About the Tour
“In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; And lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Speaking at the dedication of the Monument to the 20th Maine
October 3, 1889, Gettysburg, PA
Geek Nation Tours is proud to announce another of its “Signature Battlefield Tours” series. Join us for “Gettysburg and the Battlefield of the Civil War” in 2025. We are happy to offer the tour to the battlefield that played a huge role in the Civil War as well as visits to other historically significant locations such as Antietam, Manassas and Harpers Ferry. Join us as we travel the through this hallowed ground and visit some of the most important sites in American history. We will return often to the Battlefields themselves and explore these powerful places. You will find yourself looking across the great breadth of the Manassas battlefield. You will stand on an impossibly small cornfield and a tiny bridge where more Americans died than on any other single day in the nation’s military history. We will see the town where John Brown made his stand against slavery and we will see the monumental Gettysburg battlefield in detail. We will visit the hill so gallantly defended by Joshua Chamberlain and stare off into the distances on General Robert E Lee’s line where he made the fateful decision to march against Union lines.
Pre-Tour Information
Hello all! We have decided to move it to coincide with Historicon, arrive at the battlefields with less hubbub and less tourists one would normally find on anniversary dates, and hopefully beat the heat a bit. That said, our pre-tour to Historicon is listed below. For the Main Tour keep on scrolling down (and be sure to see the Extension even further down :))
Optional Pre-Tour Add-on
Day 1 - Washington, DC (Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2025) / Pre-Tour Arrival
Today we will arrive at Washington Dulles airport and be transferred to Lancaster Pennsylvania where we will spend the night in anticipation of tomorrow's - Historicon! Familiarize yourself with lovely downtown Lancaster and mingle with other convention early arrivals as you settle in for some of the best historical wargaming of the year! Enjoy a hearty Welcome Dinner as we talk history, gaming, and fun, preparing for the big weekend! Our Welcome Dinners are a fantastic way to get to know your fellow travelers, discuss your hopes and dreams for the coming convention, and maybe even devise a comprehensive strategy for conquering the con!
Overnight Location: Holiday Inn Lancaster PA, Dinner Included
Day 2 - Lancaster, PA (Thursday, Jul. 17, 2025) / Historicon!
Today is our start to three days at Historicon! For your first day, check out the vendor hall, with all of its gaming goodness. Find deals on the latest historicals, talk to game designers and publishers, and demo the latest in historical table-top experiences. Games, demos, and lectures are available all day, and can be reserved in advance to ensure a fantastic experience! Lunch is on your own, but may we suggest the incredible, diverse tastes of the Central Market, located just across the street from the convention? Our travelers are encouraged to branch out on their own, discovering the many wonders of the local scene and four levels of amazing gaming; but your Geek Guides will never be far away to answer questions and help you find your way! Dinner will be right at the hotel (in the illustrious Imperial Ballroom) and feature lectures and talks with two eminent voices in the world of historical publishing and gaming, Vince Rospond of Winged Hussar Publishing, and Professor Adrian Mandzy. Finish out the night with a custom private Mega Battle in the grand, "Not-So-Horrible" tradition of the D6 Generation, recreating a massive Civil War conflict using the Black Powder: Epic Battles rules by Warlord Games!
Vincent Rospond is the founder, owner, and fearless leader at Winged Hussar Publishing, LLC with 30 years of experience in the publishing industry. He has written several books on military history, edited over thirty and is the editor of The Journal of America's Military Past. He received his MA in history from the University of Illinois.
Winged Hussar Publishing, LLC was founded in 2012 publishing books in both military history and SF&F. Their military histories are aimed at historians, gamers and students.
Overnight Location: Holiday Inn Lancaster PA, Dinner Included
Day 3 - Lancaster, PA (Friday, Jul. 18, 2025) / Historicon!
