This blog will briefly describe the parks that I have visited that are managed by the National Park Service. It will eventually include all the National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites plus a few others. I started the visits about a year ago so I have a few post to catch up on.
We visited Ninety Six NHS located Ninety Six, SC in October 2025 during the government shutdown. The park tells of the siege of Ninety Six in 1781 by General Nathaniel Greene and his colonial troops surrounding the British troops. The British troops were victorious but were weakened and eventually retreated to the coast.
We visited the Chickamauga NMP located in Fort Oglethorpe, GA and Chattanooga NMP located in Lookout Moutain TN in October of 2025 during the government shut down. Visitor Centers were closed in both parks. Chickamauga Battlefield you could drive on the roads and see all the memorials and signs. Lookout Mountain you could not get into the park so there was very little to see and do. If you don’t want to drive to the top there is a cable car you can take for fee to get to the top/
We visited Little River Canyon NP located in Fort Payne, AL in October 2025 during the government shutdown. The Visitor Center was closed but we were able to drive all of the roads and stop for views and hikes.
We visited Russell Cave NM located in Bridgeport, AL in October 2025 during the governmant shutdown. There was a gate blocking the road so we didn’t see any of the park. The park documents the use of the site going back 10-14,000 years with the many arifacts that have been found there.
We visited Shiloh NMP located in Shiloh, TN in October 2025 during the government shutdown. The Visitor Center was closed but you could drive all the roads and see all the signs and monuments.
We visited Brices Cross Roads and Tupelo National Battlefield Sites located in Mississpppi in October 2025 during the government shutdown. Neither of these sites have any sort of amenities, just a couple of signs and a cannon.
We visited Natchez Trace Parkway located in MS, AL and TN in October 2025 during the government shutdown. The Parkway extends over 400 miles from Natchez, MS to just south of Nashville, TN. We covered about 180 miles from Jackson, MS to Tupelo, MS. There are many features along the Parkway that were not affected by the shutdown, small areas with a few signs and maybe a short trail.
We visited Vicksburg NMP located in Vicksburg, MS in October 2025 during the government shutdown. However, the park was open with rangers as the Friends of the Park were paying them. I have no idea how that worked. There is a very large Visitor Center with all the usual amenities. There is a road to drive through the battlefield with many signs and monuments. To me the highlight of the park was the ironclad USS Monitor that is preserved in it own building.
We visited Poverty Point National Monument located in Louisiana in October of 2025. The park is manged by the state of Louisiana and is also a World Heritage Site. Because there is no federal presence it was not affected by the government shutdown. The site preserves a community that very little is known about but was at one time a major trading hub. The mounds were not used for burials and there is use is not known. There is a good Visitor Center and trails that take you around the fields where the mounds are located.
We visited Cane River Creole NHP located in Louisiana south of Natchitoches, LA in October 2025 during the government shutdown. The park consists of several sites that were closed but close enough to the road that you could see them. The park traces the history and culture of the Creoles from Colonial times to present day.
