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Living History

2026 Living History Schedule May 23 - 24 4th U.S. Artillery Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial Saturday: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Sunday: 10 am & 12 pm May 30 – May 31 119th New York Infantry / 8th New Jersey Infantry Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial Saturday: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Sunday: 10 am & 12 pm 12th Georgia, Co. G Encampme…

108 parks and sites (NPS)

About Living History

  • Living history volunteers fire a civil war cannon in front of a white, domed monument.

    Gettysburg Living History Schedule · Gettysburg National Military Park

    2026 Living History Schedule May 23 - 24 4th U.S. Artillery Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial Saturday: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Sunday: 10 am & 12 pm May 30 – May 31 119th New York Infantry / 8th New Jersey Infantry Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial Saturday: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Sunday: 10 am & 12 pm 12th Georgia, Co. G Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 6, Pitzer Woods Saturday: 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm Sunday: 11 am & 1 pm June 13 - 14 1st Nort…

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  • Fort Clatsop with Flag

    Experience History Come Alive at Fort Clatsop · Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

    Fort Clatsop was the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery from December 1805 to March 1806. The visitor center includes a replica of Fort Clatsop similar to the one built by the explorers, an interpretive center offering an exhibit hall, gift shop and two films. The park features ranger-led programs & costumed rangers in the fort during certain seasons . Fort clastop is also the starting point for a number of hiking trails including the Fort-to-Sea, Kwis Kwis, Netul trail, & South Clatsop Slough trail. Best…

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  • A woman in a green 1800s dress stands in front of the stage and paintings in the Great Hall

    Join a Historic Town Meeting at Faneuil Hall · Boston African American National Historic Site

    Make your voice heard by joining the National Parks of Boston for compelling reenactments of three historic town meetings! Inspired by real words spoken in historic town meetings in Faneuil Hall and around Boston, these programs encourage audience members to participate in debates from pivotal moments of Boston's history. Debate with your fellow audience members and vote on the issue. Have your voice heard in town meeting! 2026 Season (June 25- September 7) Join a ranger for a historic town meeting Thursday through…

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  • A black and white photograph showing the silhouette of lone bugler at Camp Colt

    World War I Weekend at Eisenhower National Historic Site · Eisenhower National Historic Site

    2026 World War I Weekend at Eisenhower NHS May 2-3, 2026 How did Gettysburg and the Great War shape Dwight Eisenhower and the United States? Explore this story and more at Eisenhower National Historic Site’s World War I Weekend on May 2 and 3, 2026. The National Park Service will offer special programming related to Dwight Eisenhower, Gettysburg's own Camp Colt, and the American experience in World War I. This event will include a small living history contingent, as well as participation from the U.S. Navy History…

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  • A boy stands opposite from a Continental Soldier, holding a wooden musket

    Hands - On History · Fort Stanwix National Monument

    Have you ever wanted to join the Continental Army? Fire a cannon? Learn how to card wool? Become a TIME TRAVELER? Througout the summer months at Fort Stanwix National Monument, their are many opportunities to do just that. Living history programs and demonstrations run every day and vary from week to week. One day, you might be able to help a campfollower with the laundry; the next a family with their chores; and the day after that be the commander of a cannon crew! Fort Stanwix is a very "hands on" park and can be…

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Featured parks for living history

Programs & experiences

Gettysburg Living History Schedule

Gettysburg National Military Park

2026 Living History Schedule May 23 - 24 4th U.S. Artillery Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial Saturday: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm Sunday: 10 am & 12 pm May 30 – May 31 119th New York Infantry / 8th New Jersey Infantry Encampment and programs at Auto Tour Stop 12, the Pennsylvania Memorial…

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Hands - On History

Fort Stanwix National Monument

Have you ever wanted to join the Continental Army? Fire a cannon? Learn how to card wool? Become a TIME TRAVELER? Througout the summer months at Fort Stanwix National Monument, their are many opportunities to do just that. Living history programs and demonstrations run every day and vary from week to week. One day, you…

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Bunker Hill: Muskets, Men, and Liberty

Boston National Historical Park

Who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill? Listen to a ranger dressed in period clothing discuss why three men from different backgrounds stepped onto the battlefield. They each had different ambitions, motivations, and concerns. The program concludes with a musket firing demonstration! 2026 Season (May 23 - September 27…

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Visit Hartwell Tavern

Minute Man National Historical Park

Hartwell Tavern is a restored 18th century home located along the Battle Road in Minute Man National Historical Park. The tavern sits on a beautifully restored section of the battlefield and is the heart of our Living History operations at Minute Man. The grounds around Hartwell remain open sunrise to sunset. Living Hi…

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All parks (108)

Adams National Historical Park
National Historical Park

Adams National Historical Park

MA

From the sweet little farm at the foot of Penn’s Hill to the gentleman’s country estate at Peace field, Adams National Historical Park is the story of “heroes, statesmen, philosophers…and learned women” whose ideas and actions helped to transform thirteen disparate colonies into one united nation.

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
National Historic Site

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

PA

The first railroad to cross the Allegheny Mountains, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was the final piece of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. "The Portage" opened in 1834, marking the first time that there was one, direct route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. All things to all people, it served merchants, passengers, slaves in pursuit of freedom, and soldiers from the Mexican War.

American Memorial Park
Park

American Memorial Park

MP

American Memorial Park honors the American and Marianas people who gave their lives during the Marianas Campaign of World War II. At the park, memorials stand in tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the US Servicemen and Chamorro and Carolinian civilians who were killed in the battles between the United States and Japan that took place on Saipan, Tinian, and the Philippine Sea in 1944.

Andersonville National Historic Site
National Historic Site

Andersonville National Historic Site

GA

Nearly 13,000 men died on these grounds, a site that became infamous even before the Civil War ended. Their burial grounds became Andersonville National Cemetery, where veterans continue to be buried today. This place, where tens of thousands suffered captivity so others could be free, is also home to the National Prisoner of War Museum and serves as a memorial to all American prisoners of war.

Antietam National Battlefield
National Battlefield

Antietam National Battlefield

MD

23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
National Historical Park

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

VA

On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the effective end of the nation's largest war. Questions remained: could the nation reunite as one? How would emancipation be realized?

Arkansas Post National Memorial
National Memorial

Arkansas Post National Memorial

AR

Located at the confluence of two rivers, Arkansas Post has served as a gathering place for many cultures throughout human history - it represents cultural cooperation, conflict, synthesis, and diversity.

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
National Historic Site

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

CO

In the 1840s the Arkansas River was the border between territory claimed by the United States and Mexico. Located along the river, Bent's Fort was an adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Today, a reconstructed fort allows visitors to explore the front line of Westward Expansion.

Booker T Washington National Monument
National Monument

Booker T Washington National Monument

VA

Booker T. Washington was born a slave in April 1856 on the 207-acre farm of James Burroughs. After the Civil War, Washington became the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Later as an adviser, author and orator, his past would influence his philosophies as the most influential African American of his era. Come explore his birthplace.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

MA

. . . where you can walk a Civil War-era fort, view historic lighthouses, explore tide pools, hike lush trails, camp under the stars, or relax while fishing, picnicking, or swimming—all within reach of downtown Boston. Youth programs, visitor services, research, wildlife management, and more are coordinated on the park's 34 islands and peninsulas by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership.

Cabrillo National Monument
National Monument

Cabrillo National Monument

CA

In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his boat and onto shore, becoming the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Cabrillo National Monument not only tells the story of this 16th-century exploration but also houses a wealth of cultural and natural resources. Join us and embark on your own Voyage of Exploration.

Capitol Reef National Park
National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

UT

Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles.

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