On your second day, check out narrative battles, more gaming events, and tournaments. Whether you register in advance for your favorite system, or come as a spectator to wander the halls, there's a lot to do and see at any miniature gaming convention of this size! For dinner on this second day of the convention
experience the local wonder of the Iron Hill Brewery. Games and discussions will last late into the night for those with stamina. With what little free time you might have, check out Wally’s Basement, a Gaming Flea Market that runs almost all day every day of the convention and into the night!
Overnight Location: Holiday Inn Lancaster PA, Dinner Included
Day 4 - Lancaster, PA (Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025) / Historicon!
Our third and final full day at Historicon is bound to be the biggest of them all! During the day continue to sample the best historical games the industry has to offer, dip one last time into the vendor hall for that rare rules set, witty gaming t-shirt, or paraphernalia that you foolishly almost convinced yourself you didn't need! For dinner you will be treated to one of the best experiences Geek Nation Tours has to offer: the infamous Industry Leaders’ Night! A Catered dinner in the hotel will bring our travelers together with some of the biggest names in the gaming industry.
Our guests will include Vince and Professor Mandzy again as well as editor Brandon Rospond and Dennis Shorhouse from On Military Matters; Scott Washburn, author, owner of Paper Terrain Inc., and former colonel of the Mifflin Guard Civil War reenactors; John Russel of Warlord Games fame; Captain Mike Tunez of Firelock Games and Happy Pirate; and others as well! We will be continuously adding names to the illustrious list as the convention gets closer. Enjoy a wonderful dinner while these luminaries, scholars, and personalities regale you with tales of design, history, and games of yore! Stay up as late as you’d like! Eat, drink, and make merry with these great folks, for tomorrow we bus!
Overnight Location: Holiday Inn Lancaster PA, Dinner Included
Day 5 - Lancaster, PA (Sunday, Jul. 20, 2025) / Historicon!
Sleep off the Industry Leader’s Night, or get your last quick fixes in the gaming and vending halls. After a quick lunch on your own we will board our coach and make our way to Manassas, Virginia and meet the rest of our tour participants for the official Welcome Dinner of the tour proper. Here you will get to know your guide and the new guests that will be joining us for the main tour.
NOTE: For those doing only the HistoriCon Pre-Tour. Transfers to a departing airport are not included. We will be headed south to Manassas as a group and thus you will be on your own for this transfer.
Main Tour
Day 1 - Washington, DC (Sunday, Jul. 20, 2025) / Arrival Day!
On this day we will arrive from points all over the map to Washington DC at Dulles International Airport before traveling to Manassas, Virginia for our Welcome Dinner where you will join the travelers from the Historicon Extension and get to know your guide and fellow tour guests. Enjoy a fantastic meal at a local favorite restaurant and brewery, Silos. Be sure to rest up, because tomorrow we begin our march into the past!
Overnight Location: Courtyard Manassas Battlefield Park VA. Dinner Included
Day 2 - Manassas, VA (Monday, Jul. 21, 2025) / Manassas Part 1 & 2
Today we will explore the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Make sure you have comfortable shoes and your Fitbit, because we are going to be covering a lot of ground! Our tour guide will be a historian from Prince William County dressed in the clothes of a Civil War soldier. He will not only interpret both battles fought at Manassas in July 1861 and August 1862 but also share the stories of the people who lived on the land and the soldiers who fought and died there during the Civil War. Our day will start with the Matthew’s Hill, Stone House, and Henry House walking tour. We will also learn about the 2014 discovery of a surgeon's burial pit; the final resting place of two Union soldiers as well as the lost limbs of several others . The afternoon hike will follow along the unfinished railroad on the Second Manassas battlefield, parts of which were defended by the Confederates under “Stonewall” Jackson from August 28-30, 1862. This walk will examine the multiple Federal attacks upon the position and the desperate fighting that occurred there. The walk will visit the sites of Cuvier Grover’s bayonet charge and the Deep Cut, site of the largest Federal attack of the battle. We will finish the day with the Brawner Farm walking tour and a visit to the Confederate Cemetery. We will then return to Manassas to soak our feet and relax for a bit before dinner at the hotel. We will wind down with some games, perhaps another miniature mega-battle to give those who were not with us at Historicon a chance for some miniature glory of their own.
