Big Cypress National Preserve
Big Cypress is not exactly a national park, but a national preserve. A national preserve allows certain traditional uses to continue while still protecting the land. When Congress established Big Cypress in 1974, it became one of the very first two national preserves in the country,

Big Cypress protects nearly 729,000 acres of land, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island. There are countless ways to explore its varied landscape, including boardwalks and trails. Birds are everywhere along with alligators and a mosaic of swamps, cypress and mangroves.

Big Cypress also regulates the freshwater flow that feeds the fisheries, agricultural land and drinking water for many Floridians. It is a quiet preserve that sustains the life and communities that are rooted in its waters.
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Wright Brothers National Memorial
When visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Erin and I spent a day at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, the very place where powered flight first lifted off the plane and changed human history. Set in Kill Devil Hills, the memorial preserves the windswept dunes where Wilbur and Oliver Wright achieved the world’s first successful, […]
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is another special national park, one that holds some of my fondest memories. It was here that Marty and I traveled for our first honeymoon, after our student wedding while still at Life University. I have visited again since then, but it is that first trip, exploring this beautiful area […]
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Fort Pulaski National Monument is just outside of Savannah, GA and was once considered nearly impenetrable, a masterpiece of early American coastal defense. Construction of Fort Pulaski began in 1829 as part of the United States Third System of fortifications, designed to protect the nation’s coastline following the War of 1812. It was named after Casimir Pulaski, a Polish […]