ThingsToDo.com Logo Things to do in Massachusetts
 

Massachusetts National Parks

New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park
New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Springfield Armory National Historic Site

 

Adams National Historical Park - Adams National Historical Park is located in the City of Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, approximately ten miles south of Boston. The site comprises 11 historic structures and a cultural landscape totaling almost 14 acres. The site provides a unique opportunity for preservation, education and participation in the history and development of the United States, the Revolutionary War, and the United States Presidency.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail - The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,167-mile (3,488 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in north Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

Boston National Historical Park - Discover the revolutionary generation of Bostonians who blazed a trail from colonialism to independence. Boston National Historical Park is an association of sites that together give the visitor a coherent view of the city's role in the nation's history.

Boston African American National Historic Site - Located in the heart of Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood, the site includes 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th century African-American community, including: the African Meeting House, the oldest standing African-American church in the United States.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area - Boston Harbor Islands national park area includes 30 islands situated within the Greater Boston shoreline. The islands are rich in natural and cultural resources.

Cape Cod National Seashore - Cape Cod National Seashore comprises 43,604 acres of shoreline and upland landscape features, including a forty-mile long stretch of pristine sandy beach, dozens of clear, deep, freshwater kettle ponds, and upland scenes that depict evidence of how people have used the land. A variety of historic structures are within the boundary of the Seashore, including lighthouses, a lifesaving station, and numerous Cape Cod style houses. The Seashore offers six swimming beaches, eleven self-guiding nature trails, and a variety of picnic areas and scenic overlooks.

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site - Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation’s foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established at “Fairsted” the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. Over the course of the next century, his sons and successors expanded and perpetuated Olmsted's design ideals, philosophy, and influence.

John F. Kennedy National Historic Site - John F. Kennedy National Historic Site preserves the birthplace in 1917 and boyhood home of the 35th President of the United States. The modest frame house in suburban Boston was also the first home shared by the president's father and mother, Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and represents the social and political beginnings of one of the world's most prominent families.

 

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site - Longfellow National Historic Site is an outstanding example of a historic site representing the themes of arts and literature. For almost half a century (1837-1882) this was the home of one of the world's foremost poets, scholars and educators, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Lowell National Historical Park - The history of America's Industrial Revolution is commemorated in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum with its operating weave room of 88 power looms, "mill girl" boardinghouses, the Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit and guided tours tell the story of the transition from farm to factory, chronicle immigrant and labor history and trace industrial technology. The park includes textile mills, worker housing, 5.6 miles of canals, and 19th-century commercial buildings.

Minute Man National Historical Park - The events of April 19, 1775 were a turning point in the long struggle between Mother England and her American colonies. In a march of protest and petition turned independence and revolution, the fighting on April 19, 1775 would foreshadow the rebellious action of the American colonies to ultimately create a new nation, the United States of America.

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the 19th century. A variety of cultural landscapes, historic buildings, museum collections, and archives preserve this history and collectively recount the stories of a remarkable era. Whaling, a leading 19th century enterprise, contributed to America's economic and political vitality.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site - Salem Maritime, the first National Historic Site in the National Park System, was established to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States. The Site consists of about nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts, as well as a Visitor Center in downtown Salem. The Site documents the development of the Atlantic triangular trade during the colonial period, the role of privateering during the Revolutionary War, and the international maritime trade, especially with the Far East, which established American economic independence after the Revolution.

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site - This is the site of the first integrated ironworks in North America, 1646-1668. It includes the reconstructed blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, and a restored seventeenth century house.

Springfield Armory National Historic Site - Established on March 21, 1978 to preserve the history of the first National Armory, 1794 - 1968. Springfield Armory technology profoundly affected the lives of soldiers and civilians. Armory arms decided battle tactics. They were essential in all major conflicts in U.S. History. Armory inventions revolutionized the manufacture of consumer products like keys, shoes, baseball bats and furniture. Housed in the original Main Arsenal, the museum maintains one of the most extensive and unique firearms collections in the world. Special exhibits, events and film. Public and school programs. Springfield Armory National Historic Site encompasses approximately 55 acres and several buildings of the original armory complex.

 

 

For more information visit the National Park Service website