21 National Historic Parks in the Northeast to Enjoy This Summer

Happy National Park Week! We personally think EVERY week should be a celebration of our National Parks and ALL of the national historical sites that the National Park Service works so hard to maintain, preserve, and protect for future generations of people to enjoy. But, we’re especially glad to join in the celebration this week.

We’ve written about the 14 National Parks we’ve visited over the past decade (find all the links here), but this week, we’d like to highlight ten National Historical Parks (NHPs) in the Northeast (from Vermont down to Maryland) that we have visited, along with our travel tips and recommendations for nearby fun. Plus, to be thorough and inclusive, we’re including links to the remaining eleven historical parks that are on our bucket list. 

National Historical Parks differ from National Parks in that they focus on preserving American history and culture in addition to land and ecosystems, which are usually the goals of a National Park. National Historical Parks encompass several areas of historical significance, rather than a singular property that is designated as a “site” and not a “park”, and can include buildings, homes, museums, and even battlefields. Often, the “park” will be spread across an entire town or city and have many attractions and sites open to the public and maintained by the National Park Service. A good explanation about the various National Park name designations can be found here. Every single NPS site we have visited is well maintained, clean, safe, and staffed with the friendliest and most knowledgeable park rangers. 

Travel Tips:

• Some NHPs are only open seasonally, usually from mid/late April through October. Most NHPs are open year round with more limited hours or programs during winter months. Always check online for the most up to date information.
• Most NHPs offer free admission, but might have a nominal charge for special programs, events, or tours. Be sure to check online for up to date information.
• Each NHP offers a Junior Ranger program and booklet for children (or anyone!) to fill out while exploring. Make sure to ask a ranger at each Visitor Center for a booklet and check back after your visit to receive your badge and take the Junior Ranger pledge.
• All NHP Visitor Centers will have restroom facilities, museum shops (ranging in size from a kiosk with limited souvenirs to a full store), and introductory films with great overviews of the history of the park and area.  There are also parking lots or garages near a Visitor Center.
• Be sure to collect National Park Passport stamps at the Visitor Centers (and sometimes, multiple attractions) at each NHP. Most NHPs will have 3-5 stamps.
• Plan on spending a full day in order to explore a majority of attractions (and take a tour or two) at each NHP. 

Ten National Historical Parks in the Northeast to Enjoy This Summer:

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont is named for George Marsh (one of the first “global environmental thinkers”), Frederick Billings (a conservationist who created the dairy farm on the property), and Mary French Rockefeller (Billings’s granddaughter) and her husband, Laurance, who gifted the property to the National Park Service. The park focuses on land conservation and stewardship. The main mansion includes many original pieces of furniture and American landscape paintings, collected by the Marsh, Billings, and Rockefeller families. The park shares space with, and runs in conjunction with, the Billings Farm and Museum, which is a great spot to see plenty of farm animals up close, and explore many indoor and outdoor farm related exhibits.
Top Spots to Explore: The 1805 mansion, Mount Tom Forest and The Pogue (mountain top pond visitors can hike to), gardens that bloom in spring and summer, and the Belvedere building (bowling alley, greenhouses, and an outdoor swimming pool). See the full list here. 
Nearby Fun: Woodstock, Vermont and nearby Hanover, New Hampshire have tons of family friendly activities year round, including the Montshire Museum of Science, Sugar Bush Farm, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, and the King Arthur Baking Company.   
Read our full City Guide to the Woodstock area here. 

The Boston National Historical Park in Boston, Massachusetts includes almost a dozen historical sites dating back to the colonization and birth of America. Many of the sites included in the NHP are located along the Freedom Trail (a 2.5 mile trail paved with red bricks) that starts in downtown Boston and ends in Charlestown. Visitors can follow the trail year round; outdoor historical sites that are part of the NHP are open year round, while some indoor exhibits are open during peak spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Tops Spots to Explore: The Old State House (hands on, indoor exhibits), Faneuil Hall (for shopping and dining), The Freedom Trail with stops at historical sites and burial grounds (self guided and guided tours available), Bunker Hill Monument and the Charleston Navy Yard  (climb aboard the USS Constitution). See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: See our full Boston City Guide of activities, museums, and tours here
Read our full post here

The Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts pays tribute to a community that was a thriving part of the American Industrial Revolution. During the mid 19th century, Lowell was home to over 10,000 employees at over 100 mills and textile companies, the perfect spot for factories due to the city’s proximity to the Merrimack River. While the factories all closed by the mid 1950s, the local community worked to preserve some of the factory buildings and share the stories of the people and greater community.
Tops Spots to Explore: The Boott Cotton Mills Museum (see over 80 power looms!); the Mogan Cultural Center (see a recreated 1840s Boarding House); Canal, Riverboat, and Trolley Tours; and the Northern Canal Walkway.  See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Boston is only a 30 minutes drive and Salem and Gloucester Massachusetts are less than an hour away and offer tons of family friendly attractions and activities.
Read our full post here

The Minute Man National Historical Park in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts is the site of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. On the infamous night of April 19, 1775, Paul Revere and Williams Dawes’ rode to Lexington to warn John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other “Minute Men” that the British “Redcoats”  were coming to steal the supply of weapons and ammunition.   There are several sites spread throughout both towns (and three Visitor Centers) that hold historical significance to the American Revolution. We highly recommend attending some of the guided walking tours, tours of the historical homes, and holiday events.
Top Spots to Explore: The Jacob Whittemore House (get dressed up and “make” dinner), walk over the North Bridge, tour The Wayside, Orchard House (the home of Louisa May Alcott) and Buckman Tavern. See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Walden Pond State Reservation in ten minutes away, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site is 20 minutes away; Boston and Salem are both 30 minutes away.
Read our full post here 

