Without an itinerary, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the vastness of Gettysburg’s battlefield — a 6,000-acre expanse dotted with nearly 1,400 memorials and monuments to North America’s bloodiest battle.

Park officials are hoping that a $103 million museum and visitor center scheduled to open April 14 will give visitors a better starting point for exploring the site where Union armies beat back Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s assault on northern territory, and where Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech.