Tour issues continue to haunt Gettysburg

6 or 7 tour companies???
More like 12 or 14 easily! Someone needs to go back and recount.
And that's about 10-12 TOO many for that tiny borough!!

So what are citizens doing to harass the operators? It is mentioned but no examples are given.

Citizens have thrown things at tour guides (ie. milkshakes, eggs, etc.), as well as yelled obscenities at groups out car windows or wile walking down the sidewalk.

Sounds like nothing more than "sour grapes" here by people who obviously don't approve of or like "Ghost Walks"...So what exactly are citizens doing to harass the Ghost Tour operators?? Let's come up with some significant examples of this so called harassment...My family and I have been annual visitors in Gettysburg for the last 9 or 10 years,and we have participated in numerous "Ghost Walks" that are offered in Gettysburg...I don't feel that any of the groups we walked through the town with in any way harassed or annoyed anyone...These "Walks" were conducted in a most safe and respectful manner...Granted there are a few companies out there,whose "Ghost Walks" leave a lot to be desired,but, the other companies give a most enjoyable and informational "Walk". As for the littering complaint,let me state for the record,that my family and I never saw any littering and there was certainly no evidence of disturbing anyone's privacy...Let's please stop linking the most recent tragic death in Gettysburg,with Ghost Walks...The two are in no way related...This unfortunate incident was more the result of someone's carelessness and irresponsibility,not, because of "Ghost Walk" groups being out and about...Of course,"Safety" is first and foremost on everyone's mind,and I think this is an area where better and more frequent vigilance by The Gettysburg Dept. is called for...Perhaps if the Police weren't required to spend valuable time "counting heads", more time could be spent "cracking down" on those individuals who so blatenly break the laws...Better communication,people, on all levels is certainly called for here...

Just stop the Ghost tours, because there are NO ghosts in Gettysburg.

And citizens have the right to walk unimpeded on a sidewalk for which they are required to pay and fix and shovel and clean year round. These groups make no effort to ensure people can safely traverse the sidewalks. I have seen people step into the road to get around them. I've seen groups cross streets at locations where there are no crosswalks. I have received dirty looks and glares from guides when I'm trying to drive my car down an alley, and the entire alley is blocked by a group. 25 in a group is way too many. I've had people put their nose on my window and stare in at me even though the house was not part of a ghost walk. Courtesy needs to go both ways.

Councilman Birkner pointed "to the recent death of a Lancaster woman who was standing on a Baltimore Street sidewalk when she was struck by a car. Though the incident has not been tied in any way to a ghost-tour operation, Birkner said it's an example of what can happen if the borough does not regulate business practices in highly congested areas."

So if it is not in any way related, why the heck would he bring it up? And is he saying that if there were additonal regluations (such as??) that the woman would not have been struck and/or died?

concerning the issue of not charging children. Just start your tours sooner and you will get more tours in for the night. I am sure that plenty of money is being made. Our town is NOT Harpers Ferry where you don't have to worry about traffic, private property,etc., so I guess the thing is, if one tour company is seeing another one that is not complying, get on your cell phone at the moment you see the incident and report it immediately to the police.

I can't say whether I believe in ghosts or not, I have never seen any, but I know people that claim they have. So whatever you believe. Just remember, give a good tour, be respectful and make sure your people are respectful. I am sure that you cannot see the 24th person in your group to see if they are trespassing or littering on someone's property.

Have you ever been to a place where the speaker is up front and you are in the back (can't hear, can't see so .....some people just do what they want).

My fiance and I have taken several walks up and down Baltimore St the past few months. We average at least 1 a week.
We'd just taken one on Sun (30th) and noticed a group of 28. Not the 25 cap that it should've been.
We've witnessed no such harrassment as stated. But I do feel that enough is enough. We pass at least 5 separate businesses on our walk. We really dont need any more tours.

simple solution, if u dont like the tours, move out of a tourist town!!! man, some people need to use their heads a little!

