The National Parks exist in many shapes and sizes from tiny Gateway Arch NP, Missouri to giant Wrangell-St. Elias NP in Alaska. While most parks are in the 10s to 100s of thousands of acres range (with a few in the millions), Congress has been more willing lately to ignore size when it comes to […]
Review – Parks Game
Parks is a stunningly beautiful game and a blast to play! I recently received a copy of the game “Parks” by Keymaster Games (Kickstarter edition) from a family member who knows that I love National Parks. The first thing that struck me about the game is it’s beautiful! The park cards (48 of them) and […]
Andersonville
Walking around the site of the Civil War prison at Andersonville, one can’t help but envision the horrid conditions of more than 30,000 men crammed into a 26-acre pen left mostly to fend for themselves against the environment, hunger and rampant sickness. Andersonville serves as a somber reminder of one of the most grim aspects […]
Kennesaw Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia preserves the site of the last major battle in the defense of Atlanta from Sherman’s advancing forces during the American Civil War. Despite being outnumbered 2:1, Johnston’s Confederates held out against Sherman’s forces in two separate attacks in June of 1964. While it was a tactical victory for the […]
Indiana Dunes
The Park Indiana Dunes was initially protected in 1966 and became a National Park in 2019. It protects about 20 miles of lakeshore in a heavily developed corner of the Great Lakes. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Indiana Dunes NP Write Your Own Review
Mammoth Cave
Do you have claustrophobia? How about a fear of being trapped underground? If so, then Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is NOT the place for you! Enjoy exploring strange places? Then you’ll love this park! Discovered by modern settlers in the 1700s, Mammoth Cave started life as a saltpeter mine for making gunpowder. In […]
National Capital Parks East
National Capital Parks-East is a collection of National Park Service sites on the Maryland side of D.C. The sites include open spaces, homes of historical figures, boardwalks and piers, old forts, and even farms. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Visit. I visited the southernmost of the National […]
Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock National Monument, Colorado, was established in 2012 on San Juan National Forest land surrounded by the Ute Reservation. Its twin rock spires high on a ridge inspired the name, but the monument protects several sites of ancient Puebloan ruins built by the Chaco people. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating […]
Aztec Ruins
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico protects the site of a large Puebloan ruin. Established in 1923, this site is one of many that protect sites of the Chaco Culture, but it is certainly one of the most accessible sites of its kind. Despite the name given to it by American settlers, this site had […]
Waco Mammoth
Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas preserves the active dig site for the remains of a group of at least 24 prehistoric Columbian mammoths. While the first bones were discovered in 1978, the site wasn’t opened to the public until 2009 as a joint venture between the city of Waco and nearby Baylor University. In […]
Capulin Volcano
Capulin Volcano National Monument in northern New Mexico protects a well-preserved cinder cone volcano from a field that erupted thousands of years ago. Established in 1916, it’s one of the older monuments in the National Parks System. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Weather. Clear but windy and 50 […]
Ocmulgee Mounds
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (formerly Ocmulgee National Monument) in central Georgia was established in 1936 to protect the site of several large mounds built by the Mississippian people around 1000 years ago. The site is home to eight mounds of various shapes and sizes as well as a Civil War Battlefield, the battle of […]