From Lincoln Square to the first shot on Chambersburg Road.
Our walk threads the heart of the Gettysburg Historic District on foot — about a mile and a half of sidewalks, storefronts, and taverns that lived through July 1863. Here's the full route, stop by stop, with the local eateries and the walking distances between them.
Downtown Gettysburg, on foot and at eye level.
Most visitors drive straight to Gettysburg National Military Park and never see the town the battle was named for. First Shot fixes that. Our routes stay entirely within the walkable core of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — on sidewalks and paved streets, never on battlefield terrain — so you spend the whole tour among the buildings, shops, and kitchens that were here in 1863 and are still open today.
Every walk begins at Lincoln Square, the roundabout at the center of town where Chambersburg Street, York Street, Baltimore Street, and Carlisle Street all meet. It's a two-minute stroll from our booking desk at 5 Chambersburg Street, and it's where Abraham Lincoln stayed at the David Wills House the night before delivering the Gettysburg Address. From the square we head south and west, tracing the same blocks soldiers and townspeople crossed during the three days of fighting, then out toward the marker on Chambersburg Road (US-30 West) where the battle's first shot is remembered.
The route, stop by stop
Lincoln Square & the David Wills House
Where Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address the night before he delivered it. We gather on the square, get oriented, and set the scene for the three days that changed the town.
Meeting point · 0.0 miChambersburg Street bakeries
A short block west to a restored 1858 storefront for house-roasted coffee and a warm maple scone — the kind of ground-floor bakery that fed a town under occupation.
About 0.2 mi from the squareBaltimore Street & the Dobbin House
South from the square to Gettysburg's oldest standing building (1776), a documented Underground Railroad stop, for a tasting of colonial-style bread pudding in the stone cellar.
About 0.4 mi · 8-minute walkSteinwehr Avenue tasting row
Steinwehr Avenue is Gettysburg's restaurant spine, steps from the National Cemetery. We stop for a savory course — often scrapple biscuits or a farm-cheese plate — from a family-run kitchen.
About 0.7 mi from Stop 3The first-shot marker, Chambersburg Road
Our namesake finish: the monument on Chambersburg Road (US-30, about three miles northwest of the square) marking where the battle's opening shot was fired on July 1, 1863. On longer tours we drive or shuttle this leg; the Founders Walk closes back downtown with the story.
Marker sits ~3 mi NW on US-30Adams County farm stand (seasonal)
On the Farm-to-Table tour we add a final course built from produce grown north of town toward Biglerville — apples, cider, and preserves from the orchards that ring Gettysburg.
Farm-to-Table tour onlyDirections, parking & how far you'll walk.
From the north or south (US-15): take the US-30 / York Street exit and follow York Street west straight into Lincoln Square — about five minutes to the center of town. From the east or west (US-30, the Lincoln Highway): US-30 becomes York Street coming in from Hanover and New Oxford, and Chambersburg Street heading out toward Cashtown, meeting at the square. Our desk at 5 Chambersburg Street is on that western spoke, half a block off the roundabout.
Parking: the Gettysburg Transit Center garage on Carlisle Street sits one block north of Lincoln Square and is the easiest all-day option. Metered street parking rings the square and runs along Baltimore and Steinwehr; free lots open up a few blocks out on Stratton Street. Arrive fifteen minutes early and you'll have no trouble making the 0.1-mile walk to the meeting point.
How far you'll walk: the downtown routes cover roughly 1.2 to 1.8 miles total at an easy, frequently-paused pace — think of it as a long, delicious stroll rather than a hike. Everything is on flat sidewalks with curb cuts. The Sweet Street Stroll is the shortest at about 0.9 miles; the Farm-to-Table Founders Tour is the longest.
Landmarks on the way
Lincoln Square, the David Wills House, the Shriver House, the Gettysburg National Cemetery gate on Steinwehr, and the Wills mural — all pointed out as we pass.
Just beyond downtown
Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, and the wider Gettysburg National Military Park sit a short drive southwest — easy to fold into the same day as your tour.
Worth the detour
Sachs Covered Bridge southwest of town and the orchards toward Biglerville and Cashtown make a scenic loop once you've earned your appetite downtown.
Local eaters from across Adams County.
First Shot is proud to be Gettysburg-owned, and our guests come from all over Adams County and the towns that ring it. If you're driving in from Biglerville or Cashtown to the north and west, Fairfield to the southwest, Littlestown or McSherrystown to the south, or New Oxford and Hanover to the east, downtown Gettysburg is a straightforward drive on US-30 or PA-116 — almost always under half an hour.
We partner only with independently owned eateries inside the Historic District, so every tasting on the route puts money back into the same few blocks you're walking. That's the whole idea: a walk that treats a meal like a primary source, and a town that's still very much open for business.
Ready to walk it for yourself?
Pick a tour and a date, and we'll see you on Lincoln Square, Gettysburg PA.