8 National Heritage Areas You Should Visit
8 National Heritage Areas You Should Visit Outdoors
There are now 55 NHAs — each representing a specific theme or story from American history. While national parks are generally large areas of public lands managed by the National Park Service, NHAs are a mix of public and private lands, run by partnerships that usually include residents, nonprofit organizations, private enterprise and government agencies. These groups join together to help define, celebrate, conserve and share the NHA’s natural, historic, cultural, scenic and recreational resources. As with , only Congress can establish NHAs, and NHAs are officially “related areas” of the National Park Service. The agency provides funding and technical assistance to NHAs. Many heritage areas are quite large, and some even include national parks within their boundaries. Here are eight wonderful NHAs to visit: of Minute Man National Historical Park
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8 U S National Heritage Areas Worth Visiting
Check out these fascinating cultural and natural preserves across America
Ron Niebrugge / Alamy Stock Photo Seward Highway in Alaska When President Ronald Reagan dedicated the first national heritage area (NHA) in 1984, he announced that this, and others to come, would be “a new kind of national park.” The purpose: to preserve areas of the U.S. that reflect the sense of place of their distinctive regions, including their natural and cultural history, and offer outstanding visitor attractions and recreation and educational opportunities.There are now 55 NHAs — each representing a specific theme or story from American history. While national parks are generally large areas of public lands managed by the National Park Service, NHAs are a mix of public and private lands, run by partnerships that usually include residents, nonprofit organizations, private enterprise and government agencies. These groups join together to help define, celebrate, conserve and share the NHA’s natural, historic, cultural, scenic and recreational resources. As with , only Congress can establish NHAs, and NHAs are officially “related areas” of the National Park Service. The agency provides funding and technical assistance to NHAs. Many heritage areas are quite large, and some even include national parks within their boundaries. Here are eight wonderful NHAs to visit: of Minute Man National Historical Park
Freedom s Way National Heritage Area Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Established: 2009 The American Revolution began in 1775 in this region at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflict between an American militia and British troops (famous for “the shot heard round the world”). The landscape within , which includes 45 communities through the two New England states — nearly 1,000 square miles — is now a peaceful and rich blend of forests, farms, hills and valleys. Consider a visit to Minute Man National Historical Park (a unit of the National Park System), Walden Pond State Reservation (once home to Henry David Thoreau and a birthplace of the American conservation movement), museums, galleries and plentiful opportunities for outdoor recreation. of Cass Scenic RailroadAppalachian Forest National Heritage Area Maryland and West Virginia
Established: 2019 This lovely forested region of the ancient Appalachian Mountains is home to a vital culture and economy, opportunities for recreation and stunning natural beauty. The heritage area encompasses 16 counties in West Virginia and two in western Maryland. Some top destinations within its bounds include the (the area’s visitor center), the large, diverse Monongahela National Forest, several national scenic byways and Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, where visitors can ride on an authentic steam-driven logging train. of Cumberland IslandGullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor North Carolina South Carolina Georgia and Florida
Established: 2006 celebrates the distinctive culture — language, food, arts and crafts, architecture, music and spirituality — of the thousands of African people who were enslaved in the isolated low country and islands of the American Southeast. The heritage area includes a vast swath of land in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Top destinations here include (a large unit of the National Park System featuring 17 miles of wild Atlantic coast beaches), McLeod Plantation Historic Site (a historic and lovely plantation and a powerful tribute to the African American men and women who endured slavery and ultimately persevered in their quest for freedom, equality and justice), Pinpoint Heritage Museum (where visitors can experience Gullah Geechee culture) and Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, one of the last unspoiled wetlands on the Atlantic coast. of Kenai Fjords National ParkKenai Mountains–Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area Alaska
Established: 2009 This beautiful and dramatic showcases the area’s rich history, including land and water routes traveled by indigenous people, corridors used by prospectors and miners looking for gold and other minerals, and dramatic and scenic roads and railroads that now serve the area. It also offers an extensive system of trails for appreciating the area on foot, bicycle and horse. It encompasses Kenai Fjords National Park on the mighty Gulf of Alaska, Iditarod National Historic Trail (a system of trails featuring the iconic 1,000-mile route between Seward and Nome), Seward All American Scenic Highway, and the Alaska Railroad (the Coastal Classic route winds its way south from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm before joining the Kenai Peninsula). of 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible at the Henry Ford MuseumMotor Cities National Heritage Area Michigan
Established: 1998 The auto industry is a vital component of American history, culture and economy, and tells that story, including the emergence of the big three auto companies and the many ways in which the car has helped shape American society. Encompassing 10,000 square miles in southeast and central Michigan, its attractions include the Detroit Historical Museum, the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (exploring how groundbreaking inventions and ideas, such as the automobile, have changed our world), the Gilmore Car Museum (this 90-acre campus includes nearly 200 historic autos, a 1930s service station and a functioning 1941 diner) and a variety of car-related tours and programs run in partnership with local organizations. of Snoqualmie FallsMountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Washington
Established: 2019 Threatened by booming regional development, has helped preserve and restore the state’s lush forests, rugged mountains, wild rivers, alpine wilderness, flower-strewn meadows and habitat for endangered salmon and other wildlife. Its cultural heritage includes numerous Native American tribes, vibrant cities, small towns and working farms. It encompasses Interstate 90 National Scenic Byway (a dramatic highway that forms the backbone of the NHA, running from the Seattle area through the Cascade Mountains), Snoqualmie Falls (a thundering 268-foot waterfall that’s sacred to the Snoqualmie Tribe), the Pioneer Square–Skid Road and Pike Place Market historic districts (early centers of activity and public gathering places in Seattle), and the Roslyn Historic District (an outdoor recreation community that’s the gateway to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area). The NHA spans 1.5 million acres. of Bandelier National MonumentNorthern Rio Grande National Heritage Area New Mexico
Established: 2006 of 10,000 square miles in north-central New Mexico celebrates its Native American history, the grand landscape of the Rio Grande del Norte, tall mountains, broad mesas, high desert and its rich cultural heritage. Visit Taos Pueblo, an iconic Native American settlement established in the late 13th and early 14th centuries; Santa Fe’s Palace of the Governors (originally constructed in 1610, and now home to the New Mexico History Museum and a Native American art market); Bandelier National Monument, featuring petroglyphs and ancient Native American dwellings carved into soft rock; and several national and state scenic byways. of John Muir National Historic SiteSacramento–San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area California
Established: 2019 California’s extensive Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is widely recognized for its fertile lands, the water it provides to the farmlands of the state’s Central Valley and the homes of millions of Californians, the immigrant communities it attracted, its recreational opportunities, and the ecological productivity of this estuary, one of the largest in the nation. This large NHA of 1,200 square miles includes the , Big Break Regional Shoreline (a large regional park located on the delta) and Locke Historic District (built in 1915, this is the most complete example of a rural, agricultural Chinese community in the U.S.). Join today and save 25% off the standard annual rate. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. Robert Manning is professor emeritus at the University of Vermont and author of the new book America’s National Heritage Areas: A Guide to the Nation’s New Kind of National Park (Globe Pequot) and the award-winning Walks of a Lifetime in America’s National Parks.More on Travel br
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