We have stayed at Gettysburg Farms a few times now because it’s the closest Thousand Trails campground near us and much of my family lives near it, so they’re able to visit for the day. We also end up camping with a handful of other families on holidays. As the name implies, it is a working farm. One of my daughter’s favorite activities is when they open the petting zoo. Chickens, ducks, and baby goats commonly roam around the upper area. It’s a great campground with two very distinct feels from “the city” which is RV-park-like to “the country” down by the creek which is more campground-like (the names as given by my sister).
The upper area (aka “the city”) is full hookups and either 50 or 30 amp. There is a pretty good variety of sites up there ranging from full-sun sites to completely shaded sites. The creek sites or “country” are all water and electric (30 amp) only though the campground does offer a free honey wagon service, you just have to sign up a day ahead of time and cannot be pumped out on the day of your departure. Their are 3 bathhouses that are fairly well placed throughout the campground.
Sites (Gravel pad, grassy surrounding area)
While there is a lot of variety in the sites, I’ve found them to be pretty level and many sites are big enough for our “big rig” size. The space between sites is up to each site- many are fairly spacious and some are pretty cozy with your neighbors. The worst are some of the 50 amp sites because they have 2 sites that are adjacent and back up to each other; these seemed to completely lack any privacy. On the flip side, down by the creek there are sites that you can face the river and are completely private. Personally, I really like the 50 amp sites closest to the pavilion or the 30 amp sites up towards the barn. We have found the hookups to be sensibly placed.
Big Rig Friendly? (Yes)
There are really no places in the campground that will catch you up. Even if you go down by the creek, the turn around at the end of the road is pretty decent. I wouldn’t want to have to pass someone on the road down by the creek, but that’s not a big rig issue; I wouldn’t like it even with a pop-up! We’ve had plenty of maneuvering room with the camper to get it parked.
Bathrooms and Showers (Nice)
You can tell they invested in some capital improvements in some of the bathhouses. The one in the middle of the upper 30 amp area was close to our last stay/site (#131) had new stall walls and nice looking shower heads. We didn’t use it for showers, but I did go in checking out the place. The bathhouse nearest the pool could use some updating but it wasn’t awful.
Amenities (Unique & average)
The basic amenities of pool, playgrounds, and mini golf are all there. The pool is starting to look a little rough around the edges. The mini golf course actually appeared to have someone taking care of it- sweeping it and whatnot; I was pleasantly surprised. Overall the playgrounds were in decent shape.
The unique side of things revolve around the farm. The kids love being able to pet and feed the animals. Even seeing the llamas and cows are a highlight for my 2 year old. The poor baby goats seem to be picked up almost as much as they’re down walking! Holiday weekends have hayrides and whatnot.
Cell Phone Service (Depends on carrier)
This is my biggest beef- the campground really isn’t that far out there, but for AT&T, it’s pretty horrid. My iPhone usually registers a 3G bar or “edge” coverage. My mobile hotspot is pretty pokey. A planned future purchase is a cell phone booster- Gettysburg Farm is definitely where I’m headed to prove it out! For working folks, they do offer Tengo internet (in the upper area, at least) which is usually subpar, but it has to be better than cellular internet.
Update: August 2016: AT&T service is still marginal and I did not actually try out my booster. But Verizon service works well and I was able to telecommute with it.
Over-the-air TV Service & Cable (decent OTA, no cable offered)
With our crappy factory antenna, we got 10-15 channels and they came in decently.
Camp Store (Small, but covers the necessities)
I’ve honestly not spent much time in the camp store, but it seems to have the basics that you’d need. The kids consistently show back up with ice cream- so it has their approval!
Overall Rating/Comments (4 out of 5 stars)
The grounds are well maintained and the folks that I’ve interacted with have always been friendly. The crappy cell service isn’t a fault of the campground. I have found their planned activities to not be terribly punctual, but they usually start before too long (we’ve also been there on busy holiday weekends). A yummy tip for setup day- Jim and Nena’s is a local pizzeria with a location in East Berlin. For a sit down dinner, venture into Dover and go to the Moonlight Cafe- killer good home cooked food.
Website/Address
Gettysburg Farm RV Resort & Campground
6200 Bug Mount Rd.
Dover, PA 17315
Telephone: (717) 292-7191
