we did
a tour ride through this cartoonist factory where all the
candy is singing, and then it went to like a
forty movie too. I just remember all the smells. Yeah. Right,
So between the cyclorama I Gotsburg in this Hershey Theater,
I feel like we definitely did a lot of forty
experiences in Pennsylvania this week, randomly enough so that though
(29:58):
the two topics obviously can be further apart, but still
a lot of Fordy action. And this one, the one
at Hershey, is like this silly little cartoon caper about
some vindictive goon who's trying to like spill sour mix
into their candy recipes or something, and then like the
Hershey's Kiss person and the Hershey's Bar guy or just
(30:21):
like completely made for kids. I mean it was fun
and silly. I mean we had a great time. But
my favorite part is when we signed up to make
our own candy bars. Yeah, that was really awesome. We
put on these like unnecessary hairnets, and then we got
to customize our own chocolate bars with different coatings and
whatever candy editions we wanted, and then even designer and
candy bar labels, which was a blast. I think mine
(30:43):
was like a milk chocolate bass butter scotch chips or
something in the middle, and then like um, white chocolate
frost glaze or something over the top. It was so good, good,
great job. I think we'd make fantastic I think we
would too. Yes, And we also need to talk about
the Hotel Hershey, which is the stunning and shockingly amazing
(31:05):
historic property up on the hill like above the factory,
and then the Hershey Amusement Park like overlooking at all. Yeah,
this was like the biggest surprise of the whole day.
We went here because we were looking for chocolate Martiniz
and read online that there was a good cocktail lounge there,
but we were not expecting what we got. Yeah. I
had pretty low expectations, but Chocolate Martiniz was like the
(31:27):
thing that I wanted the most this day. I remember,
like when I arrived in the morning, I'm like, where
are the chocolate martinis? And then like throughout the day,
I just grabbed it more and more, and then we
went here. Finally, we waited till the bar was open
and then made our way up to the Hotel Hershey,
which has the most stunning architecture and artworks. Like shockingly,
it's like this old school Spanish style architecture with these
(31:49):
huge rooms, gorgeous sailing murals, really lavish fountains, just an
amazing property. Yeah, the place that we were looking for
was called the Iberian Lounge, and it's is like vintage
looking speakeasy inspired parlor with a soft lighting, you know,
this big, huge fireplace, and the food and drinks were
just so good. Yeah, they were so good. They really
(32:11):
lived up to the space because this room is absolutely gorgeous.
I would just sit here and do nothing. It's like
so lovely. I was blown away. I think we both were.
And I thought a chocolate martini had hert she would
be therapy and super sweet, like I thought they would
use that that gross literally thought it was. Yeah, but
this one was so well balanced with just the right
(32:31):
amount of creaminess and richness and like a hint of spice.
Maybe like cinnamon or something like that. I never I
never ordered chocolate martinis or drinks like this, so I
went in assuming it would be like trek Lee sweet.
But this was amazing. Yeah, and I got that barrel
aged um old fashioned, which was actually like smoky and perfect,
especially since we were drinking them on the lounge chairs
(32:52):
but right by the fire. Oh yeah, I know. Seriously,
the whole thing atmosphere was just on point, and even
the food was great. Remember that charcuterie board that we got. Yeah,
the best charcutery board I think I've ever had. It's
just huge and had like all these great meats, these cheeses,
the giant soft pretzel with mustard and olives, nuts, I
think even grapes. Yeah, what a genius idea, by the way,
(33:13):
to anchor your charcuterie board with this gigantic soft pretzel
and then kind of like fill in the pretzel holes
with carried meats and cheeses and like Marcona almud and stuff.
I'd never seen that done before, but I thought it
was really genius and just a good bang for your
buck because you get a ton of food and that. Yeah,
I think that's the charcuterie board that actually made us
(33:34):
obsessed with charcuterie boards and cheese plates like ever since then,
whenever we're at a new place that offers it, we
tend to order it. But also Hershey and Iberian Lounge
set in a possibly high bar. So no place has
been as good yet, No, definitely not. Now why we
could both easily gush about Hershey food all day long
(33:54):
here after this quick break, we're going to wrap up
our Gettysbury episode with our favorite things about Gettysburg National
Military Park. My favorite h I'm Matt and I'm Brad.
(34:15):
This is park Landia, and today we're talking about Gettysburg
National Military Park. Yes, And so now that we've reached
the part of the episode where we actually share our
favorite parts of the park with each other and are
three things that we'd recommend bringing um, I would love
to ask Matt what he thought his favorite part of
Gettysburg National Military Right. Well, I'd love to tell you
(34:38):
my favorite part was I think the movie portion before
the cycle roma was amazing too, But I loved that
movie in the visitor center. It was the first real
activity we did here, and it really set the tone
for the day. Was that because of Morgan Freeman's voice.
A lot of it was, to be honest, Yeah, he
really made that the set of mood, I know, really does.
(35:00):
And I think that's the background and that the content
we needed the perfect experience to do first and foremost
Wing at Gettysburg, and it really just sucks you in,
like you're in this beautiful, comfy theater for twenty minutes
and they load load you up with information without beating
over the head with it or it doesn't feel like overkill.
It feels appropriate. And I think after this movie we
(35:25):
were just like gung ho to explore the rest of
the museum and it's like Larama and then hit the
military park. So it really reawakens your like thirst for knowledge. Yeah,
that's a good way to describe it. Yeah, because it
did feel like we're somewhat on a field trip, but
in a very fun, fresh way that makes you want
(35:46):
to engage and not like speed through the day or anything.
It really like pumps you up and gets you in
the zone. So that movie was just perfect. It really was.
