In celebration of America's veterans, the National Park Service will be offering free admission to all parks on Veterans Day, as well as special events honoring veterans at many locations.
Locations holding free special events include:
- The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Massachusetts, is offering a special cruise for veterans to Georges Island and a guided tour of Fort Warren.
- Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, is offering fly casting demonstrations with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, an organization that helps rehabilitate disabled veterans.
- Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee, is providing free guided bus tours of the park for veterans.
- The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Alabama, is holding a concert by the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors while it celebrates the reopening of many exhibits.
As always, the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C., will hold ceremonies at the various war memorials in our nation's capital.
If you can't attend one of the special events, don't worry. More than 100 national parks have direct connections to the military and veterans, including battlefields, training grounds and monuments. There may also be special Veterans Day events in your state or city.
See: Your State May Provide Special Veterans Programs and Benefits
"On Veterans Day, and throughout the year, we remember our country's veterans and the sacrifices they endured to defend our freedoms," National Park Service Deputy Director Shawn Benge said in a press release. "Generations of veterans have enjoyed visiting national parks for physical and mental relaxation. The National Park Service encourages members of the military, past and present, to continue this tradition, and the online map is a great tool to help them locate a nearby national park to visit."
While all visitors to park service locations will receive free admission this Veterans Day, veterans, military members and Gold Star families can receive free admission to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests and other federal recreational areas year-round with the free annual interagency military pass.
For information on how to receive the interagency military pass and more details on special programs for military members, veterans and their families, the park service reminds you to visit its special website for military members and veterans. The site also includes an interactive map that shows parks near military bases and Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
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