Category: Travel

From July 1 to 3, 1863, the Confederate and Union armies faced off in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The South’s defeat at Gettysburg became a turning point in the conflict, and an entire tourism economy has grown around the town’s significance.

This Field Trip gives that history its due, but Gettysburg isn’t a one-trick pony. Expect battlefield landmarks and ranger talks alongside viral doughnuts, lake swims, craft cider, and Syrian food; all about 140 miles west of Philadelphia.

Start the car.

Fuel: Devil’s Den Doughnuts

It’s worth timing your trip to arrive in Gettysburg for Fritter Friday, the weekly tradition that has turned Devil’s Den Doughnuts into a viral sensation. Lately, the little bakeshop on the outskirts of downtown Gettysburg has been running a berry version cloaked in a magenta glaze. If it’s sold out by the time you arrive, don’t worry. The bakery is still packed with chocolate-iced, cinnamon-sugared, and honey-drenched options; plus over-the-top cold brews to wash them down.

📍 16 Deatrick Dr., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Stay: Union Hotel

From its beginnings as an 18th-century stop for westbound travelers to today’s best boutique stay in downtown Gettysburg, the Union Hotel has history in abundance. Its four-story brick facade, striped awnings, and gold marquee give it the look of a classic Main Street landmark. Inside, the 12 suites offer kitchenettes, full-size sofas, and beds wrapped in Brooklinen sheets.

📍 27 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Learn: Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

No surprise the 1863 Civil War battle of Gettysburg is the area’s main tourism driver. Even visitors who are typically snoozy on history need to do the circuit when they come here, and that starts at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Doing this first sets the context for the entire historical gravitas of Gettysburg and its pivotal role in the war, and a standard admission ticket includes the museum galleries, filled with battlefield artifacts; the iconic 360-degree Cyclorama painting of Pickett’s Charge; and A New Birth of Freedom, the introductory film. You can add on the bus tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield, but it’s unnecessary since that site will be covered separately in this itinerary.

📍 1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Reset: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

About 20 minutes north of Gettysburg, Pine Grove Furnace State Park offers a welcome change of pace once the weight of Civil War history starts to settle in. Nearly 700 acres of forest feature more than a dozen hiking trails, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, along with mountain biking, bird-watching, swimming at Fuller Lake (lifeguards in season), and kayaking on Laurel Lake.

📍 1100 Pine Grove Rd., Gardners, Pa. 17324

Drink: Ploughman Cider

The Three Springs Fruit Farm apples you love at the Headhouse Square Farmers Market? Farmer Ben Wenk’s generational orchards grow them right outside Gettysburg in the Adams County countryside. While his Jonagolds and Nittanys make great fresh eating, many of the more arcane heirlooms get fermented into Wenk’s liquid spinoff, Ploughman Cider. He tends a cozy taproom right in downtown Gettysburg, where you can try the whole cider portfolio, along with seasonals and limited-edition runs that might not even make it to the city. Hillbilly Banana blends Stayman Winesaps with our native “tropical” fruit, the pawpaw.

📍 14 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Dine: Jamilie Syrian Kitchen

Syrian cooking in Gettysburg? Yes, please. Jamilie Syrian Kitchen, with its exposed brick walls, hand-painted plates, and full cocktail menu, is open all day, making it an ideal spot for the early dinner you need in order to get to your nighttime plans. The extensive menu ranges from hot and cold mezze — including tangy muhammara and za’atar-and-cheese flatbreads — to kebabs, hearty entrees, and excellent pistachio ice cream.

📍 28 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Visit: Gettysburg National Military Park

Aim to reach Gettysburg National Military Park around 6 p.m., when the lowering light lends the battlefield an especially powerful atmosphere. Access to the park is free, and there are both free and paid apps to download that correspond with the self-guided Auto Route, which follows the battle’s timeline from McPherson Ridge to the National Cemetery as it covers 24 miles. If you’re visiting on a forthcoming Saturday, plan your drive to end at Pitzer Woods Amphitheater for the free Campfire with a Ranger program at 8:30 p.m. The hourlong talks blend military history with local lore, all beside a crackling campfire.

📍 Auto Tour begins at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100, Gettysburg, Pa. 17325

Eleven long, skinny bodies of water comprise New York’s Finger Lakes, a wine region and resort destination for two centuries. Collectively they cover a wide swath of northern New York, with the easternmost and westernmost lakes over 90 miles apart.

Since it takes more than four hours to get here from Philly, this itinerary focuses on just one finger, Cayuga Lake, at the southern end of which sits the Ivy League town of Ithaca, home to Cornell University. The trip also detours to Seneca Lake next door for some exciting natural wines.

