In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all national parks across the country will offer free admission on Monday, January 16. It will be the first of 10 days in 2017 when national parks will waive entrance fees for everyone.
The National Park Service (NPS) urges everyone to visit a national park and see King’s childhood home, trace his footsteps at a civil-rights site or stand where he gave his most famous speech.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Georgia; Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama; and the National Mall and Memorial Parks are just a few of the NPS sites where visitors can pay tribute to the King Jr.’s life and legacy.
“On this holiday, we pause to reflect on a man who was an instrument for change, a leader in our country’s fight for equality and justice for all,” said acting National Park Service Director Mike Reynolds. “Often referred to as a ‘day on, not a day off,’ many national parks will offer special programs or host volunteer opportunities that recall his spirit,” said Reynolds.
A few more suggestions for MLK Day visits: Hear about African American struggles and triumphs connected to Bay Area national parks at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park; help prepare wild indigo seeds for planting at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore or assist in pasture restoration at Arizona’s Montezuma Castle National Monument; Repair coastal dunes at Point Reyes National Seashore in California or remove invasive plants at North Carolina’s Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Find more info and events at www.nps.gov.
Item courtesy of an NPS press release.
