Tag Archives: film

Independence National Historical Park

July 1, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is home to Independence National Historical Park, one of the most popular units in the National Park Service (NPS) System with approximately 5-million visitors annually. The “City of Brotherly Love” was the site of many important moments before, during, and after the American Revolution. Independence Hall is a World Heritage Site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776 and the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.

Highlights

Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, City Tavern, Carpenters’ Hall, Ben Franklin’s grave

Must-Do Activity

We do not recommend watching the two films at the NPS visitor center, but plan to arrive early as the free timed tickets to tour Independence Hall are all claimed first thing each morning. It is free to enter the Liberty Bell Center to see the famous cracked bell. While waiting in the security screening line, you will be on the grounds of the house used by the country’s first two presidents, Washington and Adams. Less busy is Carpenters’ Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. Nearby non-NPS sites include the National Constitution Center, Benjamin Franklin Museum, and new Museum of the American Revolution, all of which charge an admission fee.

Best Trail

Walk the streets of Philadelphia past Ben Franklin’s grave, Betsy Ross’ house, the reconstructed City Tavern (where you can grab a bite to eat), and the Todd House (the home of Dolley Madison and her first husband).

Instagram-worthy Photo

Less iconic than the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, Washington Square is a small park that contains to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None, except for parking (there is an underground parking garage at the NPS visitor center) and visiting some museums and historic buildings (like Betsy Ross’ house).

Road Conditions

All roads paved, but street parking is limited.

Camping

None in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but there are options in its suburbs.

Scott in the security line for the Liberty Bell Center
Tiff with the Liberty Bell
Grounds of the house of the country’s first two presidents, Washington and Adams .
Scott outside Independence Hall
Our founding fathers used to hang out at the City Tavern
The site of Ben Franklin’s house next to the Benjamin Franklin Museum .
Tiff outside Betsy Ross’ house (not run by the NPS)
Fountain in Washington Square
Tiff next to Ben Franklin’s grave

Explore More – When did Philadelphia serve as the nation’s capital?

North Carolina

Moores Creek National Battlefield

June 25, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

A little known Revolutionary War battle took place northwest of Wilmington, North Carolina on February 27, 1776. It pitted American rebels with cannons against Loyalists primarily armed with broadswords. In its aftermath, North Carolina became the first state to pre-approve its delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence, hence the “First in Freedom” motto on their license plates. It is well worth the detour for a short history lesson on your way to the beautiful beaches of southeast North Carolina.

Highlights

Film, History Trail, Women’s Monument, Tarheel Trail

Must-Do Activity

After watching the film in the National Park Service visitor center, walk to the reconstructed bridge. At this site, a British force of 1,600 soldiers marching towards the Atlantic Ocean was halted at a narrow bridge that had its planks removed and girders greased. After the difficult crossing, British troops were met by entrenched patriot forces that killed 30 and wounded 40 while suffering only one casualty. It would prove a pivotal victory in dissuading British military efforts in the Carolinas for the next two years.

Best Trail

The 0.7-mile History Trail leads past the major points of interest, as well as reconstructed earthworks and cannons, in a beautiful forest setting. The 0.3-mile Tarheel Trail describes the production of naval stores (tar, pitch, and turpentine).

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Women’s Monument is one of several statues at Moores Creek National Battlefield.

Peak Season

Summer, though it can get muggy and buggy.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/mocr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Carolina Beach State Park in Wilmington, North Carolina has a nice, forested campground a short drive inland from the beach; plus it is home to unique carnivorous plants.

Scott with baldcypress trees
Reflections in Moores Creek
Scott on the famous bridge disassembled before the battle started
British troops weren’t going to make it past patriot artillery like this cannon.
Reflections in the creek
With corporal punishments like being locked in a pillory, no wonder American patriots were ready for rebellion.
The park ranger playing bagpipes outside the visitor center
The short film in the visitor center is well made

Explore More – Why are North Carolinians called Tarheels?

Massachusetts

Minute Man National Historical Park

June 20, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

The events that occurred at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775 were immortalized by Ralph Waldo Emerson as “the shot heard round the world.” First of all, a “Minute Man” was a colonial militiaman who was always ready to fight at a minute’s notice. Secondly, when the colonial militia fired upon British troops at North Bridge, it was considered an act of treason against the Crown and truly started the Revolutionary War at a time when the majority of colonists did not want independence.

