Tag Archives: tour

New Mexico, Tennessee, Washington

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

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Overview

During the National Park Service (NPS) centennial in 2016, a new, ambitious park was established linking three far-flung sites in the states of Washington, New Mexico, and Tennessee.  The purpose is to tell the story of the “Manhattan Project,” the military code name during World War II for the secret undertaking to create the world’s first atomic weapon. 

Highlights

Bradbury Science Museum (NM), American Museum of Science and Energy (TN), Hanford Reach National Monument (WA)

Must-Do Activity

In 1942, hundreds of eastern Tennessee families were displaced in order to construct Oak Ridge National Laboratory where experimental nuclear reactors produced plutonium and enriched uranium.  More than 75,000 people hurriedly built and operated this brand new industrial complex, which continues to be used as a Department of Energy research facility to this day.  Due to security and safety concerns, visitors can only enter on a 3-hour bus tour that leaves from the American Museum of Science and Energy.  The tour is well worth your time, as it is currently the only way to see Y-12, X-10, and K-25 and learn more about what those code names really mean.

Best Trail

The Hanford Reach is one of the last free-flowing sections of the Columbia River in eastern Washington and is an important site for salmon spawning.  The area is ecologically pristine, mostly untouched by development since it became the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in 1943.  It is home to the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor that produced the plutonium used by Los Alamos National Laboratories for its scientific breakthroughs in 1945.  Since 2000, Hanford Reach National Monument has been managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and much of the area is off limits.  Other than boating on the river, the best place to get a feel for the area is to walk around the Ringold Fish Hatchery.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The free Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico offers tourists a closer look at the original and ongoing research conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL), including a scale model of the “Fat Man” plutonium bomb built here in 1945.  Nearby, the Los Alamos Historical Museum is located in a cabin on historic Bathtub Row, so named because when the government took over the Ranch School in 1943 these were the only dwellings equipped with that luxury. 

Peak Season

Open year round, but summer is best at the high elevations of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Hours

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

Fees

$5 per adult for the American Museum of Science and Energy and a 3-hour tour (11:30-2:30, reservations recommended) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Road Conditions

All roads paved except around Hanford Reach National Monument

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed in Santa Fe National Forest surrounding Los Alamos and it is not far to the campground in Bandelier National Monument.

  • Scott waiting for our tour to start at the American Museum of Science and Energy
  • A church abandoned after the U.S. government land seizure in 1942
  • Scott at one of the government houses built for 75,000 Oak Ridge residents
  • The Columbia River in Hanford Reach National Monument

  • Ringold Fish Hatchery in Hanford Reach National Monument
  • Model of the first nuclear device tested at Trinity Site in New Mexico
  • Atomic memorabilia at the Los Alamos Historical Museum

Explore More – What was the job of the “Calutron Girls” in Oak Ridge during World War II?

California

Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front National Historical Park

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Overview

On the east side of the San Francisco Bay, Richmond was chosen by the National Park Service (NPS) in 2000 to commemorate the work of thousands of women and men nationwide who built the machines needed to fight World War II.  By 1945, women made up almost a third of the workforce in the U.S. and about 41% of welders in the Kaiser shipyards here.  The Visitor Education Center offers hands-on exhibits housed in a Ford Assembly Building formerly used to make tanks.  Tours are also offered on the SS Red Oak Victory, a cargo ship built here during the war. 

Highlights

Museum, film, Rosie the Riveter Memorial, SS Red Oak Victory, real-life “Rosies”

Must-Do Activity

The special thing about this park is the incredible opportunity on most Fridays to meet real-life “Rosies” who worked here during the war.  During our visit, we got to hear the stories of two women, Agnes and Marian.  They won’t be around forever, so put this site at the top of your NPS to-do list. 

Best Trail

The paved Bay Trail winds through Richmond and stops at the Rosie the Riveter Memorial in Marina Bay Park.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The poster of a woman in factory work clothes flexing her right bicep is perhaps the most famous image to come out of World War II.  “Rosie the Riveter” was also a popular song on the radio in the 1940s. 

Peak Season

Year round, but especially on Fridays when real-life “Rosies” are at the visitor center.

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved, but you do have to pass through a guard station to access the Visitor Education Center.

