Pennsylvania

CHARGE! – Return to the site of one of the most significant battles of the Civil War, in Gettysburg. Check out the newly restored Museum and Visitor Center first to brush up on your knowledge of this three-day clash between Union and Confederate armies in 1863. Then walk the wellpreserved battlefield and see how it looked to the ordinary soldier. Learn more at www.nps.gov/gett/.

RENEW YOUR CITIZENSHIP – Get back to the beginning, of the United States, that is, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted. The period furniture includes Washington’s original chair. It was hot that July and the delegates argued for hours, but what a result; come out feeling invigorated. (While the hall is, appropriately, free, you will need to get an entry time from the visitor center nearby.) Get your history started at www.nps.gov/inde/.

WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE – No, really! George Washington used the Peter Wentz Farmstead as his headquarters and home in 1777, and it has been restored to its appearance in that period. The 90-acre farm northwest of Philadelphia includes orchards and farm animals typical of the Pennsylvania German families which owned the farm for 200 years. Learn more at www.peterwentzfarmsteadsociety.org, or phone 610-584-5104.