Cane River Creole NHP

      

                                                   

                                                                                

A River and Its People

The Cane River region is home to a unique culture; the Creoles. Generations of the same families of owners and workers, enslaved and tenant, lived on these lands for over 200 years. The park tells their stories and preserves the cultural landscape of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, two of the most intact Creole cotton plantations in the United States.

30 Jan 2022

We started this visit at Oakland Plantation. There are no Visitor Centers for this unit, it was recently announced that work on a new Visitor Center has been started. We headed to the general store that is currently serving as a contact station. We toured the store and small gift shop. We headed over to the main house and got to take a self-guided tour of the house. The house was built in 1821. This is a unique house, as the family lived in the house till the early 1990's. The house still has the furnishings up to the time the family turned the house over to the Park Service, so there is a mix of furnishings from the early 1800's to modern times. The house has been added onto serval times including a modern kichen. We then toured the rest of the grounds before heading out to visit Magnolia plantation. When we reached Magnolia plantation, we discovered we had the plantation completely to ourselves. The main house was rebuilt in 1896 after being destroyed during the civil war and is still owned by the original family and not open to the public. We did get to take in the care takers house and slave hospital, and a few of the slave quarters. Both sites can be seen in 3 to 4 hours. We will have to make a return trip when the Visitor Center is competed. 

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NPS Website

Our 152nd NPS Unit

Waco NM

                  

A Mammoth-Sized Find

Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation's first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths.

20 Jan 2022

This a smaller unit and we started at the small Visitor Center where we got our tickets for the dig site. Due to COVID protocols they were not conducting Ranger led tours of the dig site, the tour is self-guided. The Visitor Center had no exhibits or movie but lots of souvenirs. We headed down to the dig site and spent 30 minutes taking in all the remaining fossils. Many have now been removed to preserve them off site. There were remains of six or seven Mammoths remaining at the covered dig site. There have been over twenty-three Mammoths found so far but much digging remains to be done. This was a fun and educational site to take in and we feel it can be covered in a couple of hours or less.

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NPS Website

Our 151st NPS Unit

Hot Springs NP

 

Where History and Nature Meet.

Hot Springs National Park has a rich cultural past. The grand architecture of our historic bathhouses is equally matched by the natural curiosities that have been drawing people here for hundreds of years. Ancient thermal springs, mountain views, incredible geology, forested hikes, and abundant creeks – all in the middle of town – make Hot Springs National Park a unique and beautiful destination

14 Jan 2022

We made a return trip to soak and relax at the Quapaw Bath House. This will always be a stop if we are in the area. 

30 Mar - 1 April 2021

We took in the National Park over three days. Day one and the weather was great for walking a few of the trails and we took advantage of that to get an idea what makes this a National Park. The Visitor Center was close due to COVID so we spent the first day walking down Bath House Row taking in the Bath houses then we looped back taking in the Grand Promenade. Day two was spent at the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. The views from the upper observation deck offers a breathtaking view and the lower observation deck contains exhibits highlighting the park and local history. We then picked up Daisy and walked a few trails, this park is very dog friendly, and she had a great time getting attention and pats. Day Three we got to take in the pools at the Quapaw Bath House. A very welcoming soak in the pools to relax and unwind. This was a great Park to take in and we look forward to going back if only to get a morning soak at the Quapaw Bath House.  

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NPS Website

Our 145th NPS Unit and 21 National Park

Little Rock Central High School NHS

"Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts."

In 1957, Little Rock Central High School was the epicenter of confrontation and a catalyst for change as the fundamental test for the United States to enforce African American civil rights following Brown v. Board of Education. Learn how the sacrifice and struggle endured by the Little Rock Nine have provided opportunities and opened doors for those seeking equality and education around the world.

13 Jan 2022

Started this visit with a walk around the school and a few other sites around it. The school is still in operation and cannot be entered. We then went to the Visitor Center to take in the movie and exhibits. Due to COVID there was no movie, but the exhibits detailed the events before, during, and after in great detail. We have been to the Brown vs Board of Education NHS and this site was a direct result of that court ruling. After touring the exhibits, we had a great talk with the ranger that was very educated on the site and provided all of the answers to the questions we had. We would have liked to have taken the ranger lead walking tour but due to the limited amount of people allowed we did not get on the list to take it. We will have to do that at a later day. This unit can be seen in few hours, add an hour to include the walking tour with the ranger.   

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NPS Website

Our 150th NPS Unit

Shiloh NMP

                                                             

An Epic Contest

Visit the sites of the most epic struggle in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than in all of America's previous wars combined. Explore both the Shiloh and Corinth battlefields to discover the impact of this struggle on the soldiers and on the nation.

5 Jan 2022

This a large battlefield and starting at the Visitors center is the best way to understand how this battle was fought. We took in the exhibits while waiting for the movie to start. While not as expansive as some of the other large Civil War Battlefield Visitor Centers, the exhibits were well done and provided a lot of information. The movie starts at the top of hour and is 45 minutes long. It was a very well-done movie that explained the two-day battle in great detail. We were ready to start the battlefield driving tour after taking in all information we picked up at the Visitor Center. 

8 Jan 2022

Today we drove the park road trail. As with many of the large Battlefields there is so much to see and take in. After seeing the movie, we had a great understanding of the events and flow of this two-day battle and that made touring the park easy to understand. With the over whelming number of Information tables and monuments this park loop can easily take a full day to get it all in. You can do this Unit in a day, but we recommend on planning for a two-day visit. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 149th NPS Unit