Camping

None










  • The Ford Assembly Building is home to the NPS visitor center
  • On the Friday we visited we got to meet two “Rosies” named Agnes and Marian
  • Kaiser shipyards produced 142 Victory ships (like this one) and 519 Liberty ships
  • The Rosie the Riveter Memorial in Marina Bay Park is on the site of the former Kaiser Shipyard No. 2

Explore More – At its peak, how many people worked around the clock in the Kaiser shipyards?

Hawaii

Pearl Harbor National Memorial

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Overview

The WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument was created in 2008 and disbanded in 2019. It was composed of three sites in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, California’s Tule Lake Segregation Center National Historic Landmark (now a National Monument), and five sites around Honolulu, Hawaii’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, much better known as Pearl Harbor.  It was there that on December 7, 1941, a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy fleet led the country to formally enter World War II.

Highlights

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, museum at Pearl Harbor, U.S.S. Missouri tours

Must-Do Activity

At Pearl Harbor there is a free museum run by the National Park Service and you can pick up free tickets to ferry to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, which was dedicated in 1962.  You will be hard pressed to find a more tasteful and solemn war memorial than this one.  Tickets can also be purchased to tour the nearby U.S.S. Missouri battleship and U.S.S. Bowfin submarine. 

Best Trail

None

Instagram-worthy Photo

The wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona battleship serves as the graves for 1,102 sailors and Marines who were on board when it sunk, and it still leaks black “tears” of oil that leave a rainbow sheen on the water’s surface. 

Peak Season

Year round, especially on and around December 7.

Hours

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

Fees

Free entry to the museum and free timed tickets for the ferry to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial available to the first 1,300 people each day or by reservation.  Tickets can also be purchased to tour the nearby U.S.S. Missouri battleship and U.S.S. Bowfin submarine.

Road Conditions

All roads paved, though parking is limited at the Pearl Harbor site.

Camping

Private and county campgrounds can be found on Oahu Island outside the city of Honolulu.

  • Pearl Harbor from the air
  • Tiff at the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 2016.
  • USS Bowfin submarine
  • Original draft of President Roosevelt’s December 7, 1941 speech
  • The 184-foot-long U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was dedicated in 1962.
  • Names of 1,102 sailors and Marines can be found in the chapel within the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

Explore More – What significant event took place upon the deck of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship on September 2, 1945?

New Jersey, New York

Statue of Liberty National Monument

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Overview

By the time the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886, New York City was already the gateway to America for millions of “homeless, tempest-tost” immigrants.  Between 1855 and 1890, Castle Clinton on Manhattan Island served as a landing facility for 8-million people.  The federal government took control of immigration in 1890, within two years opening a processing station on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Ferry service to Ellis Island and Liberty Island is available from Castle Clinton National Monument in New York City or Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

Highlights

Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Immigration Museum, ferry ride

Must-Do Activity

Approximately 12-million people were screened on Ellis Island between 1892-1924, though nearly 10% were turned away.  Reopened to tourists in 1990, it is a haunting place to visit.  The National Park Service museum offers excellent exhibits and films highlighting the travails of immigrants over the centuries. 

Best Trail

None, but a special ranger-guided tour of Ellis Island will take you to areas you cannot see on your own.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the U.S. ally France, intended to mark the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876.  By the time the 151-foot tall,225-ton copper woman was ready, the U.S. was scrambling to come up with money to build its 154-foot tall pedestal. Pocket change was collected across the nation, a truly grassroots effort that allowed even schoolchildren to claim a part of the monument. 

Peak Season

Summer, but these world-renowned monuments are busy year round.

Hours

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

Fees

$18.50 per adult for ferry to both sites, plus a parking fee at Liberty State Park.  While free timed tickets are available to access the pedestal, you must reserve months in advance if you wish to climb to the Statue of Liberty’s crown.

Road Conditions

Paved, but you will likely have to deal with traffic.  There is plenty of parking at Liberty State Park in New Jersey.

Camping

None

  • Scott with Manhattan behind him
  • First view of Ellis Island
  • Tiff on board the ferry
  • Historic graffiti on the walls
  • Scott in the Registry Room
  • Under the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty
  • A replica of Lady Liberty’s foot (actual size)

Explore More – Why is there a boundary on Ellis Island that divides it between the states of New Jersey and New York?

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Tennessee

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

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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