On our recent vacation, we visited several National Park Service sites. I bought a “Passport to Your National Parks” book and began collecting cancellations. In just a few days, I had filled several pages. Here are some of the highlights.
Liberty Bell
Statue of Liberty
- Statue of Liberty, New York, NY: This was probably the most fun, because it was a surprise stop for our kids. They’ve always wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty, but we didn’t think we’d be able to fit it into our trip.
- Ellis Island, NJ/NY: The Junior Ranger program here was excellent, even though our kids may not have understood the full importance of Ellis Island. My husband, whose ancestors came through Ellis Island, was very interested in this one.
- Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA: Another of my husband’s interests. We did the audio driving tour before stopping at the new Visitor Center and Cyclorama.
Gettysburg Battlefield from Little Round Top
- Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge, PA: What a beautiful area, and so much bigger than I’d expected. Seeing these places of history is very interesting.
Huts at Valley Forge
- Schuylkill River NHA, Valley Forge, PA: The Valley Forge visitor center hosts this cancellation, but I did drive part of the beautiful river area so it’s a legitimate stamp.
Covered Bridge at Valley Forge
- Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia, PA: With Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and many more, this is one of historical importance. And somehow I stamped it upside-down in my book.
Independence Hall
- Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, Philadelphia, PA: Is it terrible that I stamped my book even though the site is closed for renovations?
- Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, Philadelphia, PA: Ben Franklin really was an important man in Philadelphia.
- Independence NHP Underground RR Freedom Network: Not only was Philadelphia important in the Revolutionary War; it also hosts underground railroad history.
- Pipestone National Monument, Pipestone, MN: I actually have to go back to get this stamp, because when we visited there last summer I didn’t buy the passport book, thinking I would never get to more sites to have it stamped!
Do you have a National Park Service Passport? What are your favorite stamps?
Photo credits: minnemom
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12 Responses
You are absolutely justified on the Poe stamp! Is it your fault they were closed for renovations?
jamies last blog post..Sidetracked! The Camden Adventure Aquarium
This is a great list! I’ve only been to the first two places and I really enjoyed both visits – not to mention being very moved at Ellis Island.
Wandermom
wandermoms last blog post..public transport options from heathrow to central london
I am so getting a stamp passport, and then I will probably get all obsessive about collecting them.
I agree with Jamie, you deserve the Poe stamp.
Carolinas last blog post..The Cool Kids’ Guide to Inauguration Day Activities
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I am up to 311 stamps. My 2 favorite and exotic stamps are from Park of American Samoa and Yukon -Charley Rivers in Alaska. We actually spent 10 days on that river and what an adventure! Not a single other boat seen on that trip. Looking forward to getting to Aniakchak River in Alaska this year! I started collecting my stamps in 1987.
[...] My Top 10 National Park Service Passport Stamps [...]
i started in august ’07 and now up to 72, not including a few that said the same thing just at different visitor centers. in two days i’m going to NYC hoping to get those 9 manhattan stamps (statue of liberty looks neat). also planning to go to SD this summer to see badlands, minutement missile silos, devils tower, the caves, and rushmore. so far, my favorites would be probably be Crater Lake, Great Smoky Mountains, and the Redwoods. for the love of stamping, Washington Monument in DC is the best – they have a wooden tray with 16 stamps… tempting if you play by the ‘you have to go there and take the tour for it to count’ rule
My mother started my eldest son with a passport while on vacation in the Outer Banks. Now his brother has joined him in collecting stamps. Their goal to exceed the number that Grandma has collected. We are currently on a trip to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona collecting stamps but are buying her postcards from each of our destinations to send her a stamp. This is a great family project.
My wife and I just recently got hooked, we think it is a fantastic program . We really enjoy exploring all of these national treasures that we did not know existed. We were inspired to start a blog about our adventures at http://www.npatamps.com.
We are planning a Grand Canyon trip and have my passport out to see how many more I can stamp. It is so much fun…a national park road trip took us to Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Ft. Vancouver, Crater Lake, Redwoods and home to John Muir. Went to Alaska and stamped Glacier Bay, Mt. Rainier, Olympic… This is just so inviting to explore our country in all its beauty!
I am up to 311 stamps. My 2 favorite and exotic stamps are from Park of American Samoa and Yukon -Charley Rivers in Alaska. We actually spent 10 days on that river and what an adventure! Not a single other boat seen on that trip. Looking forward to getting to Aniakchak River in Alaska this year! I started collecting my stamps in 1987.
[...] My Top 10 National Park Service Passport Stamps [...]