Tag Archives: tour

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

January 3, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

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

December 26, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

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

December 17, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

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

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

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park

November 19, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1872

2,221,766 acres

Website: nps.gov/yell

Overview

The geothermal features here inspired the creation of the world’s first official “National Park” in 1872. Most of Yellowstone is actually a supervolcano where the magma heats up underground water producing 10,000 hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots on the surface, as well as 300 geysers. Incredibly, over 50% of the geysers in the world occur within this one park, which is equally famous for its wildlife diversity, including grizzly bears, bison, gray wolves, and elk.

Learn more about how to visit this National Park in the expanded second edition of our guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Highlights

Old Faithful geyser, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, countless waterfalls, wildlife in Lamar Valley, Mt. Washburn, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

The most famous geyser here is Old Faithful, which can shoot water up to 185 feet in the air. Since the occurrence of several earthquakes it is no longer as consistent as its name suggests, but its eruptions can be accurately predicted every 60 to 110 minutes throughout the day. Arrive early to get a seat or take the trail up the nearby hill to watch it from above. Afterwards, hike the boardwalks through colorful Upper Geyser Basin.

Best Trail

A hike into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on Glacial Boulder Trail is one way to find the solitude lacking at the drive-up overlooks (you should still hike to the Brink of Lower Falls with the crowds). Instead of staying in the packed campgrounds, consider getting a permit to backpack camp in the canyon.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The trail is steep, but paved down to the Brink of Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River for unforgettable view of the canyon, especially on sunny days when a rainbow appears in the spray.

Peak Season

Summer, but Old Faithful Village can seem busy in the winter with all the snowmobiles during the day.

Hours

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

Fees

$35 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Very few roads are not paved, but the majority close for seven months in the winter.

Camping

There are many campgrounds in the park, but they fill up quickly the summer (especially at primitive Slough Creek). The surrounding National Forests offer campgrounds and dispersed sites as well. We have enjoyed backpacking at designated campsites in the park with a permit, especially in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Related Sites

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Gallatin National Forest (Montana)

Fossil Butte National Monument (Wyoming)