Expect waterfalls, eagle-spotting, ice cream, and plenty of outdoors. Start the car.

Stay: Inn at Gothic Eves

Check into the Inn at Gothic Eves (10 out of 10, no notes on the dramatic name), located 15 minutes from downtown Ithaca on the western shore of Cayuga Lake. Divided between two buildings linked by a two-acre landscaped patio, the resort’s eight suites take their names from the lakes they sit between — Cayuga and Seneca — and various grape varietals and wine regions. There’s a cozy spa with rock-walled treatment rooms and two hot tubs, nightly s’mores by the firepit, and epic breakfasts with house-made jams and locally sourced bacon.

📍 112 E. Main St., Trumansburg, N.Y. 14886

Hike: Cascadilla Gorge Trail

The barrier between downtown Ithaca and nature is barely there. The head of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail begins right off a residential neighborhood, tucked between a church and dentist’s office. This 1.3-mile trail, stewarded by Cornell since 1909, connects downtown with the university’s Botanical Gardens and travels through ancient bedrock ravines and past six waterfalls.

📍 Cascadilla Gorge Trail, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

Snack: Mama Said Hand Pies

On Press Bay Alley, a pedestrian micro-mall built from a row of former storage units, Mama Said Hand Pies (another 10 out of 10 name) folds fillings like spiced peaches and Oaxaca cheese with mushrooms into flaky half-moon pastries. Drop in for a snack, and, if you’re lucky, some live music. As if you need another reason to like the place, a member of a recent bluegrass quintet can be seen on Mama’s Instagram performing in a Phillies shirt.

📍 118 W. Green St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

Sip: Osmote

About 30 minutes west of Ithaca, near the shores of Seneca Lake, a simple wooden pavilion overlooks the water. This is where Osmote hosts picturesque tastings of its low-intervention wines. Four pours cost just $20 and may include bottles like the fizzy Cayuga White pét-nat or Marquette, whose tasting notes include “crunchy blackberry” and “cherry Pop-Tart.” The wines are made with locally sourced grapes while Osmote’s own vineyards, planted in 2024, mature.

📍 3879 Marcia Ln., Burdett, N.Y. 14818

Paddle: Paddle-N-More

On summer Saturday nights, about an hour before sunset, single and tandem kayaks launch from Myers Park, on the east shore of Cayuga Lake. Join the two-hour guided eco-themed trip by Paddle-N-More, a popular outfitter with locations all around the lake. They provide the gear and the expertise, you provide the manpower (not that much) to cruise along the lakeshore, spotting bald eagles and herons.

📍 1 Lansing Park Rd., Lansing, N.Y. 14882

Dine: Moosewood Restaurant

A national pioneer of vegetarian cooking and the local-organic movement, Moosewood Restaurant opened in 1972 and, impressively, continues to this day. While the restaurant is no longer worker-owned — Danica Wilcox, daughter of one of the founding members, took over in 2022 — the ethos that earned Moosewood three James Beard Awards and inspired a shelf full of cookbooks remains intact. Order the New York cheeseboard, oyster mushroom scampi, and, for dessert, the famous fudge brownie that Wilcox’s mother once baked for the restaurant.

📍 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

Indulge: Cayuga Lake Creamery

Conveniently situated in the same building as Moosewood, Cayuga Lake Creamery is how you should end an Ithaca evening. This location opened in 2020 — the flagship, dating to 2004, is further up the lake in Interlake — and gives Cornell’s famous Dairy Bar a run for its money. Twenty to 30 house-made flavors rotate through the case, including tiramisu, Seneca Salt Caramel, and dark cherry sorbet dosed with Finger Lakes merlot.

📍 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850

A college campus in Central New Jersey might not sound like the ideal getaway, but Princeton has a Ph.D. in historic charm, boutique shops, eateries, and museums. As a lifelong New Jerseyan, I keep forgetting how much I love it there.

Even the Wawa is a work of art.

“Princeton is just a beautiful little town and, in my opinion, there are only a few places like it in all of New Jersey,” said John Lambert, owner of the iconic Princeton Record Exchange.

Strolling through Princeton University’s ivy-covered campus, as Albert Einstein used to, is almost worth the trip alone, particularly if you go on a bustling fall weekend. The campus is teeming with sculptures, massive churches, and historic school buildings. The town is only 50 miles northeast of Philadelphia and is even accessible by Amtrak at 30th Street Station.

Fuel

I’m a sucker for a downstairs pub, and I’ve been to Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar a handful of times. It’s dark and bedecked in stained glass and brick, and images of Princeton icons, like author John McPhee and basketball legend Bill Bradley, line the walls.

