Free Admission to all U.S. National Parks this Weekend

January 13, 2012

To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day,  all 397 national parks across the U.S. will offer free admission this weekend, Jan. 14 through 16.  

Some parks have direct ties to King, including the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Georgia, the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail  in Alabama, or the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Other parks will hold special events honoring Dr. King, including the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C;  Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey; Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee; and Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, also in Washington, D.C.

All national parks provide an opportunity to exercise, enjoy family time, learn some history, expand your horizons or enjoy the natural world-even in the middle of winter. A list of activities can be found at the National Park Service Web site.

Plan ahead: The National Park Service will also waive admission fees on 14 other days in 2012:  National Park Week (April 21 to 29), Get Outdoors Day (June 9), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 29) and the weekend of Veterans Day (Nov. 10 to 12).