Tag Archives: museum

White Sands National Park

December 13, 2018 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Overview

You might know gypsum as the white powder inside drywall panels. Gypsum readily dissolves in water, but here it forms sand dunes because no river drains the Tularosa Basin. The white color of the dunes does make for extra intense albedo, so be sure to bring sunglasses and carry plenty of water. Most of the wildlife here is nocturnal, but during the day you may spot a lizard species evolved to camouflage in the sand.

Update: As of December 20, 2019, the former National Monument is now called White Sands National Park.

Highlights

Scenic views, sledding, Interdune Boardwalk, wildlife

Must-Do Activity

Dunes composed of gypsum make a great destination for snow sledding year round, especially after a rainfall. It is fun to see children wearing T-shirts and shorts sliding down the sparkling white slopes.

Best Trail

Follow markers on the five-mile round trip Alkali Flat Trail that goes up and down dunes with views of the San Andres Mountains.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The white dunes take on the colors of the sunset if you decide to backpack or take the ranger-guided Sunset Stroll.

Peak Season

Spring and fall, since it can be very hot in the summer.

Hours

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

Fees

$5 per person or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Mostly paved and the packed dirt road is drivable by all vehicles.

Camping

Only backcountry camping is allowed in 10 designated sites for $3 per person, but that is dependent upon whether the military is conducting missile tests overnight so call ahead or check the schedule online. Oliver Lee Memorial State Park offers a full service campground south of Alamogordo.

*This design we created to celebrate White Sands National Park is available on a variety of products at* Cafe Press and Amazon.

Explore More – What happens to the deep root system of a soaptree yucca when the dune it is growing on blows away?

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Tennessee

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

November 28, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

At age 15, Andrew Johnson fled his apprenticeship in Raleigh,North Carolina and eventually started a tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee. In 1829, he began his political career, ultimately serving as a U.S. Representative, Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator, Vice President, and President upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was the first President to be impeached after vetoing the Tenure of Office Act (later found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) and was acquitted by the margin of one vote.

Highlights

House tour, tailor shop, museum, film, National Cemetery

Must-Do Activity

Start at the visitor center, which offers a film, a small museum, and the enclosed tailor shop where Andrew Johnson worked before going into politics. Dress-up clothes are available if you want to take a photo straight out of the mid-1800s (no smiling for authenticity). There you can also pick up a free timed ticket for the homestead tour and a ticket to vote in Johnson’s impeachment trial.

Best Trail

None

Instagram-worthy Photo

The small National Cemetery atop a hill in Greeneville, Tennessee contains the graves of Andrew Johnson, his wife, and about 200 soldiers.

Peak Season

Open year round

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved with designated parking lots at the visitor center, homestead, and cemetery.

Camping

Cherokee National Forest offers campgrounds southeast of Greeneville.

Original Johnson home and Visitor Center
Tiff and her mother waiting for the homestead tour
Many of the artifacts were original
Johnson family homestead
Playing dress-up in front of the tailor shop
Tiff casting her ballot in the Senate Trial for Impeachment
Tiff and her father at the Johnson grave and National Cemetery

Explore More – Why did young Andrew Johnson flee North Carolina six years before his apprenticeship contract expired?

WONDON WAS HERE

District of Columbia

Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site

November 27, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., which General U.S. Grant was also expected to attend. It is common knowledge that Lincoln was shot by an actor (John Wilkes Booth) not performing in the play and died the next morning of his wounds. What is less well known is that the assassination plot also targeted the Secretary of State William Seward(critically injuring six men and one woman) and Vice President Andrew Johnson (which was never attempted). Since 1933,the National Park Service has run the site and the neighboring Petersen house where Lincoln died, which are open to tourists with timed tickets except when rehearsals are underway in the still-active theatre.

Highlights

Museum, Booth’s gun, ranger program, live theatre

Must-Do Activity

You can get a ticket to the free ranger talk that does not include the National Park Service’s excellent museum downstairs from the theatre, but this should not be skipped by visitors. It contains thought-provoking interpretative material and the original gun used by Booth to shoot Lincoln.

Best Trail

Take a walk to the boarding house where the conspirators met, which is now a restaurant in D.C.’s Chinatown. Mary Surratt, who ran the boarding house, became the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government on July 7, 1865.

Instagram-worthy Photo

There are still plays performed at Ford’s Theatre, but your timed ticket will only get you in to listen to a ranger talk about the assassination without any singing or acting. Either way, the stage right balcony provides the best view of the President’s box seats.