Ms Shultz is probably being targeted because her former employer is tight with the police dept.and they have tours too.
What I don't get is why are the legitimate companies being singled out & harassed. Fine the tours that are running "Barefoot." Sleepy Hollow & Nesbitt should be the only two, the originals. There are tours trespassing on private property and in the dark alleys impeding traffic flow. The sidewalks are overcrowded. The patrons sit on private porches waiting for their tours. It is just ridiculous.The borough should publicly list the 6 legit companies so the others can be weeded out! Fine them!!!! If I was out peddling tours on the street illegally, you could bet your bottom dollar that I would get busted!

petey677 wrote:

simple solution, if u dont like the tours, move out of a tourist town!!! man, some people need to use their heads a little!

Most of these folks were living here long before there were ghost tours. And like the other fella said, there are no ghosts in Gettysburg. Good grief -- some people need to use their heads a little!

petey677 wrote:

simple solution, if u dont like the tours, move out of a tourist town!!! man, some people need to use their heads a little!

I agree, it's like those living in Ocean City complaining about summer tourists. Makes no sense at all.

curious wrote:

Just stop the Ghost tours, because there are NO ghosts in Gettysburg.

My thoughts exactly,just something else to draw people to Gettysburg.

petey677 wrote:

simple solution, if u dont like the tours, move out of a tourist town!!! man, some people need to use their heads a little!

If it wasnt for the tourists, gettysburg would be Ghetto.

We are in one of the worst recessions of our lifetime, the borough and the residents should be grateful that folks are still coming to Gettysburg, still spending money on tours, etc. The ghost tours are seasons, only busy during the summer months and around Halloween, other than that, there are few problems. I guess they (the borough and residents) won't be happy until all tourism is gone from Gettysburg forever.

Are the local residents willing to make up the lost tax revenues from these tours? Having been on many of these tours, and hearing the comments from passing cars who often drive over the speed limit, give the community of Gettysburg a blackeye. With over a million visiters annually to the Adams County area, are these types of actions going to hurt the local economy in the future?

petey677 wrote:

simple solution, if u dont like the tours, move out of a tourist town!!! man, some people need to use their heads a little!

I am quite certain that the residents who are being upset by this may very well have lived in Gettysburg before there were ghost tours and in fact, some families may well pre-date the battle. I know if I were a person trying to sit in my living room and relax after a day at work--or sleeping upstairs in my bedroom with the windows open--I would be a little put out by people practically in my window or telling stories under my bedroom about some ghost that really is fiction. Their rights stop when they disturb my peace in my own home. No one should be expected to move because someone wants to set up their folding table on Baltimore St to take money from people in town for a few days by telling tall tales. I am not against the ghost tours but one must bear in mind that there is heavy traffic in Gettysburg on narrow streets and people have a right to peace and quiet in their own homes after a certain hour in the evening. I am sure the rules were set up for the tours with good reasons in mind. People talking next to someone's open windows can be disturbing. Once upon a time I was recovering from a fairly serious surgery and could not sleep in my bedroom. At the time I lived on a street where like Gettysburg, the houses were close to each other. My then neighbor was a young mom with a couple of kids who worked a later shift and she and her sister would sit out under the carport and chat at 3 AM. For hours. It was incredibly disturbing. They weren't even being particularly loud, so I can relate to the residents being upset. If they are harassing the tours, well, two wrongs do not make a right, but there clearly are a need for limits and common sense. I happen to know a local who was sometimes enlisted by a ghost tour to help keep the customers herded in. This was a number of years ago, but that person told me that a large group was hard to handle and that people were constantly stepping off the sidewalk into the street. By the way, the street I mentioned that I lived on, also had traffic breaking the speed limit on a regular basis.

Let me get this straight. The tour operators don't charge for children but complain they count against the 25 person limit for tours. The tour operators should start charging for children or stop complaining. Maybe they have seen too many ghosts. The whole operation is a rip-off.

I have family that live in one of the historic homes of Gettysburg, they have lived in that home for over 25yrs. Is it fair to them that tour guides stand on their front porch and speak loudly so everyone in the group can hear? Is it fair that this is done after 9pm at night? They work, they cannot sit on their front porch, they cannot have their front door open and they own the home. They have done things to make things better, installed AC units to help with the noise, use the back door instead of the front ect. But it goes both ways, just because you are giving a ghost tour does NOT mean you can do it however you want. Stay on the sidewalks, control your crowd (if you can't then you should 1)make the crowd numbers less or 2)don't do it at all), just because peter and paul do it--doesn't mean you should do it also.