So what was your favorite thing about Gettysburg. My favorite
part about Gettysburg was actually like reaching uh, the place
where Abraham Lincoln gave his address. Um, I remember like
(36:10):
pulling out my phone and kind of just reading it
out loud, you know, the all two anyone words. It's
so so long. But I just sat there and uh,
and then I remember actually we sat down at the
bench and we just watched people walk by. We did
some people watching, and um, it was just one of
those um spiritual moments where you just realize the significance
(36:32):
of not only that battle, but what Abraham Lincoln said, Yeah,
very well said, I like that a lot. So what
three things would you recommend bringing to Gettysburg. Oh, now
that's tough. You don't need to bring a lot because
they have everything. Like you just need to bring your
(36:55):
mind ready to be shattered with so much knowledge, because
you're brains is gonna get so big it's gonna explode. No,
there's just really you know, you have to bring a
really good energy here. I mean, be ready to learn
to listen. Um. So my thing isn't actually an item
for that first one, it's just a mindset first for knowledge.
(37:16):
It's a mindset. Yeah. Um. The second thing I would
bring would probably bring a selfie stick so you can
get a better selfie with Abraham Lincoln Museum. Good call, yes,
and uh your national passport? Uh yeah right, yeah, that's
a given. Um for me, I would say, bring some
(37:39):
sort of um patriotic attire because this feels to me
in a lot of ways like the most patriotic park
we've been to, just from how historical and meaningful this
was for American history. So brings something red, white, and blue.
I guess, I don't know if I have that. I
don't have like an American flag shirt or anything, but
I could bring I like red short it's like a
(38:00):
like a blue shirt. You have your blue shorts with
the white stars on them. I do. I could, Oh absolutely, yes,
you're actually the month that I'm wearing right now. Yeah, right,
So I could, even though they kind of look like
a bathing suit. That's my biggest fear with these shorts,
and my pristone's gonna think it's a bathing suit. But
I could wear these and then um put on a
(38:20):
red shirt and my red glasses and then I'll be
perfectly red, white and tame. Yeah, So I would do that.
I would also bring money of some sort because the
book store at the visitors Center is unsurprisingly incredible it's huge,
and there's a ton here, a ton of books, but
then like a bunch of everything else to paraphernalia and
(38:40):
Gettysburg souvenirs and whatnot, and they're legit, Like these are
the type of things that we would stock up on
if we had space in our RV, and if we
were still living in Chicago, we would probably buy a
bunch of items here because we would actually have the
space for it. But I was very impressed with that store,
as with everything else in that visitor center. And then
the third thing I would bring, I guess would just
(39:02):
be like similar to a mindset thing, like a sense
of common patience and thirst for knowledge. Because it is crowded,
so you're gonna have to contend with traffic and car
traffic potentially and um lack of parking spaces maybe, so
you're gonna need to come with that kind of mind adjustment,
(39:23):
knowing full well the possibilities of that. And then when
you're in these places, when especially when you're in the cemeteries,
like it's somber, it's quiet, and it needs it should be,
so go in with um that tempered you know, rettitude. Right, Yeah, good,
that's a good third thing to bring. And I think
(39:47):
we could also transition now into talking about what our
dream trip to Gettysburg would look like if we were
to return, or when we return, and kind of go
all out. Well obviously, I mean, even though it's a
bit of a drive, it would actually be great to
stay at Hotel Hersh so we can be closer to
those chocolate martinis and and those that sarcuterie um and
it's just the you know, so historic and beautiful and
(40:10):
you know, even though we didn't go in the rooms,
I can guarantee you those are going to be incredible.
I assume, so, yeah, and I agree with you on
that a thousand per cent. I want more of those
Tarkabo martinis on a regular basis, and proximity to those
in that Iberian lounge is important that should bear priority
upon returning here. And then I think we should do
more of the range of programs and tours at Gettysburg.
(40:32):
It would be really great to learn even more about
this place directly from the rangers who are working there,
because they know that history and that knowledge and they
continue to pass that on, right and especially since I
feel like we've really just scratched the surface of the
depth that Gettysburg offers. Like, there are other parts of
the park that I want to visit and I think
(40:52):
would be really great and provide knowledge from a different perspective,
like the David Will's House, which is a newer portion
of the park. This was added into thousand nine. That's
the home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills, who was kind
of in charge of the massive cleanup process after the battle.
And I can only imagine how hellish that was. And
it's also where Lincoln stopped to finish up his speech
(41:13):
before his famous address, So a lot of significance there
in that house. Yeah, the house has a museum that's
more focused on Lincoln and the Gettysburg addressed, and considering
how huge and important these aspects are, they definitely deserve
a museum all of their own. Yeah, I think so
for sure. And in other presidential news, there's also the
Eisenhower National Historic Site nearby, which is the home and
(41:33):
farm of President Eisenhower, right next to the battlefield. In fact,
yet another fact I had zero idea about. I didn't
know that Eisenhower had any roots here whatsoever. Yeah, seriously,
even after spending the day there and exploring. We're still
learning so much about Gettysburg. It's just one of those
places with endless discovery. And while one day was sufficient
(41:56):
to scratch the surface, I could literally see being here
for a week and continually learning, learning more and more
every day. It's endless discovery and endless inspiration. Truly, we
loved it, yes, and we plan on going back. What
(42:19):
a journey we've been on for season one of Parklandia.
We've had such a great time meeting all of you
and engaging on social media. The entire first season is
available to binge if you happen to be on a
long road trip, for those dreaded rides to work in back,
or just for that quick escape on the weekends. We've
got much more in store for season two, which will
be coming your way this winter. Until then, keep in
(42:40):
touch with us on social media, share the park Landia
love with your friends and family. Well that's it for
the first season of park Landia. As always, thank you
for listening. You've been listening to park Landia, a show
about national parks. Parklandia is a production of Our Heart Radio,
(43:04):
created by Matt Carouac, Brad Carouac, and Christopher hasiotis produced
and edited by Mike Johns. Our executive producer is Christopher.
Hasiotis a special thank you to Gabrielle Collins, Chrystal Waters
and the rest of the park Landia team and Hey listeners.
If you're enjoying the show, leave us a review on
Apple Podcasts. It helps other people like you find our show.
(43:24):
You can keep up with us on social media check
out our photos on our Instagram at park Landia Pod
and joining on the conversation in our Facebook group Parklandia Rangers.
For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows, and as always, thank you for listening.
