Maryland Antietam National Battlefield map and highlights

Antietam National Battlefield guide. Detailed guide of Antietam National Battlefield In northwestern Maryland, near Sharpsburg.     

Antietam National Battlefield in northwestern Maryland, near Sharpsburg.     

Antietam is one of the best-preserved battlefields in the  nation. On these fields on September 17, 1862, the Union army stopped  the northern advance of Confederate forces in the bloodiest single-day  battle of the American Civil War. Wayside exhibits and tablets describe  the battle, and cannons line the 8-mi auto tour. A stop along the route  at a tower offers a view of the 0,25-mi stretch known as "Bloody Lane,"  where 5,600 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or  captured in three hours—more casualties than occurred during the entire  eight years of the American Revolution. The site was established as a  national battlefield in 1890 and transferred to the Park Service in 1933.     

WHAT TO SEE & DO     

Auto touring, cross-country skiing, hiking, horseback riding,  picnicking, walking. Facilities: Visitor center, outdoor interpretive  exhibits, guided and self-guided tours, museum, movies, hiking trail.  Bookstore. Programs & Events: Self-guided auto tour, one-hour  documentary Antietam (daily at noon), orientation film (daily, every  half-hour except noon and 12:30), ranger programs. Concert and fireworks  (1st Sat., July); battle anniversary hikes, tours, and programs (week  of Sept. 17); Annual Memorial Illumination (1st Sat., Dec). Tips &  Hints: Auto-touring cassette available (fee). Horseback riding groups of  five or more must sign in at visitor center. Busiest July and Aug.,  least crowded Jan. and Feb.     

FOOD, LODGING & SUPPLIES     

Camping: In the park: Rorhbach (10 sites; $25; closed early  Nov-Apr.).  Hotels: In the park: Piper House B&B (tel. 301/797-1862;  3 rooms; $95). In Shepherdstown, WV: Days Inn (2001 Maddex Sq., tel.  304/876-3160; 51 rooms; $94). In Hagerstown, MD: Four Points by Sheraton  (1910 Dual Hwy./U.S. 40, tel. 301/790-3010; 108 rooms; $69-$99). X  Restaurants: None in park. In Shepherdstown: Bavarian Inn & Lodge  (Rte. 480, tel. 304/876-2551; $8-$16). In Hagerstown: Olivers Pub &  Restaurant (1565-67 Potomac Ave., tel. 301/790-0011; $5-$10; no lunch  Sun.). Groceries & Gear: None in park. In Shepherdstown, WV: Food  Lion (1009 Maddex Sq., tel. 304/876-0601), Shepherdstown Outback Basics  (104 E. German St., tel. 304/876-1810).     

FEES, HOURS & REGULATIONS     

Entrance fee: $3 adults, free ages 16 and under, $5 per family.  No open water for horses; spigots only. No firearms or edged weapons.  No hunting, metal detecting, or relic hunting. Leashed pets only. Crop  fields, pastures, reforested areas, barns, and other farm areas closed  to public. No climbing on monuments or cannons. Bikes on roads only. No  kite flying, ball games, sunbathing, model airplane or rocket flying, or  Fris-bees. Park open daily dawn-dusk. Visitor center open Sept.-May,  daily 8:30-5, June-Aug., daily 8:30-6.     

HOW TO GET THERE     

1 mi north of Sharpsburg, MD, on Rte. 65.     

CONTACTS     

Antietam National Battlefield (Box 158, Sharpsburg, MD 21782,  tel. 301/432-5124, fax 301/432-4590, Hagerstown-Washington County  Convention & Visitors Bureau (16 Public Sq., Hagerstown, MD 21740,  tel. 301/791-3246 or 800/228-7829).   

Antietam National Battlefield guide. Detailed guide of Antietam National Battlefield in northwestern Maryland, near Sharpsburg