Lookout Mountain, TN
Point Park, on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee is known for its stunning views of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River, almost 2,000 feet below. It also has an amazing entrance, entirely built of […]
Tag Archives: National Park Service
Hyde Park and Val-Kill
FDR was one of America’s greatest presidents, and also one of the most controversial. I’d known that for a long time. What I hadn’t known for quite so long was the extent to which that controversy extended into the bedroom. I was reminded about that quite forcefully when I visited the president’s family home at Hyde Park, New York.
Gettysburg National Military Cemetery
I’ve visited Gettysburg on five separate occasions over the years. But the most memorable of these was the time a ranger was giving us a tour of the National Military Cemetery and decided to go off script and do something a bit different. Suddenly we were off on a graveyard adventure!
Longfellow House
It’s hard to overstate how much difference a good interpretive guide can make to your experience of a historic monument. I’ve had visits to great monuments spoiled by poor interpreters and visits to less well-known sites really brought alive by inspired historical interpretation. Longfellow House is a happy example of the latter category.
The Second Bank of the United States
One of the most beautiful old buildings in Philadelphia’s historic district is a former bank with a lot of history behind it that’s now used as an art gallery. This is the Second Bank of the United States. It’s still called that, even though it hasn’t been used as a working bank for more than 180 years. It’s a hidden treasure. Really.
Martin Luther King Memorial
Whenever I see photos or newsreel footage of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, I’ve taken a moment to wonder about the identities of the park rangers standing next to King. That also got me thinking more about King himself.
Ford’s Theatre
I felt a familiar Lincoln buzz the first time I walked up Washington, DC’s 10th Street NW to visit Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site in Washington, DC. The street has changed significantly since the 1860s, though the theater and the Petersen House are still there. Both are now run by the National Park Service.
Kosciuszko House
If you find yourself visiting the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Philadelphia, you’re likely either a hard-core Revolutionary War buff, a National Park Service completist, a Polish tourist, or a Polish-American. And unless you’ve brought a friend you might be the only visitor there. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out, though.
Dougie Does Monuments 