It’s not the only bar in town, but Winberie’s seems like the ideal place to grab a craft beer or wine before or after a Tiger football or basketball game. It sits right on Palmer Square in the middle of town.

Winberie’s has full entrees, including pan-roasted, crispy skin salmon, and braised, beef short ribs, but I also get one of their burgers. On a recent weekday in June, I ordered the smash burger on rye bread with mustard.

Afterward, while walking off the meal around Palmer Square, I made a note to try Teresa’s Pizza & Wine Bar next time. Princeton’s Triumph Brewing is an elevated brewing experience with duck, lamb, and oysters on the menu. It was named a 2025 Diners’ Choice by OpenTable.

📍 Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar, 1 Palmer Square E., Princeton, N.J. 08542

📍Teresa’s Pizza & Wine Bar, 23 Palmer Square E., Princeton, N.J. 08542

📍Triumph Brewing Company, 20 Palmer Sq. E, Princeton, N.J. 08542

Stay

Princeton can be an easy day trip for anyone in Philadelphia. That’s a great option too, because overnights can be expensive, particularly when school is in session, and there are large events on campus.

The Nassau Inn, on Palmer Square, is Princeton’s most iconic hotel, and it offers summer getaway deals starting at $175 a night. Rooms jump to $325 a night come mid-September. The Nassau, established in 1775, offers 16 craft beers, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner at its Yankee Doodle Tap Room.

The Graduate Hotel, by Hilton, has a breathtaking lobby, but the prices are breathtaking too. There are some simple and relatively affordable Airbnbs downtown, too, but expect the prices to double during the school year.

📍 Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square E., Princeton, N.J. 08542

📍 Graduate Princeton, 10 Chambers St., Princeton, N.J. 08542

Shop

There are almost too many options to choose from, but the Princeton Record Exchange, or PREX, is a must-see. As the sign in the window attests, it’s one of the nation’s, even the world’s, best record stores with over 100,000 albums, cassettes, and CDs spread out over 4,500 square feet.

James Murphy, of LCD Soundsystem, said PREX “saved his life.”

Owner Jon Lambert said he has visitors from all over the world, and he’s found the average customer spends over an hour in the store. Sometimes they’re simply browsing and reminiscing, and Lambert said that’s just fine.

“We want you to feel comfortable here, to have a tactile, sensorial experience,” he said. “We know you’ll probably be back.”

Other must-sees are jaZams, arguably the greatest toy story ever (I managed to spend just $14) and Labyrinth Books, which specializes in rare and academic titles.

📍 Princeton Record Exchange, 20 S. Tulane St., Princeton, N.J. 08542

📍 jaZams, 25 Palmer Square E., Princeton, N.J. 08542

📍 Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton, N.J. 08542

See

The Princeton University Art Museum was the biggest surprise of my visit, a vast, modern building full of pieces, large and small, that touch on, well, everything. My daughter, just 4 years old, was captivated.

There’s a Warhol, Monet, some German expressionism, gold-ground paintings from the 1400s, and massive, modern pieces by sculptor Nick Cave.

In honor of America’s 250th celebration, the museum has an exhibit titled “What Is an American?” running through November.

Even better: It’s free.

📍 45 Elm Dr., Princeton, N.J. 08544

Sweets

The Bent Spoon, an artisan ice cream shop on Palmer Square, has crafted hundreds of flavors since it opened in 2004. The small shop, which is open year-round, redefines “farm to spoon,” which means you have to grab flavors like blueberry and strawberry when they’re available.

“We really try to celebrate the seasons, for real,” said co-owner Gabrielle Carbone. “We get our strawberries from South Jersey, and they’re only available until the strawberries run out.”

I ordered vanilla bean — sourced from Madagascar. My daughter had a vegan vanilla with organic rainbow sprinkles. We swapped.

Carbone says blueberry ice cream and blueberry-lemonade sorbet will be in around July, but not for long. Princeton is bustling come winter, too, she said.

“We’re known for our hot chocolate,” she said.

📍 35 Palmer Square W., Princeton, N.J. 08542

Wawa

You know Wawas. You’ve seen hundreds of them and, for the most part, they all look the same.

The Wawa at the Princeton Station train stop was designed by architect Rick Joy, though, and features exterior walls with sharp angles and columns made of blackened steel panels. Inside, above the cash register, is a large skylight.

The Wawa even has a green roof, along with the ubiquitous shorties and hot coffee.

📍 152 Alexander St., Princeton, N.J. 08540