Visit National Heritage areas on next family trip

Visit a National Heritage Area or specially designated places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form nationally important landscapes. There are currently 55 areas within the U.S. where communities have collaborated to share their resources.

Here are five to consider:

1. Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area

Visit north-central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire to explore a region steeped in history, natural beauty and the legacy of revolutionary ideas.

Designated by Congress in 2009, Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area encompasses 45 communities that played an important role in the shaping of America’s identity, including the origins of the Revolutionary War.

It is home to the Minute Man National Historical Park and Walden Pond, the Acton Arboretum, the Assabet River Rail Trail, numerous farms, orchards, libraries and music venues of interest to families. It is reported that the concepts of individual freedom and responsibility, community cooperation, direct democracy, idealism, and social betterment were — and continue to be — nurtured in this historic region.

For more: https://freedomsway.org

2. Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area

In 1984, this region became the first National Heritage Area when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a “new kind of national park” with a focus on preservation, conservation, recreation and economic development.

Today, the area serves as an outdoor museum where visitors can explore the diverse stories of this living landscape, walking in the footsteps of Native Americans, French explorers and voyagers, canal workers and immigrants. Modern visitors can take a mule-pulled canal boat ride, hike or bike along the canal, investigate historic towns along the way, explore state parks, and fish on Maple Lake or kayak on the Illinois River.

For more: https://iandmcanal.org

3. Silos & Smokestacks, Iowa

Promising Midwestern hospitality, this region encourages travelers to explore the state via suggested travel loops that include picnic spots, quaint restaurants, museums, galleries and landscapes. Learn about Iowa’s agricultural history and its influence on our food system. Wander the backroads amid corn and soybean fields to discover unique and unexpected places of historical, cultural and natural significance.

Visit Dubuque, Iowa’s oldest city, to find out how lead mining, a gentleman’s farm, and the mighty Mississippi River are all connected.

Contact: https://www.silosandsmokestacks.org/explore/ag-adventure/

4. Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Tennessee

This region endeavors to provide a comprehensive view and share the powerful stories that emerged from the Civil War era, including the freedom of emancipation and the enduring legacies of reconstruction.

Consider following the Tennessee Civil War Trail where visitors can walk in the footsteps of the generals, soldiers, citizens, and the enslaved during a challenging time in our nation’s history. The program includes more than 400 markers across the state, offering information and programs that illuminate the great campaigns as well as lesser-known points of historical interest.

For more: www.civilwartrails.org/about.html; http://www.tncivilwar.org

5. Great Basin National Heritage Area, Nevada and Utah

Visit this western region for a mix of history, wide open spaces, uncrowded trails and unobstructed views of the Milky Way when you camp under the stars.

Learn about the Bristlecone pine, our planet’s oldest tree, which can live to be 5,000 years old. You’ll find them in Great Basin National Park. Sign up to be an engineer at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum where their historic steam trains run throughout the year. Or stop by the Old Capitol Arts and Living History Festival in Fillmore, Utah, to learn about broom-making and blacksmithing, shop for handmade crafts, and enjoy live music.

For more: www.greatbasinheritage.org