Seminary Ridge Museum & Education Center
Gettysburg, PA · 2 hours 2 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person
Plan the day
Seminary Ridge Museum & Education Center is a Civil War museum in Gettysburg, PA, inside the seminary building whose cupola Union Gen. John Buford and his staff used to survey the ground on the first day of the battle.
Three floors of exhibits cover the first day of the battle, the field hospital that filled the building afterward, and the national tensions before the war. The guided cupola tour climbs to the lookout Buford's staff used, a 30-minute add-on with a 48-inch height minimum. Free talks and living history fill the calendar through December.
Before you go
Cupola tours run 30 minutes, are not wheelchair accessible and need a 48-inch minimum height; the three exhibit floors and the entrance are accessible. Free parking with a bus drop-off. Adams County Library cardholders get half-price admission.
Coming up
The exhibit Sacrifice on Seminary Ridge, wartime portraits and accounts of the hospital's patients, surgeons and nurses, opens October 9 and stays on view through December 6; free Fridays On the Ridge talks are October 30, November 6 and December 4 at 3:30 PM.
Checked October 8, 2026 on the official site. Hours, prices and seasons change, so confirm there before a long drive.