When we first moved into our RV and started traveling
the country, we initially were mainly interested in national parks,
specifically meaning places like the Everglades, blad Lands, and even
Carl's Bad Caverns. Yeah, and there's actually a lot of
confusion and blurred lines when it comes to national parks
because even though there are currently only sixty one technical
(00:26):
national parks, the National Park Service overseas more than four
hundred units across the country. This includes national recreation areas,
national reserves, national seashores, national monuments, national military parks, etcetera. Yeah,
it really shows the depth and diversity of America's national
park system. There's just so much more to see and
learn about on our travels than just the highlights of
(00:48):
national parks. Exactly. Yes, and speaking of national military parks,
today's episode is our first one highlighting a National Park
Service unit that is at a technical national park. But
Gettysburg Sational Military Park is no less amazing. It's kind
of that place that every student in America learns about
growing up and maybe even visits. Especially from historical perspective,
(01:09):
It's one of the biggest bucket list destinations in the country.
I would completely agree with that, and I'm really glad
we're talking about Gettysburg today and that we visited this
amazing place. It was a real eye opener, I think
for both of us and hopefully for other national park
enthusiasts everywhere too. Hi. I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This
is the park Landia Podcast from my Heart Radio. We
(01:31):
packed up our loft in Chicago, moved into an r V,
and now we're chopping the country full time with our
dog Finn, exploring America's national park. And today we're talking
about Gettysburg National Military Park. Ever since learning about Gettysburg
(01:52):
in school, probably junior high time, for me, I had
always been fascinated by it and I've always wanted to
visit the Civil War there was always like one of
the most endlessly interesting history subjects for me. You know,
I think that Gettysburg has just been one of those
parts that inspired me to join the Marines. I mean, wow,
huge finding out about that history growing up, Um, it
(02:16):
just it was inspiring in my history classes. You know,
it's huge. It's a very very significant area event military park.
This will war obviously in general, but Gettysburg I feel
like like exemplifies such a pivotal moment for that war
and for America in general. So it was always really
(02:37):
fascinating to learn about it and always one of these
places that's so iconic and that I had been dying
to visit, but it was kind of, yeah, kind of
on the backburner, kind of out of the way. It's
not there's no like, it's not in a major city.
You can't easily fly in and out of it. So
this is a prime example of how the RV just
makes it so accessible and easy, and how we're able
(03:00):
to enjoy it fully in our own way. Yeah, it's
really about enjoying the in between when you're in the
r V and you're getting to explore all these different
elements of the United States other than the big highlights
like the big cities, the big national parks. Yeah, there's
some oceans, the big beaches. You know, we get to
see so much more beauty of our country everything else. Yes,
(03:21):
And I was really excited when you told me we're
going here because I didn't know about it. We hadn't
really talked about it seriously anyway. It was a total
surprise for me, and I was flying back into Baltimore
the Baltimore Airport. I think I was in shoot, like
I was in Chicography, like a week or so, and
then like the day before I was flying into Baltimore,
where you're going to pick me up. You texted me
to tell me that you reserved in our v site
(03:43):
near Gettysburg for a week, and I was like, oh, amazing, Wow. Yeah.
It was running between some work events for myself, and
I was traveling up and down the East Coast doing
these sugar Loaf craft events selling barrel aged maple syrups,
and Matt was meeting me after I spent the work
a week in Maryland and um right near Baltimore, and
since I had a couple of weeks off between events,
(04:04):
I thought it was the perfect opportunity to drive up
and spend some time exploring a different part of Pennsylvania
that neither of us have really seen. Yeah, Pennsylvania in
general was the state that I had very little experienced with,
and I think you're the same way. Prior to this
event series, Sugarloaf is great. I'm glad that you did
that because it the way earth Formative was really nice,
Like you would do events for a few days and
then a half a week or sometimes even two weeks between,
(04:26):
so that we could explore like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Baltimore,
all these places that neither of us had really any
experience with. So that was great. And yeah, so in
this instance, I was especially excited because not only is
Gettysburg in this area of Pennsylvania kind of like south central,
(04:46):
not quite central, it's more eastern, but not only is
getty Gettysburg there, but also Hershey, Pennsylvania, another place that's
been on my personal bucket list for entirely different reasons.
In Gettysburg, of course, but both places that I'm like
of aways wanted to go here, but I've never fully
researched how to make it happen or like why I
would do this on my own, I guess, So I'm
(05:07):
glad it worked out this way. Yeah, Gettysburg and Hearses
are about his opous you can get but they're conveniently
close together as long as you stay somewhere in the
middle like we did. Um called town York Yeah right, Yeah,
York was very It was good, a good like happy
medium and made both locations very accessible and ultimately it
(05:28):
was really good. But I remember when we were staying
in York and like playing out to the r V park.
Me being such an anxious, restless person, I was initially
kind of worried that I would get board here or
antsy for like a week, knowing full while they were
gonna be it for a week. And I had been
accustomed to these like larger than life national parks with
endless hiking opportunities, So I'm like, what am I gonna do? Yeah,
(05:50):
that's true. You can get really angsty really quick, and
especially if you're like stuck and you can't venture off
on your own. Trying to take that bike. Oh never,
it's a single speed bike. It almost built for the city,
and yeah, not for hell. I was in a lot
of pain. I tried. I researched, and I found this
like hiking trail most kind of I used to be
(06:12):
like a rare road track. Now it's a trails to
the wood, which is really pretty. But it was like
six or seven miles when we were staying, and I
was like, maybe I'll just take your bike. Big mistake. Yeah,
that bike was not meant for hills. I thought my
legs were gonna light on fire and my muscles were
gonna melt. Were drenched when you got back to the
art awful because like, I love hiking, and I hike
(06:32):
a lot, but biking is just I'm using different like
my muscles that I'm not accustomed to, and it like
drains the life out of me. And then I remember
getting to that trail and I'm like, well, I'm already
pretty much dead, so how am I gonna go for
a hike now? Um? But whatever, I'm here now. So
clearly I worked out. And I remember during this week,
(06:54):
like in between our Gettysburg days and stuff, I remember
distracting myself by listening to the Beyonce Homecoming Live album
that had just come out, I think came out like
the week We're here. So I would literally just like
walk around the side roads and even like there was
essentially a freeway that would walk him the side of
because I was determined to just go for walks, and
(07:15):
here I was walking on the shoulder of a highway
essentially just zoned out listening to the Homecoming album with
earbuds in, and it was it was great. I mean
it kind of worked out. I guess. Yeah, thank god
we had like Beyonce to help save you from your boredom.