Overnight Location: Courtyard Manassas Battlefield Park VA, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 3 - Harper’s Ferry, WV (Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2025) / Harpers Ferry & Antietam
We will leave Manassas and travel to Harper’s Ferry to briefly explore the Bolivar Heights Battlefield (important for the battle of Antietam) and the town of Harper’s Ferry. We will be led by a local Living History guide who will end the tour back in town where you will have several options on your own for lunch. From there we will return to our bus to visit Antietam battlefield, the site of the bloodiest day in American history. A Park Ranger will lead us on a detailed tour of this battlefield. We will spend the night in Hagerstown, having dinner at a local restaurant where we can reminisce about what we’ve seen and anticipate what the coming days may bring.
Overnight Location: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Hagerstown MD, Breakfast included
Day 4 - Gettysburg, PA (Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2025) / Gettysburg at last!
Today we will travel to Gettysburg where we will be joined once again by imminent historian and publisher Vince Rospond, who will serve as a special guide throughout our time in Gettysburg! We will first visit the Gettysburg Diorama. This is the largest diorama in the US and it depicts Gettysburg during the battle of 1862. This amazing diorama displays 6,000 acres in miniature and more than 20,000 hand-painted HO scale soldiers. It also gives a great overview of the battle and helps orient us for the afternoon tours. On the battlefield Vincent will provide further enlightenment and show us were we will visit that day. After lunch we will take a Gettysburg Battlefield tour that will give us a general overview of the battle. We will end the tour at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center to visit the Cyclorama, Museum and bookstore. We will then make our way to the hotel for dinner. After dinner there will be time to socialize, play some games, or wander through the town.
Overnight Location: Gettysburg Hotel PA, Lunch & Dinner included
Day 5 - Gettysburg, PA (Thursday, Jul. 24, 2025) / Little Round Top, Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield
After breakfast we will return to the battlefield for a more detailed look at the Monument to the 20th Maine on Little Round Top, Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield. After lunch we will visit the Shriver House museum. You will have some free time to explore Gettysburg and then return to the hotel for some down time. Later that evening we will dine at the historic Dobbin House and at twilight we will return to Lee’s Line for a more dramatic, detailed look at this section of the battlefield. We will see the sun set over Gettysburg, and then return to the hotel for some rest and refit.
Overnight Location: Gettysburg Hotel PA, Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 6 - Gettysburg, PA (Friday, Jul. 25, 2025) / The Battlefield and the Town
Today will see us visiting the battlefield one last time. This time, we will start the day at the Gettysburg National Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln made his famous address...and then wind down the day with a leisurely free day to explore downtown Gettysburg. There are a multitude of museums, cafes and places of historical interest in this area that you will be free to explore. We will be arranging for a private Cupola Tour at the Seminary Ridge Museum for those travelers interested in sharing the same view Brigadier General John Bufford had as he saw the fires of the Confederate army stretching into the distance, foreshadowing the largest battle in the history of the Western Hemisphere. For those with an interest in the macabre, there are many opportunities to delve into the more mysterious aspects of the region with ghost tours and haunted item museums. No matter what paths you choose to follow, be sure to join us in the evening as we dine at the historic Farnsworth House. After dinner we will return to the battlefield for a quick final visit.
Overnight Location: Gettysburg Hotel PA, Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 7 - Washington, DC (Saturday, Jul. 26, 2025) / Departure Day
Our journey into the historic past will conclude on this day as we say goodbye. We will have one last transfer as we head off as a group to Dulles international airport and drop those off that will be flying out today… Although our time walking in the footsteps of history is over, the memories and knowledge gained from this trip and the new friends you have made along the way will be yours forever.
