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List

Top 10 National Park Service Sites for Living History

July 2, 2024 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

Parks Canada is all about costumed interpreters pretending to be from a specific time period, like the Vikings at L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and the fur traders at Fort Langley, British Columbia. However, in the U.S., the National Park Service (NPS) has decreased the presence of living history reenactors over recent decades. In March 2024, Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta, Colorado announced it was removing its costumed interpreters except on specific weekends, similar to the Civil War sites like Gettysburg National Military Park (neighboring Eisenhower National Historic Site also has living history weekends commemorating World War I and II). There are still blacksmiths to be found at some NPS sites and weapons demonstrations at others, but private museums are the main place to find this type of interpretation today in the U.S. So we decided to make a list of NPS sites where you can still travel back in time. Please let us know if you have any favorites that we left off. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists.

10. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Washington)

Reconstructed buildings include the bakehouse, blacksmith shop, chief factor’s house, fur store, and bastion with costumed reenactors inside

9. New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (Louisiana)

Park rangers play concerts at the New Orleans Jazz Museum

8. Fort Laramie National Historic Site (Wyoming)

Order a sarsaparilla at the bar at this significant stop on the Oregon Trail (come on the 4th of July for sack races, cannon firing demonstrations, and fireworks)

7. Lowell National Historical Park (Massachusetts)

Watch working textile machinery inside the old Boott Cotton Mills

6. Fort Larned National Historic Site (Kansas)

The soldiers, blacksmith, schoolteacher, commissar, and officers’ wives love to share stories of this extraordinary place on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail

5. Golden Spike National Historical Park (Utah)

Colorfully reconstructed train engines run daily in the summer to evoke the spirit of May 10, 1869

4. Grand Portage National Monument (Minnesota)

Rendezvous with costumed reenactors who demonstrate canoe building, bread baking, and weapons firing at this reconstructed North West Company headquarters on Lake Superior

3. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (Florida)

If you do not want to pay the admission fee to enter the fort, you can still watch the cannon-firing demonstrations atop its corner bastion for free from outside the moat

1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

Stop at the Canal Exploration Center at working Lock 38, experience living history at Hale Farm and Village (fee), and board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a train ride

…and finally our #1 National Park Service Sites for living history:

1. Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (Montana)

All things “cowboy” are remembered here with volunteer interpreters roaming on horseback

Honorable Mentions

Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia)

Next door to the NPS site is Jamestowne Settlement with reenactors at the Powhatan Indian Village, fort, and three reproduction ships (plus, don’t miss nearby Colonial Williamsburg, the national capital of living history)

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (North Carolina)

Step inside the NPS visitor center’s Elizabethan Room, then buy tickets for “The Lost Colony” outdoor musical performed most nights throughout the summer (there is also a musical held outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota)

Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site (District of Columbia)

Live theater is still performed at this infamous site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination (but they officially will never stage the play “My American Cousin” that Abe was watching that night)

Boston National Historical Park (Massachusetts)

The NPS does not utilize costumed volunteers, but you can hire a guide who does, plus pay to participate in your own tea party by chucking replica bundles into Boston Harbor

Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

Guided cave tours using lanterns are a fun way to explore underground caverns similar to how tourists did it before the invention of electric lights (also available at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky and Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve)

South Dakota

Fort Pierre National Grassland

June 26, 2024 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Fort Pierre National Grassland

South Dakota

207,017 acres (115,890 federal/ 91,127 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nebraska/recarea/?recid=10637

Overview

Fort Pierre National Grassland is located south of the state capital of Pierre, north of Interstate 90, and west of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. The topography ranges from gently rolling hills to steeper slopes along creeks that flow into the Bad River and the Missouri River. Portions of the movie Dances with Wolves were filmed here in the early 1990s. If there is abundant spring precipitation, wildflower blooms of goldenrod, spiderwort, purple coneflower, and daisy fleabane are supposed to be incredible.