She always helps. Yeah, but um, you know, we also
(07:35):
saved today that week to drive out to Gettysburg. Um,
of course. And it's just about forty five minutes southwest
of where we are staying in New York. And easy drive, especially, um,
if you get an early start, or if you're like myself,
just like minutes feels like ten minutes of a drive. Yeah,
not bad, very doable. And that's another thing. Getting up
early and arriving early is always a good idea for
(07:57):
us in our r V because places like Gettysburg get
kind of crowded, especially this time of year, and especially
considering Gettysburg has more than one million annual visitors. And
that fact became immediately obvious when we saw the parking
lot later that afternoon. It was at capacity. So thankfully
we arrived when we did. Because we're driving in that
r V, we can't afford to delay our travels and
(08:19):
run out of parking spaces, even if they do have
r V designated, it's easy for things like this to
be taken up because we need the room. Yeah, we
need twenties six feet of parking space, and like National parks,
in places like Gettysburg usually almost always have RV designated spaces,
but there are kind of few and far between compared
(08:42):
to car spaces, so and sometimes cars parking working them,
which is like, what are you doing? This is not
for you, oh God, but well, yeah, that happens. It happens.
We made it worked out for us anyway. Museum unfortunately,
we got there in the morning and we're able to
make a bee line for the visitor center, which was
(09:03):
absolutely beautiful. It really was. I mean it was just massive.
I mean, a modern facility doubled as a museum and
a theater, and you know, I even had a couple
of cafes. I mean, there's just a lot here. And
there was plenty of helpful rangers to give you ideas
for where to go, what to do, who to see.
It was very well staffed. Yeah, and just huge and pristine,
(09:24):
very contemporary. And don't forget about the able Lincoln statue
out front. That was so cool and apparently a very
popular spot for photos. Unsurprisingly, also another reason to get
there early because that was a able Lincoln statue was
like a mosh pit later and that yeah, no, we
definitely had to snap a selfie with a before getting
in a two crowd right right, and then kind of
(09:46):
tying it back to the Beyonce thing. I remember posting
that phototo Facebook with the caption you mean Abe, and
I captioned it saying the Destiny's Child of Gettysburg. It
was a big, big head on social media. Everyone was huge.
That was really awesome. I don't think we we're like
talked about who we would be in each you know,
Destiny Child's member. Okay, well, obviously as Beyonce. Yeah, I
(10:07):
think that's clear. As much as I'm jealous of that,
a would be Beyonce front and center and then no offense.
But I think I'm probably Kelly. There's no offense taken. Oh,
I'm totally Michelle in this. Yeah, well you have to
own a Michelle is underrated. I think she's great and
it's not like you're like one of the original group
members who was kicked out of Destiny Shallott or anything.
So anyway, anyway, we've got to give more props to
(10:30):
the visitor center because it's one of the best things
I think I've ever seen, or that we've seen. Really.
I mean, it's actually operated by the Gettysburg Foundation and
that works with the National Park service to educate visitors
about all the different military park and civil wars. Yeah,
they do an amazing job and very thorough. And the
first thing you gotta do when you arrived at the
(10:51):
visitors center is get inline to buy tickets especially for
the film and something called the cyclo rama. Y Yeah,
because that stuff has the most likelihood of filling up
and there's only a limited amount of them per day.
So I had never even heard of this cyclorama before,
so I was very intrigued and we obviously needed to
(11:12):
see what this is all about. Yeah. I definitely lived
up to all the hype for sure. I mean with
our tickets. We had a timed entry to the film,
which was called a New Birth of Freedom. This was
screened on a in a large modern theater that actually
reminded me of like a regular high quality movie theater.
And one of the cool things wasn't who did the voicing?
(11:34):
Um like he killed it. Of course, He's always a
welcome surprise and perfect in this context. Like hearing Morgan
Freeman's voice talking about the Civil War in Gettysburgo's just
absolutely amazing and made it so much more emotional. Morgan
Freeman's voice is the Voice of America. Let's be weird beautiful. Yeah,
(11:57):
we love you so Yeah. This theater was really impressive.
Like the rest of the visitor Center, everything feels very new,
very polished in like kind of state of the art,
and this one was farmer modern than the typical visitor
center screening rooms we've been in. It had literally like
stadium seating, very comfy chairs, and it's the type of
(12:20):
theater that you want to spend like a couple of
hours in eating gummy worms, drinking soda or in our case,
soda with air quotes, because that usually means like a
little sneaky flask that you bring in. I don't know
what you're talking about. No, this was really winky emodi. Um. Yeah,
it was a really great movie experience. I mean, I'd
(12:41):
be happy to sit in there all afternoon. That would
be definitely be weird to be drinking out of a
flask at a Gettysburg film. Yeah, it's that's not a
good idea, but I was just really into it and
could I could absolutely sit there for hours. I totally agree.
But the movie is only about twenty minutes. It's narrative
(13:01):
by Morgan Freeman. Like we said, fantastic surprise. The Gettysburg
Visitor Center really pulled out all the stops with the
A listers on this one. Very impressive. Yeah, Morgan Freeman
is like the best narrator I could listen to talk
about any literally anything. He could narrate a fun book
and I would be weeping with the motion probably. So this, uh,
(13:22):
this movie really was a good primer on the Civil
War and the Battle of Gettysburg in particular, including in
the um the timeline of the steps that led into
this iconic event. Right, So, I obviously knew Gettysburg was
epic and iconic, but I had kind of forgotten about
a lot of the details since my junior high days
(13:43):
and this was a good refresher. And then even further
than that, not only did it refresh, but it like
informed me every on everything about Gettysburg, And like, I
feel like, instead of taking a whole history class in
junior high, I could have just watched this twenty minute
movie and got it all done in one go. Would
have probably been more impactful. It really would have. Yeah, Yeah,
it's I mean, it's really described as the turning point
(14:06):
in the war and the Union was finally able to
turn the tables on the Confederacy and pave the way
for victory of war. Yeah. So, up until this point,
until Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee was pretty much on a
tear through the North. He was gaining so much momentum
that the Union was struggling to keep them back. Now
and then there's another like national park tie in here
that we learned about two and since Lee actually led
(14:28):
his troops through the shen into a valley on his
way to Gettysburg, right, Yeah, I had no idea about
that as well. That was that was a fascinating little fact.