The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts is one of the more compact Historical Parks, spanning just 13 city blocks in downtown New Bedford. At the height of the whaling industry in the mid 19th century, New Bedford employed over 10,000 sailors on over 300 ships. The Whaling Museum, housed in a former bank, offers extensive, and interactive, exhibits that showcase the history of the whaling industry. There are also many exhibits, spread throughout historical buildings in the park, that celebrate women’s history, the Underground Railroad, and the art and architecture of the greater New Bedford area.
Top Spots to Explore: The Whaling Museum (climb aboard the Lagoda), the Schooner Ernestina-Morrisey (explore a ship!), Fort Taber (great outdoor green space), Buzzard Bay Center (get a better understanding of the topography and geology of the area), and the New Bedford Art Museum (so many kid friendly exhibits). See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: New Bedford has tons of family friendly attractions- see our full City Guide here; Battleship Cove is 20 minutes away and a great spot to explore four decommissioned battleships and submarines.
Read our full post here and feature of the Whaling Museum here.

Weir National Historical Park in Wilton, Connecticut honors the work of one of the most well known artists in the American Impressionist Movement, Julian Alden Weir. The National Park Service restored and preserved his home and studio, and many artists come to the property to be inspired in their own artistic endeavors. There are also hiking trails that traverse the 110+ acre property, and many seasonal art centered programs and workshops open to the public.
Top Spots to Explore: Start with the Burlingham House Visitor Center for indoor exhibits, hike through the property to Weir Pond, and explore the Weir House and Studio and Young Studio. See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Earthplace in Westport offers walking trails, animal exhibits, a playground, and weekly programs (25 minutes away); Stamford Museum and Nature Center has over 60 species of animals to visit up close, a huge playground, indoor barn exhibits, and tons of weekly programs (30 minutes away); Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford offers a dozen gardens and 10 easy trails to explore and is free to visit (30 minutes away).

The Saratoga National Historical Park in Still Water, New York is a 3,200 acre park located just outside Saratoga Springs in Upstate New York. The park includes the site of the 1777 Battles of Saratoga, considered the turning point of the American Revolutionary War, because it was the first time British armies surrendered to the United States, garnering support for the American troops from France. 
Top Spots to Explore: The Visitor Center (lots of interactive exhibits), the Monument (climb to the top of the 155 foot granite monument), Victory Woods (hike the Wilkinson Trail, four miles of trails through the battlefield), and Schyuler House (it dates back to 1777!). See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Saratoga Race Course (open during the summer) and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame are 15 minutes away, and Six Flags Great Escape is 30 minutes south (great amusement park!)
Read our full post here

First State National Historical Park is one of the largest park (and newest- it was designated a NHP in 2013!) on this list, spread across the entire state of Delaware (and even into Pennsylvania!), and each historical spot is run by “partners” of the National Park Service, so be sure to check online for up to date information on each location. The designated locations celebrate the events and people who helped in the settlement of the Delaware Valley.
Top Spots to Explore: Old Swedes Historic Site (tour the house, burial grounds, and 1698 Holy Trinity Church), Fort Christina (keep an eye out for the Kalmar Nyckel setting sail!), new Castle Courthouse Museum (the first courthouse and capitol of Delaware), and John Dickinson Plantation  (tour the home of the “Penman of the Revolution). Note the Visitor Center in the Sheriff’s House in New Castle, about 15 minutes south of Wilmington. See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Wilmington, Delaware, where Old Swedes and Fort Christina are located, have tons of historical and family friendly attractions- see our full City Guide here. Our favorite spots include Delaware Children’s Museum, Copeland Maritime Center, Hagley Museum and Library, Nemours Estate, Winterthur, and the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science.  

Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is the largest outdoor museum and sculpture garden in the world, spanning 6,000 acres. The park preserved the site of the deadliest three days of the Civil War (July 1st, 2nd, 3rd of 1863), when the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in 51,000 casualties and the freeing of six million slaves. The small town was an ideal location for the battle, as both the Confederate and Union armies could easily approach via the ten major roads that intersect in Gettysburg. We highly recommend taking guided tours and attending ranger led programs and events to better understand the events and the memorials and markers spread throughout the park rather than trying self guided tours.
Top Spots to explore: The Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War (located inside the Visitor Center with tons of exhibits), Visitor Center cyclorama, the David Wills House, Soldiers National Cemetery,  and the nearby Eisenhower National Historic Site. See the full list of activities here.
Nearby Fun: Gettysburg has many historical attractions that are family friendly, including the Gettysburg Heritage Center and the Eisenhower National Historic Site. Hershey Park and many fun attractions are an hour away from Gettysburg.
See our full post here

Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, known as “America’s Most Historic Square Mile”, has over a dozen key locations that were part of the American Revolution, all centered around Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were created and signed. There are several additional sites connected to the park spread throughout 51 acres in Philadelphia, including several homes, churches and several gardens.
Tops Spots to Explore: The Liberty Bell (first hung in the State House in 1753 and now on display in an enclosed building near the Visitor Center), Independence Square (which includes Independence Hall, Great Essentials, and Congress Hall, all available to tour), Franklin Court (Benjamin Franklin’s original home, with an indoor museum, print shop, and archaeological exhibit outdoors), City Tavern (go for lunch or dinner!), and President’s House Site (an outdoor exhibit on the site of where both George Washington and John Adams lived). See the full list here.
Nearby Fun: Philadelphia has so many historical and family friendly attractions, museums, programs, and events. See our full City Guide here and our list of FREE activities here.

On our Bucket List for the future:

• Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in New Hampshire
• Adams National Historical Park in Massachusetts
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park in New York
• Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in New York
• Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey
• Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in New Jersey
• Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania
• Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland
• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Maryland
• Coltsville National Historical Park– opening soon in Connecticut!