Highlights

Richland Wildlife Area, Sheriff Dam Recreation Area

Must-Do Activity

Before arriving, download the maps of Fort Pierre National Grassland through the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Maps app, or pick up a paper map at the visitor center in Wall, South Dakota. Look online for the publication South Dakota Fishing Guide to the National Grasslands, which provides information on 41 fishing ponds in Fort Pierre National Grassland. Originally built in 1934, Richland Dam was renovated in 2014 and now features handicapped-accessible fishing and a concrete boat ramp. The reservoir contains largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie, and bullhead catfish. Fishing ponds are generally open December 1 to August 31 to avoid overlap with hunting season.

Best Trail

We did not see any defined trails, but you could walk cross-country, on the dirt roads, or circle around the many ponds.

Watchable Wildlife

Richland Wildlife Area is 540 acres managed to provide nesting cover for greater prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, and ring-necked pheasants. Black-tailed prairie dog towns provide habitat for prairie rattlesnakes and burrowing owls. Both mule and white-tailed deer are found here, in addition to pronghorns, jackrabbits, badgers, and coyotes. We saw a prairie falcon, bald eagle, and northern harrier hunting from the air.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Look for muskrat activity along the banks of Sherriff Dam Reservoir. This is also where we saw more than 200 red-winged blackbirds take flight from a field of sunflowers (see photos below).

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The clay soils of Fort Pierre National Grassland can make the unpaved roads impassable to passenger vehicles when muddy, plus the deep ruts make it easy to get high-centered.

Camping

It is free to camp at Richland Dam or Sheriff Dam Recreation Areas, and dispersed camping is allowed anywhere on public land parcels (so be sure to consult maps).

Related Sites

Cedar River National Grassland (North Dakota)

Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota)

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (South Dakota)

Nearest National Park

Badlands

Explore More – Now considered a suburb of the capital city of Pierre (although it is in a different time zone), when was Fort Pierre originally constructed on the Missouri River?

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Road Trip Itinerary

June 19, 2024 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Rhode Island Road Trip Itinerary

Rhode Island

661,638 acres (0.03% of U.S.)

Statehood 1790 (13th of 50)

Capital: Providence

Population: 1,097,379 (44th of 50)

High Point: Jerimoth Hill (811 feet)

Best time of year: Summer for beaches, music festivals, and WaterFire in Providence

We recently published our guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America, so we decided to start a new type of blog post where we create a travel itinerary for all 50 states, in addition to our usual National Forest and National Park entries. After starting with Kansas, Georgia, and Idaho, we decided to do a New England state. Despite it being the smallest of all 50 states, we were able to make a five-day plan starting in northern Rhode Island, with some options to extend the trip.

Day 1

Providence

Until 2020, the state’s full legal name was Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, but the legislature felt that had slavery connotations so they shortened it to Rhode Island. At the head of Narragansett Bay, the capital city of Providence holds a summerlong event called WaterFire, where on weekend nights 86 wood-filled braziers blaze around the confluence of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck Rivers.

Roger Williams National Memorial (click here for our blog post)

Dedicated to the man who left the Puritan-led Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 to found a city based on religious freedom, this 4.5-acre park in downtown Providence houses a small National Park Service (NPS) visitor center. A short, but steep walk takes you to a large statue of Roger Williams that offers a great overlook of the city.

Optional stop at Roger Williams Park

Not to be confused with Roger Williams National Memorial, this large park is home to a zoo. Providence also has two famous historic homes: the Sullivan-Dorr House and John Brown House.

Day 2

Blackstone River State Park

A scenic drive follows Highway 122 to this park, which has a free museum inside the historic Kelly House and a section of the canal that once followed the river. It also has 3.5 miles of the 24-mile (of a planned 48) paved bikeway along the canal towpath.

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (click here for our blog post)

Blackstone River State Park is part of this park, which commemorates the industrial revolution that changed the landscape of America during the 1800s, as well as the immigration of factory workers that changed its face. The NPS works with a partnership of government agencies, non-profits, and businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The National Historical Park’s centerpiece is the nation’s first successful water-powered cotton-spinning factory:

Old Slater Mill National Historical Landmark

Located at a short, 180-foot-long dam on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, free NPS ranger-guided tours are offered at this site. Check out the bus station across the street for more interpretive displays and information. By 1880, this “hardest working river” was one of the most polluted in the country, but it has recovered so that canoeists can now safely float portions of its 46-mile length.