But it does make sense geographically since the Confederate troops
were heading there from Chancellorsville, Virginia, so making its way
through the Shenandoah area, which was not a National park
at the time. No, of course not, obviously not. But
(14:49):
his initial hopes were to keep pressing northward to add
more pressure to the Union, aiming to just weaken them
ultimately and then be able to succeed at Gettysburg and
then we'll hopefully make his way to Philadelphia eventually, and
then who knows what what happened after that. Yeah, everything
came to a head on July one, of eighteen sixty three.
(15:11):
At first, it seemed like Lee might be successful, since
on the first day of the battle, Confederate forces defeated M.
John Buford's Union forces on the northwest side of Gettysburg. Yeah.
And then the next stay, July two, was complete mayhem.
The Union formed this huge hook shaped defensive line and
the Confederacy made a full charge right into it. There
(15:32):
was a ton of bloody battles fought at sites like
Little Round Top, Peach Orchard, and Devil's Den, which sounds
appropriately ominous, I think. And then on July three, things
took a different turn. There was many losses on both sides. Um.
But Lee was too ambitious with his charge on the
Cemetery Ridge. Um. He had more than twelve thousand soldiers
leading the assault. But the Union's defensive line was too
(15:54):
strong with its rifles and artillery. Yeah. So this wound
up being a huge blow to the Confederacy, so much
so that Lee had to retreat back to Virginia. And
altogether there were about fifty soldiers killed over this three
days ban on both sides, which is absolutely horrific. Yeah,
it really is. And and then several months later Lincoln
visited Gettysburg for the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery, and
(16:20):
that's when he delivered his famous address. Four score and
seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the
(16:42):
proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are
engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation,
or any nation so conceived and so dedicated ken long endure.
We are met on a great battlefield of that war.
(17:05):
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field
as a final resting place for those who here gave
their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we should do this. But in
a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, We
(17:28):
cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead,
who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor
power to add or detract. The world will little note
no long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here. It is for us,
(17:51):
the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished
work which they who fought here have thus far so
nobly advance. Ense it is rather for us to be
here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that
from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that
cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.
(18:17):
That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not
have died in vain, that this nation under God shall
have a new birth of freedom, and that government of
the people, by the people, for the people shall not
perish from this earth. Right now, we're gonna take a
(18:46):
quick break. I'm gonna come back. We're gonna explore more
of that amazing visitor center. Hi, I'm Matt and I'm Brad.
(19:26):
This is park Landia, and today we're talking about Gettysburg
National Military Park. Yes, so the movie and the Civil
War museum at the visitor center. We're both super informative
and very illuminating, even though a lot of the content
was hard to watch. Of course, this is very heartbreaking,
somber stuff. After the movie, the whole group we moved
(19:46):
into the Cyclorama, which is like this dark, domed room
that's part of an installation and a forty art show. Basically, Yeah,
basically I felt like we're on a field trip, just
migrating these big groups and then this was the culmination
and was incredible. I'd never done something like this before.
I'd never heard of something like this. It was amazing.
The room felt like one of those auditoriums planetariums, you know,
(20:08):
where you go sit down and like look up at
the domed ceiling the stars and stuff. But instead of
stars in this case, it's the cyclorama that's filled with
war torn Gettysburg. So it's somewhat graphic. It's um, not
too bloody or gristly, but like it definitely paints a picture. Literally, Yeah,
I gets you really emotional. I mean, the whole room
has a massive seven ft painting on the ceilings walls,
(20:32):
and it was created by that French painter M. Paul
Philoto Philip, I'm not sure if we're saying that right,
but um, and it's also forty two ft nie it's huge. Yeah.
So it's this massive oil painting that took a year
to make, quite an undertaking, and this painter he based
(20:53):
basis work on extensive studies of Gettysburg battlefield and time
spent here personally, and the paintings services the back job
for this immersive show with lights and sound effects that
kind of recreates the battle and brings it to life. Yeah,
it sounds a lot scary than it is, but it's
really not that dramatic as you might think. No, it's
not that bad. It's um it's doable for kids. Like,
(21:14):
it doesn't show people dying or anything or anything like
that or anything to um bloody. It's actually I thought
it was kind of beautiful and very impressive to the least,
and it's really special to be able to witness this
piece of history come to life almost in such a
vivid way and from such a unique vantage point like this. Yeah,
(21:36):
the lighting was really great on bringing in the depths
of battle and the depths of the field, and even
some like almost movement. It felt like it was like
the people were moving even though they were not. It
was just the like so all around you and above you.
It was insane and it was just a huge, huge
success in making me feel all the fields, all of them. Yeah.
After the cyclorama, though, we made our way through the
(21:58):
Gettysburg Museum of American Civil War. Yeah, seriously, you could
spend an entire day at this visitor center alone and
still there'd be tons to do and see. It's so
informative and enlightening. This museum was incredible, really set a
like high bar for visitor center museums. There's so much
here and so many rooms filled with one of the
largest collections of Civil War items in the world. Yeah,
(22:21):
I definitely believe that. I mean the museum is two
square feet no correction, twenty two thousand square feet um
and with all these interactive exhibits and short videos, basically
anything you could possibly wonder about the Civil Wars here,
from cannons to closing, to the woman of the war,
and even to the civilians who died. Yeah, I know
(22:43):
there's a lot here, and obviously it goes well beyond
Gettysbury too. There's a ton of intel about the battlefield
of Gettysburg, but really every aspect of the Civil War
and the people involved are highlighted in their own ways. Yeah,
that's the perfect place to stroll through before visiting the
battlefield itself, really, because you just go so much backstory, um,
and it's not all there, which is crazy to think about.