Overnight Location: Breakfast included
Optional Post-Tour Add-on
Day 1 - Arlington, VA (Saturday, Jul. 26, 2025) / Arlington National Cemetery
Today we will leave early to make our way to the Washington Dulles airport to say good bye to our tour participants returning home.
Those travelers having opted for the Washington, D.C. Extension, will be continuing our journey to Arlington National Cemetery. Here travelers hop on and off the automated bus tour to explore the cemetery at their own pace. This will be a leisurely, but limited, visit before we head off to the Washington National Mall. For our first day on the Mall, we will explore the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Reflection Pool, World War II Memorial, and Washington Monument as a group. Depending on how much time we have you will be free to wander the grounds or take in some of the other sites as well…
Later we will go to our hotel before having dinner at the popular Founding Farmers restaurant. After dinner your time is your own, but an evening visit to the National Mall, with the illumination of the monuments, is a sight no one should miss.
Overnight Location: JW Marriott Washington DC, Dinner included
Day 2 - Washington, DC (Sunday, Jul. 27, 2025) / The National Mall
Today we will again explore the National Mall. We will be transferred to and from the Mall and you will have the full day to explore the area as you see fit… The day will be yours to craft as you wish, but the GNT crew will be on hand to make sure all of your Capitol dreams come true! You can take some choice photos of the White House and Capitol Hill or spend your time visiting some of the most famous monuments, memorials, and museums in the entire world:
| National Museum of American History | National Museum of Natural History |
| National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden | West Building of the National Gallery of Art |
| East Building of the National Gallery of Art | National Museum of the American Indian |
| National Air and Space Museum | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden |
| Arts and Industries Building | Smithsonian Institution Building (“The Castle”) |
| Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery |
| National Museum of African Art | Andrew Jackson Downing Memorial Urn |
| Joseph Henry Statue | Smithsonian Carousel |
Of course there are even more monuments to see today including:
Or if you would like to stroll the gardens you have these options:
| United States Botanic Garden | Constitution Gardens |
| Mary Livingston Ripley Garden | Enid A. Haupt Garden |
| Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden | Butterfly Habitat Garden |
| Victory Garden at the National Museum of American History |
Heirloom Garden at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center |
| Native Landscape at the National Museum of the American Indian |
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden |
There are many local options for dinner, but afterwards we will all come back together for one last night of games and fun, making the last night last as long as we want. Plenty of time to sleep on the planes on our way home!
Overnight Location: JW Marriott Washington DC, Dinner included
Day 3 - Washington, DC (Monday, Jul. 28, 2025) / A Journey Home
We will be transferred to the Washington Dulles Airport for our return home. We will arrive around 10am so please book air travel plans accordingly.
Tour Notes
NOTE: Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations.
NOTE: COVID-19 has changed both our geek and our real worlds. Some things may never be the same and others may not be able to be offered on our tours or will have to be altered in a new post Covid world. With that said, please understand that GNT is moving forward as if the disease is already conquered, but all tours are now subject to change.
What's Included
Several Breakfasts, some Lunches and most dinners throughout Main, Pre-Tour and Extension. Including Dobbin House and Farnsworth House Dinners. Most transfers, hotels and entrance fees. All battlefield tour prices and fees.
What's Not Included
Flights not included. Some small local fees may apply.
NOTE: For those doing only the HistoriCon Pre-Tour. Transfers to a departing airport are not included. We will be headed south to Manassas as a group and thus you will be on your own for this transfer.
Tour Price
Single-Occupancy Upgrade: $620.00 USD
Single-Occupancy Upgrade: $425.00 USD
Single-Occupancy Upgrade: $480.00 USD
Don’t have a friend to get the double occupancy rate? That is what Geek Nation Tours does. Book as a double occupancy and we will match you up a roommate… This way you get the best of both worlds – someone to BS about the ACW with – and more cash to spend!
