President's Park (White House) [DC]

Description

President's Park contains the White House, home to every U.S. president except George Washington, and the surrounding area. The park visitor center is the hub of the park activities. Permanent exhibits within the visitor center address symbolism, First Families, celebrations and ceremonies, the work which takes place in the White House, and the White House's architecture and interiors. In addition to the White House, the park contains the First Division Monument, General William T. Sherman Monument, District Patentees Memorial, Boy Scout Memorial, Second Division Memorial, Butt-Millet Fountain, Haupt Fountains, Bullfinch Gatehouses, and Zero Milestone, as well as memorial statues of select Revolutionary War heroes.

The park offers a 30-minute introductory video, exhibits, a children's activity area, Junior Ranger activities, self-guided White House tours, educational programs for students, and an Underground Railroad traveling trunk. White House tour requests must be submitted through one's Member of Congress, and can be requested up to six months in advance. Please see the website for details. Tours are only permitted for groups of 10 or more.

Fort Larned National Historic Site [KS]

Description

The Fort Larned National Historic Site presents nine restored structures, including barracks, squad room, commissary, food stores, school house, and mess hall. The circa 1859 fort once offered protection to travelers along the Santa Fe Trail and maintained relations with the Plains Indians, as one of several Indian Agencies.

The site offers an introductory slide presentation, exhibits, and a research library. The site is only partially wheelchair accessible. The website offers a lesson plan.

Antietam National Battlefield [MD]

Description

The Antietam National Battlefield preserves the site of the September 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam. This battle effectively halted the Confederate Army's first invasion of the North, and prompted the issuance of a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It is best known for being the United States' single-largest military loss of life in one day. The Pry House Field Hospital Museum is located on the battlefield grounds. This museum presents Civil War medicine and the history of the house itself, which served as Union General George B. McClellan's temporary headquarters.

The battlefield offers a 26-minute introductory film, a one-hour documentary, exhibits, talks, guided walks, eight curriculum-based programs, a self-guided 8.5 mile auto tour, guided auto tours, Junior Ranger activities, hiking trails, and outdoor activities. Reservations are required for guided auto tours. The website offers a scavenger hunt for use on site, historic images, a video on the artillery used at the Battle of Antietam, teacher's guides, a primary resource packet, and worksheets.

Homestead National Monument of America [NE]

Description

The Homestead National Monument of America addresses the impact of the Homestead Act of 1862 on agriculture, Native Americans, national land policy, the prairies, industrialization, and immigration. Sights include the 1872 one-room Freeman School, Heritage Center, Education Center, 1867 Palmer Epard Cabin, and restored tallgrass prairie. The cabin presents post-Civil War homestead life. The Freeman School has been restored to an 1870s appearance. Under the Homestead Act, anyone 21 or over and/or the head of a household could claim 160 acres of previously federally owned land as their own private property.

The monument offers an introductory film, interactive exhibits, Freeman School guided tours, trails, curriculum-based programs for students, Scout programs, interactive demonstrations, distance learning opportunities, and Junior Ranger activities. The school is open for tours on request. Classes can host a day of lessons within the Freeman School. The website offers historical photographs, videos of farming demonstrations, audio files of Abraham Lincoln's words, a curriculum guide, a math activity booklet, a coloring book, dot-to-dot activities, and a suggested reading list for students.

Golden Spike National Historic Site [UT]

Description

The Golden Spike National Historic Site commemorates the 1869 joining of the Union and Central Pacific railway companies to create the nation's first transcontinental railroad. The Golden Spike itself was ceremonial, and was not embedded in the tracks.

The site offers five films, two auto tours, a 1.5 mile walking trail, and Junior Ranger activities. During the summer, the site also offers steam demonstrations and re-enactments of the May 10, 1869 Last Spike Ceremony.

Alcatraz Island [CA]

Description

Alcatraz Island presents the site of the first West Coast lighthouse and fort, built 1853; the site of a former major federal prison (1934-1963); and the history of the island's 18-month occupation by Native American rights activists (1969-1971). Alcatraz is now a national bird sanctuary. During its prison years, Alcatraz hosted difficult inmates from prisons around the nation, perpetrators of predatory crimes, and Native American prisoners. The Native American occupation began as a symbolic repossessing of ancestral land. Demands for a university, cultural center, and museum were never met. However, the occupation led to greater national recognition of Native American interests.

The site offers a brief orientation, a film on the Native American occupation, other films, exhibits, and an audio tour of the cellhouse's penitentiary period. Evening visits offer guided tours and history narration while aboard the ferry. Day trips lean toward a self-guided experience, while evening trips offer more guided opportunities. The cellhouse audio tour is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Italian. Videos are captioned, a shuttle can transport visitors otherwise unable to reach the cellhouse, and transcriptions of the audio tour are available. The National Park Service recommends purchasing ferry tickets at least one week in advance. The website offers an extensive virtual exhibit.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site [IA]

Description

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site consists of the cottage in which Hoover was born; the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum; the graves of Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover; 81-acres of tallgrass prairie; and sites from the period in which Hoover lived in the area. Hoover (1874-1964), lived in West Branch for the first nine years of his life. An orphan, he would eventually become the 31st President of the United States. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum has a separate listing within this database.

The site offers a 12-minute introductory film; exhibits on Hoover's childhood, life, and U.S. history; approximately 3-hour and 45-minute guided field trips; self-guided field trips; guided tours of the Birthplace Cottage, Blacksmith Shop, 1853 Schoolhouse, and the Friends Meeting House where Hoover's parents worshiped; self-guided tours; period rooms; blacksmithing demonstrations; 1.7 miles of trails; guided prairie walks; Junior Ranger activities; research library access; an educator program; and picnic shelters. Wheelchairs are available for use on site. Reservations are required for educational field trips. The website offers a virtual tour, pre-visit orientation video, pre- and post-visit activity suggestions, curriculum guides, a lesson plan, and activities for the prairie walk.

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site [NH]

Description

Visitors to this site can discover the beautiful home, studios, and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America's greatest sculptors. Over 100 of his artworks can be seen in the galleries, from heroic public monuments to expressive portrait reliefs, and the gold coins which changed the look of American coinage. Visitors can also enjoy summer concerts, explore nature trails, or discover their own talents during a sculpture class.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, workshops, other educational programs, and educational and recreational events.