Optional stop at Jerimoth Hill

It is a short, flat walk from a pullout on Highway 101 to the highest point in the state near the border with Connecticut.

Day 3

Shannock

This small village is situated on the Pawcatuck River, which has fueled grist mills, sawmills, woolen mills, cotton mills, and silk mills throughout its history. Today, the curved shape of ten-foot-tall Horseshoe Falls Dam and fishway makes it unique and very picturesque.

Fort Adams State Park

One of many red-brick coastal fortifications built in the U.S. after the War of 1812, visitors must purchase a ticket for a guided tour to explore inside the fort. It hosts the famous Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival on successive summer weekends in August, as well as the Great Chowder Cook-Off and Classic Yacht Regatta every Labor Day weekend. During the Newport Winter Festival, ice carving and sand sculpture competitions are held here.

Optional stop at Seabee Museum and Memorial Park

In North Kingston, the A-shaped Chapel in the Pines and a three-dimensional statue of the Seabee logo are photogenic spots at this collection of Quonset Huts that honors the military engineers of World War II.

Day 4

Newport

Primarily built during the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, there are 11 houses open for tours that were the summer “cottages” of affluent families with recognizable last names like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan, Astor, and Rockefeller.

Cliff Walk National Recreation Trail

Only 3.5 miles long, there are multiple public access points to this pathway that follows the shoreline through the backyards of some of the most expensive houses in Newport. If you can only do part of the trail, make sure it includes the scenic area around the 40 Steps, a granite staircase located at the end of Narragansett Avenue.

Touro Synagogue National Historic Site

The nation’s oldest standing synagogue was originally built in 1763, although its congregation dates back to a century earlier when they came to Newport seeking religious freedom. There is an admission fee for the 30-minute tour to see the ornate interior of the synagogue, and, next door, the Loeb Visitor Center opened in 2009 with an excellent museum upstairs.

Newport Tower/Old Stone Mill

A 28-foot-tall tower in Touro Park has been variously attributed to the Vikings, the Knights Templar, Chinese sailors, Portuguese explorers, or the English astronomer John Dee. We first learned about it from reading the side of a U-Haul trailer. Although there is no information about it at the site, the nearby Newport Tower Museum provides plenty of speculation on its mysterious origins. The most likely explanation is that it was built by Rhode Island’s first Governor, Benedict Arnold (great-grandfather of the infamous Revolutionary War General), as the base for a windmill.

Optional stop at Green Animals Topiary Garden

Located ten miles outside Newport, this stop is more popular with children than the tedious, “do-not-touch” mansion tours.

Day 5

Save the Bay Seal Watch Cruise

The Ocean State has 384 miles of Atlantic shoreline, much of it in Narragansett Bay, where harbor seals, hooded seals, gray seals, and harp seals can be seen on a guided cruise.

Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge

Walk the beach of a barrier island in Ninigret Conservation Area, or park inland at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center to hike trails through the woods on these 900 acres set aside in 1970 as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Beavertail State Park

Sitting on 153 acres at the southern tip of Conanicut Island, this park at the entrance to Narragansett Bay is famous for its 1856 lighthouse, but even more so for its sunsets. The assistant keeper’s house now contains the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum where you will learn about the construction of Beaver Tail Fort during the American Revolution and Fort Burnside during World War II.

Fishermen’s Memorial Campground

Located not on the beach but inland in the town of Narragansett, this campground is near Roger Wheeler State Beach, Salty Brine State Beach, and Scarborough State Beach, as well as the Block Island Ferry Dock at Point Judith. It is extremely popular in the summer, so reservations are recommended.

Optional stop at Fantastic Umbrella Factory

This commune on the coast in Charleston has a small store selling handmade artwork and decorations, mostly with a beach theme.

Day 6+ optional ferry to Block Island

Pick up a ferry in Newport or Point Judith to spend a few nights on scenic Block Island (where we hope to visit someday). There are few cars allowed on the island, so everyone is encouraged to bicycle or walk its 28 miles of nature trails. More than 47% of the island is preserved from development, including Rodman’s Hollow and Mohegan Bluffs Scenic Natural Areas.