(23:03):
It's not all there, and there's so much more, but
there's so much there. Yes, this is the context that
we need it and that I think all visitors need
before you're heading out into the military park like itself,
because it just really prepares you and for you know,
I think like sets your emotions and like about the
(23:26):
strategies and why they've chose what they chose, and where
they were at and how they created the defensive lines,
like what exactly happened on the timeline. Everything. There's just
a lot and this did a very good job of
that battlefield. So from the visitor center, once you've made
your way through all of this, there's an easy paved
trail that winds through some woods to the heart of
(23:48):
the battlefield and also to Gettysburg Cemetery. Now this isn't
kind of park with like hiking trails obviously, I mean,
but there's so many scenic walks and iconic historic places. Yeah, exactly,
so not so much hiking, But I was more than
happy to travel back in time in this massive, sprawling
field that just and gac at the sheer size of
(24:11):
it and depth of it. It's all situated on a
sloping hill, most of which is a big meadow, and
it's lined with cannons and statues of generals and horses
and other monuments. Tons of cannons. I mean, the park
actually built a cannon shop to maintain and preserve more
than four D cannons in the field. Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah.
And like I said, the monuments here too are really striking.
(24:32):
There's even this huge spire shaped building that looks like
a mini Washington monument or something. And again, something that
I did not know existed here. Even though I learned
a lot about Silver and Gettysburg in school, I wasn't
really prepared for any of this. And this was the
perfect opportunity to get much closer look at the stuff
that we had just learned about in the visitor center.
(24:53):
I mean, it was cool to be actually be able
to hike through the cemetery ridge where most of the
fighting occurred on July two and third. Yeah, and also
the Soldiers National Cemetery to that's there, and this is
where Lincoln diskivered. This is where Lincoln delivered his famous address,
which he actually wrote primarily on the train arrived from
DC to Gettysburg. And now this is where thirty five
(25:14):
hundred soldiers killed in the battle are buried. Now, even
though that speech is so famous, there's still so many
things about it that we don't know, um like the
fact that Lincoln wasn't even really the main speaker at
the ceremony. Yeah, right, but he totally stole the show, obviously,
and even more impressively, he did so in just two
hundred seventy one words. That's incredible, powerful words for such
(25:39):
a concise speech. Yeah, and spiritual. I mean, it was
a very somber walk through this area to see so
many graves. Yeah, somber is definitely true, eerily beautiful as
well to be visiting one of the most important places
in American history. So in eighteen six and eighteen sixty three,
this place was the bloodiest battlefield and then today, fast
(26:00):
forward to today, it's a place of complete serenity and
quiet and reflection. It's really moving. And we should also
talk about the amazing Ranger programs that Gettysburg offers, because
this park does a great job with that as well. Yeah,
So Gettysburg is just NonStop with the pleasant surprises. They
really set the bar with visitors center, with museum, with movie,
(26:21):
and now the Ranger programs are just so much, so
abundant in such a variety and between the many many
Rangers programs and the movie we saw and it's like
the Rama. It's just an incredibly impressive place. With what
they're accomplishing and offering to visitors, it's wonderful. The programs
rotate throughout the year, but some of the ones that
they offer include automobile tours of the battlefield, history hikes
(26:46):
of pickets, charge cemetery tours, a tour of the Little
Round Top battle site, and campfires at Priska Woods. Yes. Please,
there's really just so much to do. You could probably
spend weeks here and still not see least to it.
Especially since they're constantly rotating and adding more ranger programs.
It keeps it fresh and dynamic, and new things and
(27:07):
elements of Gettysburg to discover on a near constant basis.
Food Now, and after all that time in Gettysburg, I
feel like we needed to lighten up the mood a
little bit and do something a little bit more fun
and silly. So we decided to spend Easter in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yeah,
oh my god, we really needed this. I think Gettysburg
is an absolute gem and I would happily visit there
(27:28):
over and over again, but it just felt weirdly poetic
to spend such a candy focus holiday in the candy
capital of the country. I think, yeah, and well, like
Gettysburg is actually a bucket list park for history lovers,
Hershey is a bucket list place for people who have
a sweet tooth. Ak a math. Yes, this is my mecca.
I totally admit it, even though I always tell myself
(27:49):
and I tell others, I don't really have a sweet tooth.
The audacity of me to say that, because it's so absurd.
I can't deny the fact that I frequently catch myself
eating like cupcakes for breakfast or pieces of cake for dinner,
which I literally do. I told I remember, like recently,
I was somewhere like on a Richard by myself, and
I told you that, like when I'm alone, I go
(28:10):
to the grocery store or something to like have cake
for dinner. I get a piece of cake from the bakery,
like whatever. It's like so weird. Yeah right, yeah, I
remember when you told me about that, um and how
much you loved it. I mean, it's just my little thing. Yeah,
it's your thing. Yeah, Like it was my thing for
a while. Like I would go to Whole Foods when
I this was like in Chicago, like when I had
(28:31):
my own apartment before Brad and I met. I'll go
to Whole Foods because they had a great cake by
the slice selection, and then I just go to my
apartment and put on like a trashy dvt and it
needed to be trashy to match my trashy dinner. Well,
it's perfect for you because you don't need to be
ashamed of your sweet tooth year. It's actually sage that
you eat and drink nothing but chocolate here. Basically, it's
(28:53):
the coolest thing to a real life While he wonk
on the chocolate Factory, it really is. And I guess
that makes me Augustus Glue because he's of all the
like Brady children that movie, he's the one I relate
to the most. I'm just gonna admit it, I do.
And if there was a river of chocolate here at
Hershey had totally dive in, regardless of the consequences, regardless
(29:14):
of if I get sucked into a pipe, I don't care. Yeah,
there weren't a lot of opa loopa is here, but
we did take a photo of someone dressed in a
giant racys peanut butter cup costume. Yes we did. I
loved it, especially since we were like the only adults
at Hershey World Factory without kids at all. We we
were not really like their their target demographic for Racy's people,
but we totally embraced it and we had the best day.
