Washington

Free Admission to All National Parks from January 14-16

WASHINGTON: Start your new year with a free visit to a national park! All 397 national parks across the country will offer free admission from January 14 through 16 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The National Park Service operates 11 National Park sites in Florida, and this is a great way to plan a field trip on the cheap. Many of Florida’s National Parks focus on the early history of our country and the military presence of Spain in Florida in the 1500 & 1600′s. Other Florida National Parks focus on preserving our the ecological heritage of key natural wonders such as the Everglades National Park, and Biscayne National Park. There are many ways to incorporate this into a science or history lesson that is also uniquely Florida. Here’s a list of National Parks in Florida, with links to their web pages on the National Park Service website:

Big Cypress National Preserve The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida’s southwest coast. Protecting over 720,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to a diversity of wildlife, including the elusive Florida panther. Biscayne Miami, Key Biscayne & Homestead, FL

Within sight of downtown Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Here too is evidence of 10,000 years of human history, from pirates and shipwrecks to pineapple farmers and presidents. Outdoors enthusiasts can boat, snorkel, camp, watch wildlife… or simply relax in a rocking chair gazing out over the bay.

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