DRUMMER BOY CAMPING RESORT

If this is the summer to take your family on a vacation that combines camping, fun, and history, Drummer Boy Camping Resort is one place you should think about spending some time. Located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, it is just minutes from the famous battlefield where Union forces defeated the Confederates in the summer of 1863. This is also the site where President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, memorized by generations of schoolchildren.

Resort Facilities

Situated on 95 acres, the resort has 400 sites for camping, as well as 12 cabins, 27 cottages, and 10 lofts for a change of pace. Many of the sites are shaded, and most offer full hookups. There’s plenty to do since the resort grounds include two swimming pools (one with a water slide), a fishing pond, a snack bar, a playground, a mini golf course, basketball, volleyball and horseshoes courts, and even a small movie theater. Drummer Boy also offers planned activities and theme weekends, such as Fifties, Hawaiian Luau, Christmas in July, and “Parrot Head” weekend. To help with those inescapable camp chores there are three dumping stations, two Laundromats, and a store.

In and Around Gettysburg

Of course, the Gettysburg National Historic Park draws thousands of visitors each year. You can tour the battlefield in your own car, by bus, or with your own tour guide. The park offers many living history programs and other activities all summer. In Gettysburg, you can visit the David Wills house, where President Lincoln stayed, as well as other museums related to the battle. Not into history? Gettysburg also has outlet shopping, golfing, horseback riding, ghost tours, and Boyd’s Bear Country, the huge teddy bear store.

Day Trips

Near Harrisburg, Hersheypark gives you a full day of roller coasters, water rides, tasty food, and entertainment, and right next door is ZooAmerica. Or spend a quiet day exploring the Amish lifestyle near Lancaster. Tired of the country? Baltimore is an easy drive for a day’s visit, and bus trips to Washington, D.C. start right at Drummer Boy Camp Resort.