Gettysburg at Halloween - Oct 2025

We went to Gettysburg for Halloween. I met my son, his wife, and some family friends there. The weather was clear and cold in the mornings, warmer by afternoon. The light stayed sharp all day.

The town was busy without feeling loud. People wore costumes that didn’t ask for attention. Witches. Capes. Old coats made to look older. Leaves moved along the sidewalks and gathered at the corners. The buildings stayed steady behind it all.

At night the streets changed. Lanterns came on. The air cooled quickly. Ghost tours moved in small groups, voices low. Fog showed up early and didn’t bother to leave. It felt like the kind of place where the past doesn’t need to announce itself.

I dressed as a witch. It didn’t feel like a costume so much as permission. A hat. Dark clothes. Something familiar about it. No one looked twice.

We walked through shops and stopped when something caught our eye. We ate well. Fall food. Heavy plates. Warm drinks. We didn’t rush.

One night we went to a karaoke bar. Steve sang. His voice filled the room in a way that surprised people. His father watched from a table nearby. The rest of us stayed quiet until the song ended.

We walked back through town afterward. The streets were calmer then. Leaves underfoot. The buildings still lit.

It wasn’t a big trip.

It fit the season.