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Peak Season

Summer, but it is open year round.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/foth/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Fees

A timed ticket is available online (with a reservation fee) and in person (free). Theatre performances charge an admission fee.

Road Conditions

All roads paved, but parking can be a challenge in Washington, D.C., though it is easier on weekends.

Camping

None

The boarding house where the conspirators met is now a restaurant in D.C.’s Chinatown
Tiff in front ofthe neighboring Petersen house where Lincoln died
Scott with Booth’s assassination weapon.
Tiff with John Wilkes Booth
Scott with Abraham Lincoln
Tiff at the Presidential Box

Explore More – Are theatre-goers allowed to sit in the presidential box during performances?

WONDON WAS HERE

Virginia

Fort Monroe National Monument

November 12, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

At the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay near Yorktown, Virginia, there is a brick fort so large it puts all others to shame. It was held throughout the Civil War by the Union Army, hosting President Lincoln multiple times and providing a refuge for escaped slaves. Following the War Between the States it served as a prison for Confederate President Jefferson Davis (his cell is contained within the Casemate Museum). The fort was not decommissioned by the military until 2011 when it was declared Fort Monroe National Monument, though it still contains private residences.

Tiff with the moat that you could drive over!

Highlights

Casemate Museum, Building #50, moat you can drive over

Must-Do Activity

After you visit the Casemate Museum, walk around the ramparts and the parade ground with its countless live oak trees, including the 500-year-old Algernourne Oak. Nearby Outlook Beach is popular for swimming, as is North Beach which is also part of the National Monument.

Best Trail

There is a self-guided walking tour that passes Building #50 (the house President Lincoln stayed in) and the Algernourne Oak. Watch for traffic when you cross the moat through the East Gate.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The author Edgar Allen Poe served here in 1828, so you can pose with him and his raven inside the Casemate Museum.

Monroe

Peak Season

Open year round, though the summertime brings more tourists to the Yorktown Peninsula.

Hours

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

Fees

None to walk the grounds and even the Casemate Museum is now free ($3 for guided tours).

Road Conditions

All roads paved, but be aware that most moat-crossing bridges are only one lane wide.

Camping

None in the monument which is filled with private homes, but there are several private campgrounds in the area.

IMG_2392 IMGP5711 — Drive across the moat to enter the fort.

Flagstaff Bastion Overlook offers great views of Fort Monroe and the coastline.

IMG_2392 IMGP5714 — Inside the Casemate Museum.

Scott with a house that Lincoln stayed at when he was visiting the fort — Building #50 housed Abraham Lincoln during his stays at Fort Monroe during the Civil War.

Tiff with the historic fort church — Live oak trees line the extensive Parade Ground inside Fort Monroe National Monument.

Explore More – The fort was completed in 1834 under the supervision of which famous Civil War General (then a Lieutenant)?

Vermont

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

November 8, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

One could argue that George Perkins Marsh became the world’s first environmentalist with the publication of his book Man and Nature in 1864. The sole National Park Service (NPS) site in the state of Vermont is dedicated to his property (see below for the state’s America the Beautiful coin). Later owners, Frederick Billings and the Rockefeller family followed through on Marsh’s conservation principles in their management of the farm and forest. Laurence and Mary Rockefeller donated the estate to the U.S. government in 1992 and the park opened to the public in 1998.

Highlights

Museum/film in the Carriage Barn Visitor Center, Mansion Tour, Garden Tour, trails

Must-Do Activity

Visitors have to pay for NPS guided tours of the mansion and its original artwork (including paintings by Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt). There is also an entrance fee at the neighboring Billings Farm and Museum which is run by the non-profit Woodstock Foundation and provides a more hands-on experience that is great for kids, especially after a “do not touch” tour of the mansion.

Best Trail

Frederick Billings bought this family farm to practice the reforestation preached in George Perkins Marsh’s book. There are 20 miles of trails through the forest around Mount Tom that open year round (though a ski trail pass is required in winter).

Instagram-worthy Photo

Be sure to take a walk through the well-manicured gardens on the property before or after your tour.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

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

Fees

Free to walk the trails, while the wide variety of tours cost extra (discounted with an America the Beautiful pass). The adjacent Billings Farm is privately managed and charges a separate entry fee.

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Silver Lake State Park has campsites with running water.

Jersey cows at Billings Farm

Explore More – What are some other National Park Service units donated by the Rockefeller family?

WONDON WAS HERE

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