Went to Gettysburg in June 2006 and left quite satisfied. Then decided to go to Sharpsburg, Maryland to check out the Antietam Battlefield. We were not disappointed.

The area was less congested than Gettysburg. The battlefield was obviously much smaller, since it was only a 1 day battle, but definately worth checking out.

I would suggest buying or renting one the audio driving tour of the battlefield. It is well worth the $10 to rent or $20 to purchase. It is more detailed orientated than the Gettysburg one. The 8.5 mile battlefield will take you about 2 hours to go through, unless you stop and picnic somewhere, which isn't a bad option.

All in all, the Antietam Battlefield is a great place to go, especially if you are a Civil War Buff! It is very educational for children as well.

We went to Gettysburg, and on the way up, noticed Antietam on the map. We decided to go there after Gettysburg. We loved Gettysburg, but Antietam is much smaller and less traffic. We bought the auto tour on CD that is made by the History Channel. Much more information than if you just did a drive through of the park. We found a beautiful matted photo of Harper's Ferry in the gift shop and went to Harper's Ferry that afternoon.

We were shocked to find out that after we were there on Wednesday, there was a KKK rally that took hundreds of officers for crowd control the Saturday after! I am so glad we missed all the commotion!

It was a very peaceful place. I wish we hadn't been in such a hurry to get to Harper's Ferry for the night and could have stayed longer. The visitor's center gave us wonderful detailed directions and a handwritten map for the short drive to Harper's Ferry. Very nice staff.

Enjoyed the Excellent driving tour of the Battlefield. I would suggest that if you are really into the Historic features of the Battlefield you should rent or purchase one of the Driving Tour Tapes/CD's. I Spent the better part of 5 hours in the Antietam/Sharpsburg area and enjoyed every minute.