(29:35):
It was so like kitschy and fun. Yeah, we did
a tour ride through this cartoonist factory where all the
candy is singing, and then it went to like a
forty movie too. I just remember all the smells. Yeah. Right,
So between the cyclorama I Gotsburg in this Hershey Theater,
I feel like we definitely did a lot of forty
experiences in Pennsylvania this week, randomly enough so that though
(29:58):
the two topics obviously can be further apart, but still
a lot of Fordy action. And this one, the one
at Hershey, is like this silly little cartoon caper about
some vindictive goon who's trying to like spill sour mix
into their candy recipes or something, and then like the
Hershey's Kiss person and the Hershey's Bar guy or just
(30:21):
like completely made for kids. I mean it was fun
and silly. I mean we had a great time. But
my favorite part is when we signed up to make
our own candy bars. Yeah, that was really awesome. We
put on these like unnecessary hairnets, and then we got
to customize our own chocolate bars with different coatings and
whatever candy editions we wanted, and then even designer and
candy bar labels, which was a blast. I think mine
(30:43):
was like a milk chocolate bass butter scotch chips or
something in the middle, and then like um, white chocolate
frost glaze or something over the top. It was so good, good,
great job. I think we'd make fantastic I think we
would too. Yes, And we also need to talk about
the Hotel Hershey, which is the stunning and shockingly amazing
(31:05):
historic property up on the hill like above the factory,
and then the Hershey Amusement Park like overlooking at all. Yeah,
this was like the biggest surprise of the whole day.
We went here because we were looking for chocolate Martiniz
and read online that there was a good cocktail lounge there,
but we were not expecting what we got. Yeah. I
had pretty low expectations, but Chocolate Martiniz was like the
(31:27):
thing that I wanted the most this day. I remember,
like when I arrived in the morning, I'm like, where
are the chocolate martinis? And then like throughout the day,
I just grabbed it more and more, and then we
went here. Finally, we waited till the bar was open
and then made our way up to the Hotel Hershey,
which has the most stunning architecture and artworks. Like shockingly,
it's like this old school Spanish style architecture with these
(31:49):
huge rooms, gorgeous sailing murals, really lavish fountains, just an
amazing property. Yeah, the place that we were looking for
was called the Iberian Lounge, and it's is like vintage
looking speakeasy inspired parlor with a soft lighting, you know,
this big, huge fireplace, and the food and drinks were
just so good. Yeah, they were so good. They really
(32:11):
lived up to the space because this room is absolutely gorgeous.
I would just sit here and do nothing. It's like
so lovely. I was blown away. I think we both were.
And I thought a chocolate martini had hert she would
be therapy and super sweet, like I thought they would
use that that gross literally thought it was. Yeah, but
this one was so well balanced with just the right
(32:31):
amount of creaminess and richness and like a hint of spice.
Maybe like cinnamon or something like that. I never I
never ordered chocolate martinis or drinks like this, so I
went in assuming it would be like trek Lee sweet.
But this was amazing. Yeah, and I got that barrel
aged um old fashioned, which was actually like smoky and perfect,
especially since we were drinking them on the lounge chairs
(32:52):
but right by the fire. Oh yeah, I know. Seriously,
the whole thing atmosphere was just on point, and even
the food was great. Remember that charcuterie board that we got. Yeah,
the best charcutery board I think I've ever had. It's
just huge and had like all these great meats, these cheeses,
the giant soft pretzel with mustard and olives, nuts, I
think even grapes. Yeah, what a genius idea, by the way,
(33:13):
to anchor your charcuterie board with this gigantic soft pretzel
and then kind of like fill in the pretzel holes
with carried meats and cheeses and like Marcona almud and stuff.
I'd never seen that done before, but I thought it
was really genius and just a good bang for your
buck because you get a ton of food and that. Yeah,
I think that's the charcuterie board that actually made us
(33:34):
obsessed with charcuterie boards and cheese plates like ever since then,
whenever we're at a new place that offers it, we
tend to order it. But also Hershey and Iberian Lounge
set in a possibly high bar. So no place has
been as good yet, No, definitely not. Now why we
could both easily gush about Hershey food all day long
(33:54):
here after this quick break, we're going to wrap up
our Gettysbury episode with our favorite things about Gettysburg National
Military Park. My favorite h I'm Matt and I'm Brad.
(34:15):
This is park Landia, and today we're talking about Gettysburg
National Military Park. Yes, And so now that we've reached
the part of the episode where we actually share our
favorite parts of the park with each other and are
three things that we'd recommend bringing um, I would love
to ask Matt what he thought his favorite part of
Gettysburg National Military Right. Well, I'd love to tell you
(34:38):
my favorite part was I think the movie portion before
the cycle roma was amazing too, But I loved that
movie in the visitor center. It was the first real
activity we did here, and it really set the tone
for the day. Was that because of Morgan Freeman's voice.
A lot of it was, to be honest, Yeah, he
really made that the set of mood, I know, really does.
(35:00):
And I think that's the background and that the content
we needed the perfect experience to do first and foremost
Wing at Gettysburg, and it really just sucks you in,
like you're in this beautiful, comfy theater for twenty minutes
and they load load you up with information without beating
over the head with it or it doesn't feel like overkill.
It feels appropriate. And I think after this movie we
(35:25):
were just like gung ho to explore the rest of
the museum and it's like Larama and then hit the
military park. So it really reawakens your like thirst for knowledge. Yeah,
that's a good way to describe it. Yeah, because it
did feel like we're somewhat on a field trip, but
in a very fun, fresh way that makes you want
(35:46):
to engage and not like speed through the day or anything.
It really like pumps you up and gets you in
the zone. So that movie was just perfect. It really was.