Block Island National Wildlife Refuge

Located at the northern end of the 6,000-acre island situated 12 miles off mainland Rhode Island, the refuge is an important stop for migratory birds since its many ponds contain significant sources of freshwater. Block Island and its 17 miles of sandy beaches have been attracting summer vacationers for decades, but the National Wildlife Refuge was not established until 1973.

Learn more about Rhode Island’s Most Scenic Drive, Wonderful Waterfall, Top State Park, and other categories in our new travel guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America.

Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia

Jefferson National Forest

June 12, 2024 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

Jefferson National Forest

Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

1,670,846 acres (723,531 federal/ 947,315 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/g w j

Overview

In western Virginia, Jefferson National Forest contains Mt. Rogers, the state’s highest point at 5,729 feet (see our post on Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area). There are 17 designated Wildernesses in Jefferson National Forest, second only to the 19 in Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest. In 1995, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined. Is it just us, or does that name seem to celebrate George Jefferson from the 1970s sitcom? It is supposed to commemorate native-Virginian Thomas Jefferson who was the original author of the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the third President of the U.S. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 created both the Bear Creek (5,503 acres) and Seng Mountain (6,455 acres) National Scenic Areas as specially designated parts of Jefferson National Forest.

Highlights

Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, Seng Mountain National Scenic Area, Bear Creek National Scenic Area, Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia, James River Gorge, Mountain Lake, Apple Orchard Falls, Cave Mountain Lake, Glenwood Iron Furnace, High Knob, Little Stony Creek, Lake Keokee, Olinger Gap Trail, Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia Highlands Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

We have only visited the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (which made it on our Top 10 List) portion of Jefferson National Forest, which sits just north of the North Carolina border. One popular day trip there is to bike the 33-mile-long Virginia Creeper Trail, which is also open to hikers and horse riders. Last used in 1977, the former railroad grade runs 18 miles downhill from Whitetop Station Visitor Center to the town of Damascus, and local outfitters can provide shuttles to the trailheads and rental bikes. The trail drops 1,600 feet in total (sometimes at a 7% grade); no wonder those steam locomotives were “creeping” up the hill. Outside the National Forest, another 15 miles of railroad bed runs to Abingdon and includes the lowest point on the trail at the scenic South Holston Trestle.

Best Trail

Apple Orchard Falls has a drop of 200 feet and can be accessed from Sunset Fields Overlook at Milepost 78 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Considered the most popular hike in Jefferson National Forest, the steep trail is only 1.3 miles long one-way, but gains more than 1,000 feet in elevation. A six-mile loop can be completed by connecting to the Cornelius Creek Trail with a total elevation gain of 1,438 feet. Olinger Gap Trail is another short, scenic route that connects the 3.7-mile Lake Keokee Loop Trail and the 14-mile Stone Mountain Trail.

Watchable Wildlife

Jefferson National Forest has elevations ranging from 649 feet at the James River up to 5,729 feet, offering a variety of habitats. Its most famous residents may be the wild miniature ponies that hang out in the heath balds around Mt. Rogers. Like George Washington National Forest, there are several types of rare salamanders found here, including the golden pygmy salamander. Noteworthy mammals are white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, raccoons, river otters, martens, and weasels. Large birds found in Jefferson National Forest include wild turkeys, turkey vultures, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and several types of hawks.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Spring and early summer are a great time to visit to see blooming azalea, mountain laurel, and rhododendron bushes.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

$5 day-use fee at Beartree Recreation Area

Road Conditions

The Peaks of Otter Visitor Center on the paved Blue Ridge Parkway is managed by the National Park Service adjacent to Jefferson National Forest. There are unpaved roads scattered throughout the mountains, including a rough road off Forest Road 606 that comes close to the 15-foot-tall Falls of Dismal (also accessible by hiking trail).

Camping

Beartree, Hurricane, Cane Patch, Laurel Falls, Cave Springs, Bark Camp Lake, Cave Mountain Lake, Pines, and White Rocks are only a selection of the many designated campgrounds in Jefferson National Forest. There is a 25-foot right-of-way for backpack camping on both sides of the Virginia Creeper Trail, except on private property.

