National Treasures that don't Include Nick Cage

Get out and get some fresh air! It's National Park Week and admission is free to all 392 national parks across the land. This even includes the big ones: Grand Canyon in Arizona, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Niagara Falls in New York, Muir Woods in California, Denali in Alaska. Anyone looking to check off one of those "always wanted to see that" places on your bucket list, this is your week. For those of you in the Philly area, we highly recommend the Edgar Allen Poe house on 7th and Spring Garden. Besides the rare letters and manuscripts they have on display, there is also the Raven statue and you can listen to some of Poe's work read by Christopher Walken. Valley Forge and Independence Hall are all part of the National Park system as well and are, of course, free this week too. You can also get your history on by visiting Gettysburg, a family favorite growing up in the Squeamish household, where you will not only learn about the turning point in the Civil War, but you can get some exercise by climbing both Little and Big Roundtops and seeing if you can sprint Pickett's Charge, then relax in the cool of Devil's Den. For more recent history, visit the Flight 93 sight where the courageous passengers of that flight brought down what would have been a third attack on 9/11. If you're just looking for some good old fashioned nature, check out the Delaware Water Gap for both hiking and water activities, if you are hardcore enough to handle kayaking (and the potential for falling out of said kayak) this early in the year. As always, the Appalachian Trail offers a challenge to hikers from around the world; bite off as much as you can chew, whether you are just doing a day hike or trying to backpack the whole damn thing. Have fun, be safe and enjoy some thrifty activities for the whole family.