Arkansas
- Not yet: Arkansas Post National Memorial
- Not yet: Buffalo National River
- Visited: Fort Smith
- Visited: Hot Springs National Park
- Not yet: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
- Visited: Pea Ridge National Military Park
- Not yet: President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace
Louisiana
- Visited: Cane River Creole National Historical Park
- Not yet: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park
- Not yet: New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
- Not yet: Poverty Point National Monument
New Mexico
- Visited: Aztec Ruins National Monument
- Visited: Bandelier National Monument
- Visited: Capulin Volcano National Monument
- Visited: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Visited: Chaco Culture National Historical Park
- Visited: El Malpais National Monument
- Visited: El Morro National Monument
- Visited: Fort Union National Monument
- Visited: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- Not yet: Manhattan Project National Historical Park
- Visited: Pecos National Historical Park
- Visited: Petroglyph National Monument
- Not yet: Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
- Not yet: Valles Caldera National Preserve
- Visited: White Sands National Park
Oklahoma
- Visited: Chickasaw National Recreation Area
- Not yet: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
Texas
- Not yet: Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
- Not yet: Amistad National Recreation Area
- Not yet: Big Bend National Park
- Not yet: Big Thicket National Preserve
- Visited: Chamizal National Memorial
- Visited: Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Visited: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Not yet: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
- Visited: Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
- Visited: Padre Island National Seashore
- Visited: Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
- Not yet: Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
- Visited: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- Not yet: Waco Mammoth National Monument
- Visited: Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site
Recent Posts
Fort Union National Monument
Standing among these towering chimneys, it takes a bit of imagination to picture what once stood here. Today, only the chimneys and fragments of stone walls remain, but this was once Officers’ Row at Fort Union, where some of the finest military quarters west of the Mississippi River stood. Completed in 1867, these elegant homes […]
El Malpais National Monument
One of the striking landscapes we encountered at El Malpais National Monument in western New Mexico was the view of the volcanic cinder cones rising above a sea of lava flows, grasslands, and forests. Created by eruptions thousands of years ago, these cones are part of a vast volcanic field that has shaped the region’s […]
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Being from the Northeast, our roots are closely connected to England. Many of our towns bear the names of places in England, reflecting the heritage of the Pilgrims and Puritans who settled Massachusetts and established communities that would become the foundation of the region. Traveling through the Southwest, however, it becomes immediately clear that the […]
Hot Springs National Park
Visiting Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs was one of the more unique experiences in my exploration of the National Parks. Unlike parks centered around natural landscaped or historical homes, Hot Springs blends natural springs, history, architecture and American culture together. What made this visit memorable was having the opportunity to experience one of the […]
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
The massive stone walls of Chaco Culture National Historical Park rise from the desert floor with a presence that feels ancient. Located deep within the remote high desert of northwestern New Mexico, Chaco is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in North America. Even reaching the canyon is a journey, requiring miles of isolated roads through desert landscapes […]
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
The cool spring-fed waters of Chickasaw National Recreation Area create an oasis in the rolling landscape of southern Oklahoma. This park is known for its natural springs and clear streams. For generations, people have come here to cool off in the water and relax beneath the trees. This swimming area is one of the reasons why Chickasaw is so […]
El Morro National Monument
Rising dramatically from the desert landscape of western New Mexico, El Morro National Monument has served as a landmark, water source, and rating place for travelers for centuries. The massive sandstone bluff stands above a small natural pool that made this isolated place critically important in an otherwise dry landscape. Known as “Inscription Rock, El Morro […]
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Nestled beneath the branches of ancient live oak trees in Natchitoches, the Oakland Plantation at Cane River Creole National Historical Park preserves one of the most complete pictures of plantation life in the American South. The plantation was established in the late 18th century, and the main house was completed around 1821. Over time, Oakland became a large working […]
Aztec National Monument
The massive stone walls of Aztec Ruins National Monument preserve the remains of an ancestral Puebloan community in northwestern New Mexico. Rising from the desert landscape near the Aztec area, the ruins create a sense of age and accomplishment. The carefully constructed stone masonry and multi-room structures reveal the sophistication of the people who built and lived […]
Bandelier National Monument
Here at Bandelier National Monument, we walked through canyons, climbed ladders into ancient cliff dwellings and stood inside spaces once occupied by the ancestral Pueblo people. Here history felt immediate and alive. The soft volcanic rock of Bandelier allowed homes, called cavate, to be carved directly into the canyon walls. Climbing those wooden ladders as a family became part […]
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
The drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park seemed long, but somehow that drive became part of the experience itself. We have visited twice, and both times there was something unforgettable about traveling through the wide-open spaces of southeastern New Mexico before finally arriving at the caverns hidden beneath the desert landscape. The miles of dry terrain, distant mountains, and endless sky created a […]
Petroglyph National Monument
Walking among the dark volcanic rocks outside of Albuquerque, is where Petroglyph National Monument is found. Centuries ago, there were people who stood in this landscape carving symbols and images into the stone. The monument preserves one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in North America, with designs created by Native peoples and later Spanish settlers […]