So what was your favorite thing about Gettysburg. My favorite
part about Gettysburg was actually like reaching uh, the place
where Abraham Lincoln gave his address. Um, I remember like
(36:10):
pulling out my phone and kind of just reading it
out loud, you know, the all two anyone words. It's
so so long. But I just sat there and uh,
and then I remember actually we sat down at the
bench and we just watched people walk by. We did
some people watching, and um, it was just one of
those um spiritual moments where you just realize the significance
(36:32):
of not only that battle, but what Abraham Lincoln said, Yeah,
very well said, I like that a lot. So what
three things would you recommend bringing to Gettysburg. Oh, now
that's tough. You don't need to bring a lot because
they have everything. Like you just need to bring your
(36:55):
mind ready to be shattered with so much knowledge, because
you're brains is gonna get so big it's gonna explode. No,
there's just really you know, you have to bring a
really good energy here. I mean, be ready to learn
to listen. Um. So my thing isn't actually an item
for that first one, it's just a mindset first for knowledge.
(37:16):
It's a mindset. Yeah. Um. The second thing I would
bring would probably bring a selfie stick so you can
get a better selfie with Abraham Lincoln Museum. Good call, yes,
and uh your national passport? Uh yeah right, yeah, that's
a given. Um for me, I would say, bring some
(37:39):
sort of um patriotic attire because this feels to me
in a lot of ways like the most patriotic park
we've been to, just from how historical and meaningful this
was for American history. So brings something red, white, and blue.
I guess, I don't know if I have that. I
don't have like an American flag shirt or anything, but
I could bring I like red short it's like a
(38:00):
like a blue shirt. You have your blue shorts with
the white stars on them. I do. I could, Oh absolutely, yes,
you're actually the month that I'm wearing right now. Yeah, right,
So I could, even though they kind of look like
a bathing suit. That's my biggest fear with these shorts,
and my pristone's gonna think it's a bathing suit. But
I could wear these and then um put on a
(38:20):
red shirt and my red glasses and then I'll be
perfectly red, white and tame. Yeah, So I would do that.
I would also bring money of some sort because the
book store at the visitors Center is unsurprisingly incredible it's huge,
and there's a ton here, a ton of books, but
then like a bunch of everything else to paraphernalia and
(38:40):
Gettysburg souvenirs and whatnot, and they're legit, Like these are
the type of things that we would stock up on
if we had space in our RV, and if we
were still living in Chicago, we would probably buy a
bunch of items here because we would actually have the
space for it. But I was very impressed with that store,
as with everything else in that visitor center. And then
the third thing I would bring, I guess would just
(39:02):
be like similar to a mindset thing, like a sense
of common patience and thirst for knowledge. Because it is crowded,
so you're gonna have to contend with traffic and car
traffic potentially and um lack of parking spaces maybe, so
you're gonna need to come with that kind of mind adjustment,
(39:23):
knowing full well the possibilities of that. And then when
you're in these places, when especially when you're in the cemeteries,
like it's somber, it's quiet, and it needs it should be,
so go in with um that tempered you know, rettitude. Right, Yeah, good,
that's a good third thing to bring. And I think
(39:47):
we could also transition now into talking about what our
dream trip to Gettysburg would look like if we were
to return, or when we return, and kind of go
all out. Well obviously, I mean, even though it's a
bit of a drive, it would actually be great to
stay at Hotel Hersh so we can be closer to
those chocolate martinis and and those that sarcuterie um and
it's just the you know, so historic and beautiful and
(40:10):
you know, even though we didn't go in the rooms,
I can guarantee you those are going to be incredible.
I assume, so, yeah, and I agree with you on
that a thousand per cent. I want more of those
Tarkabo martinis on a regular basis, and proximity to those
in that Iberian lounge is important that should bear priority
upon returning here. And then I think we should do
more of the range of programs and tours at Gettysburg.
(40:32):
It would be really great to learn even more about
this place directly from the rangers who are working there,
because they know that history and that knowledge and they
continue to pass that on, right and especially since I
feel like we've really just scratched the surface of the
depth that Gettysburg offers. Like, there are other parts of
the park that I want to visit and I think
(40:52):
would be really great and provide knowledge from a different perspective,
like the David Will's House, which is a newer portion
of the park. This was added into thousand nine. That's
the home of Gettysburg attorney David Wills, who was kind
of in charge of the massive cleanup process after the battle.
And I can only imagine how hellish that was. And
it's also where Lincoln stopped to finish up his speech
(41:13):
before his famous address, So a lot of significance there
in that house. Yeah, the house has a museum that's
more focused on Lincoln and the Gettysburg addressed, and considering
how huge and important these aspects are, they definitely deserve
a museum all of their own. Yeah, I think so
for sure. And in other presidential news, there's also the
Eisenhower National Historic Site nearby, which is the home and
(41:33):
farm of President Eisenhower, right next to the battlefield. In fact,
yet another fact I had zero idea about. I didn't
know that Eisenhower had any roots here whatsoever. Yeah, seriously,
even after spending the day there and exploring. We're still
learning so much about Gettysburg. It's just one of those
places with endless discovery. And while one day was sufficient
(41:56):
to scratch the surface, I could literally see being here
for a week and continually learning, learning more and more
every day. It's endless discovery and endless inspiration. Truly, we
loved it, yes, and we plan on going back. What
(42:19):
a journey we've been on for season one of Parklandia.
We've had such a great time meeting all of you
and engaging on social media. The entire first season is
available to binge if you happen to be on a
long road trip, for those dreaded rides to work in back,
or just for that quick escape on the weekends. We've
got much more in store for season two, which will
be coming your way this winter. Until then, keep in
(42:40):
touch with us on social media, share the park Landia
love with your friends and family. Well that's it for
the first season of park Landia. As always, thank you
for listening. You've been listening to park Landia, a show
about national parks. Parklandia is a production of Our Heart Radio,
(43:04):
created by Matt Carouac, Brad Carouac, and Christopher hasiotis produced
and edited by Mike Johns. Our executive producer is Christopher.
Hasiotis a special thank you to Gabrielle Collins, Chrystal Waters
and the rest of the park Landia team and Hey listeners.
If you're enjoying the show, leave us a review on
Apple Podcasts. It helps other people like you find our show.
(43:24):
You can keep up with us on social media check
out our photos on our Instagram at park Landia Pod
and joining on the conversation in our Facebook group Parklandia Rangers.
For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows, and as always, thank you for listening.
Parklandia News
Hosts And Creators
Brad Kirouac
Matt Kirouac
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Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.