LA Times – Hidden gems: America’s 20 least-visited National Monuments

The Los Angeles Times has a great list of the 20 least visited National Monuments.

Here is the list:
20. Chiricahua, Arizona (Western) – Visitors in 2009: 60,851
19. Tonto, Arizona (Western) – Visitors in 2009: 60,534
18. Capulin Volcano, New Mexico (Southwest) – Visitors in 2009: 50,935
17. Pipe Spring, Arizona (Western) – Visitors in 2009: 49,433
16. El Morro, New Mexico (Southwest) – Visitors in 2009: 48,245
15. Buck Island Reef, U.S. Virgin Islands (Southeast… Continue reading

Tuskegee Airmen

Our second stop on our 2-part tour (Tuskegee Institute being the first stop) was the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.  The site is temporarily being housed in a mobile building, while it is undergoing a renovation that should be completed by the end of 2011.  We also had the slight misfortune of visiting when only one ranger was there, so we were not able to tour the hanger.  We explored the grounds, watched the video (which hopefully will be updated as part of the renovation) and browsed the literature.… Continue reading

Tuskegee Institute

We pulled out our passport book and Southeast Region Companion Guide Saturday night to decide which park(s) we would venture off to next.  We decided to take a day trip to Alabama and visit Tuskegee Institute and Tuskegee Airmen.  We arrived early and began our adventure at the Tuskegee Institute.  My wife and I were both surprised at how spread out the University was.  The actual museum is a little tough to find; we had to stop and ask for directions once we were on the campus.  While the … Continue reading

Trail of Tears

Largely due to our lack of knowledge and research, our visit to the the Trail of Tears was not what Damon or I expected.  We assumed that similar to most of the historical sites that we had visited in the surrounding area, that the Trail of Tears would have something to do with the Civil War.  We were wrong.

The Trail of Tears commemorates the path taken by thousands of Native Americans (mainly Cherokees) as they were mistreated and forced under poor living conditions to leave their lands in the … Continue reading

Little River Canyon

With the weekend quickly approaching and our new desire to visit parks and acquire passport stamps, Damon and I opened up our Explorer Edition Passport book and started making plans for a day trip.  Given multiple choices within driving distance, we reviewed our options and decided upon Little River Canyon.

Damon and I were not anticipating the beauty that we saw in Fort Payne that day.  We were driving along on a main road (a somewhat relative term given this is not a big city), and did not expect to … Continue reading

Chattahoochee

For me, the Chattahoochee is a part of every day life in Atlanta.  I pass over the river every day on the way to work and watched as it overflowed damaging bridges and flooding parts of Atlanta six months ago.   I have hiked, leisurely walked along trails, and picnicked on the grounds of the Chattahoochee many times with friends or family over the years.  One of my all time favorite Chattahoochee experiences is spending a relaxing afternoon tubing down the river with friends.  I have always tubed with Cool River … Continue reading

Chickamauga and Chattanooga

This park marks the site of two Civil War battles, one won by the North and the other by the South.  This park was the first National Military Park created to preserve and has been in the hands of the National Park system since 1890.

As a non-history buff from the North who has been living in the South near multiple Civil War sites for nearly ten years now, I have nearly had my fill of Civil War history.  I have also come to accept that I will be called … Continue reading

Obed

We did not have much time to spend in Obed. The Visitor’s Center was nearly closing and dusk was not far behind.  We perused the information in the Visitor’s Center, picked up some gifts for some animal lovers in my family, and bought ourselves the Explorer Edition passport book.  The Explorer Edition book runs about $50 and it larger, but in our opinion is worth the money.  It is much nicer and far more durable than the small spiral bound Passport Book.

We will need to return to Obed one … Continue reading