The Gettysburg Foundation is pleased to offer local residents and visitors to Gettysburg educational events on select spring holidays at Children of Gettysburg 1863® in May 2023. Open daily, 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. for the spring and summer seasons, Children of Gettysburg 1863® offers families a unique, interactive history adventure and special programming with special events on the following holidays:
May Day Civil War Era Traditions | Monday, May 1 | 1-3 p.m. Celebrate the start of May. Children and their families can learn the Civil War era traditions of May Day and how a May Pole was decorated in celebration of the season. The event takes place in the side yard and is free and open to the public.
Cinco de Mayo Celebration | Friday, May 5 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Special Storytime 1-2 p.m. First observed in the U.S. in 1863, Cinco de Mayo marks the defeat of French forces by the Mexican army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, which may have played a part in preventing French involvement in the American Civil War. The 1862 battle in Mexico was a current event that children of Gettysburg in 1863 had been learning and reading about in their local newspapers. Ticket holders for the children’s history museum on May 5 can learn the significance of this holiday during a special story time of Cinco de Mayo written by Emma Carlson Berne. Visitors can also make a maracas craft to take home and celebrate the holiday.
Mother’s Day Special | Sunday, May 14 | 1-3 p.m. Ticket holders for the children’s history museum on May 14, are invited to a Mother’s Day special celebration. Guests can create a beautiful succulent planter in a teacup while learning the history of this important holiday. Supplies to create the planter will be provided. All parent and guardian ticket holders on May 14 are invited to enjoy this special event with their children before or after the museum adventure. The event takes place on the front porch from 1 until 3 p.m. and is recommended for children and youth ages 5 and older.
Memorial Day Events | Monday, May 29 | 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. | Parade 2 p.m. Ticket holders for the children’s history museum on May 29 have the opportunity to find their connection to Gettysburg through a basic Civil War ancestry search. Staff will be on hand to search through the Fold 3 database for military records to help guests find their Civil War ancestor from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the courtyard. Visitors are also invited to bring their lawn chairs to watch the Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade that begins at 2 p.m. from the museum’s front porch, side yard and front sidewalk. The parade is free and open to the public.
The interactive children’s history museum tells the engaging stories of children, teens and young adults who lived in the town of Gettysburg and the surrounding area during and after the Battle of Gettysburg. Families have the opportunity to experience engaging first-hand accounts from a number of young residents from 1863 including William Bayly, Albertus McCreary, Sadie Bushman and Tillie Pierce.
Most of the spring holiday events and activities are free with a ticket to Children of Gettysburg 1863® unless otherwise noted. Admission tickets are currently free for children/youth ages 12 and younger when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Tickets are available by phone, 717-334-2436, online at GettysburgFoundation.org/Children-of-Gettysburg-1863, at the Ticket Counter inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center and on-site at Children of Gettysburg 1863® located at 451 Baltimore Street in downtown Gettysburg.