Highlights

Films, Hartwell Tavern, North Bridge, the Wayside, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Must-Do Activity

If your memory on what exactly happened here is a bit foggy, start with the multimedia presentation at either of two National Park Service (NPS) visitor centers, located in the suburbs west of Boston. At Lexington, you will learn the true story of how Paul Revere’s ride ended early when he was captured by British soldiers and that he did not mention redcoats, instead yelling “the Regulars are coming out!” At Concord, you will learn about “the shot heard round the world.”

Best Trail

Battle Road Trail stretches 5 miles between Fiske Hill in Lexington to Meriam’s Corner in Concord, and is open to bicycles. It passes many historic sites, including Hartwell Tavern.

Instagram-worthy Photo

We recommend a walk up Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The graves of famous local writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, are located here.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

Hours for the many historic buildings vary and most are not open every day of the week.

https://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None, except at some historic buildings (like the Wayside) which require guided tours.

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Harold Parker State Forest (28 miles northeast) has campsites with running water. There is no camping at Walden Pond State Reservation.

North Bridge reflection
Scott with a minute man statue near the North Bridge
Grave of British soldiers killed at the North Bridge
Tiff at a boathouse used by Henry David Thoreau near the North Bridge
Inside the main visitor center
The visitor center’s multimedia presentation about Paul Revere’s ride
Wondon at the Wayside
Tiff walking Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Explore More – Which famous authors once resided at the Wayside in Concord, Massachusetts?

Nebraska

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

June 11, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Ancient mammal bones from Agate Fossil Beds can be found in museums around the world. Excavations began at Carnegie Hill in 1904 and soon thereafter at University Hill to be shipped back to Lincoln, Nebraska. You would never guess at the thousands of fossils removed from these nondescript hills while hiking the 2.7 miles across the prairie from the National Park Service (NPS) visitor center.

Highlights

Museum, film, Daemonelix Trail

Must-Do Activity

The NPS visitor center has an excellent display of the 20-million-year-old inhabitants of this spot, as well as a great collection of American Indian artifacts. You can also learn about the mystery of the daemonelix, a corkscrew burrow which baffled researchers until it was eventually discovered to have been formed by palaeocastor, an ancestral land beaver.

Best Trail

The Daemonelix Trail on the west side of the National Monument allows you to get an up close view of one of the palaeocastor’s corkscrew burrows. A cast of this exact same formation is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Northwest of the National Monument in Oglala National Grassland, Toadstool Geologic Park is a beautiful badlands that is best photographed at sunset. While exploring its trails, look for fossilized bones and trackways, plus be sure to visit the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center, which is open in the summer.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/agfo/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The entrance road from Highway 29 in the west and through the park is paved, but turns to well-graded gravel east of the National Monument.

Camping

No camping within the National Monument, but there is a free primitive campground at Toadstool Geologic Park in Oglala National Grassland. Fort Robinson State Park offers camping, cabin rentals, and accommodations in former military barracks.

Scott at one of the main dig sites.
Fossilized roots
Tiff next to a daemonalix.
Tiff during a Toadstool Geologic Park sunset.
On the Daemonalix Trail
Inside the NPS visitor center
Part of the James H. Cook collection.
Not every NPS site has a cool trailer like this.
Countless fossils have been removed from these nondescript bluffs.

Explore More – How did the frontiersman James H. Cook collect the impressive array of American Indian artifacts now on display in the NPS visitor center?

Wyoming

Fossil Butte National Monument

May 28, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Wyoming

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1972

8,198 acres

Website: nps.gov/fobu

Overview

Exactly 100 years after the creation of Yellowstone National Park, another Wyoming site was added to the National Park Service (NPS) system in 1972: Fossil Butte National Monument. It is dedicated to 50-million-year-old fossils found in an ancient subtropical lakebed, including plants (like palms and ferns) and animals (like turtles and lemurs).

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Highlights

NPS museum, film, Fossil Lake Trail, Historic Quarry Trail

Must-Do Activity

Even 50-million years ago it was windy in Wyoming! The excellent preservation of the fossils may be in part due to high winds that kept surface water well-oxygenated while deeper waters were stagnant. If you need to get out of the wind, head into the visitor center to see fossil fish, turtles, and other species on display. On the deck outside there is an awesome timeline that traces CO2 levels and life on Earth throughout geologic time.

Best Trail

Take the steep steps up the Historic Quarry Trail to find fish fossils still in the rocks. There is no shade along the trail, but even in the summer the weather is usually not that hot at 7,000 feet in elevation. From the picnic area, the 1.5-mile Fossil Lake Trail leads to aspen groves.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Get up close with fossils that stand out against the white bedrock in the NPS museum or on the Historic Quarry Trail. On private land nearby, you can pay to excavate your own fish fossils that you get to keep.