Wilderness Areas

Barbours Creek Wilderness (also in George Washington National Forest)

Beartown Wilderness

Brush Mountain East Wilderness

Brush Mountain Wilderness

Garden Mountain Wilderness

Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness

James River Face Wilderness

Kimberling Creek Wilderness

Lewis Fork Wilderness

Little Dry Run Wilderness

Little Wilson Creek Wilderness

Mountain Lake Wilderness

Peters Mountain Wilderness

Raccoon Branch Wilderness

Shawvers Run Wilderness (also in George Washington National Forest)

Stone Mountain Wilderness

Thunder Ridge Wilderness

Booker T. Washington National Monument (Virginia)

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia)

Nearest National Park

New River Gorge

Conifer Tree Species

eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, Virginia pine, shortleaf pine, pitch pine, Table Mountain pine, red spruce, Fraser fir

Flowering Tree Species

American beech, yellow birch, mountain maple, sugar maple, white oak, black oak, northern red oak, rock chestnut oak, bear oak, hickory, basswood, sweet buckeye, American elm, sourwood, mountain laurel, azalea, rhododendron

Explore More – What is the scientific name for Virginia creeper, the native vine with palmately compound leaves?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

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Virginia

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area

June 5, 2024 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area

Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southern Region

154,816 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/recarea/?recid=77722

Overview

In southwestern Virginia, Jefferson National Forest manages Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, which was established in 1966. Although it is only 154,816 acres in extent, Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area encompasses the highest point in Virginia at 5,729 feet, four federally designated Wilderness areas (totaling 18,500 acres), and nearly 500 miles of trails. At Raven Cliff Recreation Area, a short trail crosses an interesting bridge over Cripple Creek to access an old iron furnace that operated until the early 1900s. Nearby at Collins Cove is a rare example of an old-growth cove hardwood forest.

It even made it on our Top 10 National Recreation Areas list.

Highlights

Seng Mountain National Scenic Area, Mt. Rogers, Whitetop Mountain, Elk Garden, Raven Cliff Recreation Area, New River Recreation Area, Beartree Recreation Area, Comer’s Rock, Falls Branch Waterfall, New River State Park, Grayson Highlands State Park, Two Ponds Nature Trail, Virginia Creeper Trail, Horse Heaven Trail, Iron Mountain Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Pat Jennings Visitor Center is located six miles south of Interstate 81 in Brushy Mountain, and there are two visitor centers situated along the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail (see our post on Jefferson National Forest). There are multiple routes to reach the summit of Mt. Rogers, but the two shortest are both 4.5 miles one-way from Elk Garden (on State Route 600) or Grayson Highlands State Park (that gains about 1,350 feet in elevation). At Massie Gap, we encountered a herd of wild miniature ponies that had no fear of humans and liked to lick the salt from our skin, but watch your fingers because they will bite.

Best Trail

There are about 500 miles of hiking trails within Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, including 78 miles of the famous Appalachian National Scenic Trail (or A.T.). The A.T. runs through the Lewis Fork Wilderness, which also features the Virginia Highlands, Mt. Rogers, Grassy Branch, Helton Creek, Cliffside, Pine Mountain, and Sugar Maple Trails. The A.T. also traverses the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness, as do the First Peak, Bearpen, Kabel, Hightree Rock, and Little Wilson Creek Trails.

Instagram-worthy Photo

A beat-up USGS marker can be found at the highest point in Virginia on 5,729-foot Mt. Rogers, located on a short spur trail off the A.T.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

$5 day use fee at Beartree Recreation Area

Road Conditions

All the roads we drove in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area were paved.

Camping

There are eight campgrounds, four horse camps, and two rental cabins in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. Grindstone Campground has nature trails and an amphitheater, Hurricane Campground offers a one-mile loop trail, and Raccoon Branch Campground is popular with trout fishermen. We stayed at Chestnut Hollow Campground in Grayson Highlands State Park and had the place to ourselves in early May. There is a 25-foot right-of-way for backpack camping on both sides of the Virginia Creeper Trail (see our post on Jefferson National Forest), except on private property.

Related Sites

Jefferson National Forest (Virginia-Kentucky-West Virginia)

Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina-Virginia)

Cherokee National Forest (Tennessee-North Carolina)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah