MNN - Mother Nature Network

Tomorrow is Presidents' Day, a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present. For many, it's also a glorious day off from work and school, capping off a three-day winter break weekend. So it's the perfect time to take advantage of the time and your local resources to learn a little — or a lot — about your favorite U.S. president.  

 

There are roughly 70 park sites within the national park system devoted to honoring specific U.S. presidents, plus a number of historic landmarks and monuments that celebrate the presidential office. And while many are clustered in the Washington D.C.-Northern Virginia area — think The White House, Washington Monument and Thomas Jefferson Memorial — there are plenty of others that are spread throughout the U.S., such as Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Mass., James K. Polk Home in Columbia, Tenn., Harry Truman's Little White House in Key West, Fla., Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City, Texas, Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, Ill., and The Richard M. Nixon Birthplace Yorba Linda, Calif.

 

Many of the park sites honoring U.S. presidents preserve famous homes. You have probably heard of George Washington Birthplace National Monument or Thomas Jefferson's Mount Vernon, both in Virginia. But there are also lesser known spots such as William Henry's Grouseland in Vincennes, Ind., or Zachary Taylor Home in Louisville, Ky. Abraham Lincoln has the most NPS home sites with Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Ky., Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Gentryville, Ind., Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Ill., and President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home, in Washington, D.C.

 

Other great presidential park sites to visit include:

 

• Monticello Charlottesville, Va. (Thomas Jefferson)
• Montpelier Montpelier Station, Va. (James Madison) 
• The Hermitage Nashville, Tenn. (Andrew Jackson)
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site Brookline, Mass.
• Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Plains, Ga.
• Independence National Historical Park Philadelphia, Penn.
• Federal Hall National Memorial New York, N.Y. 
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial Keystone, S.D. 
• U.S. Car No. 1 Miami, Fla. 
• First Ladies National Historic Site Canton, Ohio
• Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Hyde Park, N.Y.

 

Want more? Check out the complete list of NPS sites honoring American presidents.

 

Who is your favorite American president?