Lowell National Historical Park – Lowell Massachusetts

The Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts is part of the United States National Park System and was the first park in the system established to preserve and commemorate an urban area of national significance. Situated along the Merrimack River Lowell was considered an ideal location for a planned industrial city. Lowell’s manufacturing facilities were built based on a planned community design. Specifically Lowell was planned as reaction to the mill communities in Great Britain, which were perceived as cramped and inhumane. Some called it the “Lowell Experiment,” which was an attempt at creating a manufacturing center with a combination of production efficiency with democratic morals and social structure. Lowell attracted both immigrants from abroad and migrants from within New England and Quebec (including a large proportion of young women, known as Lowell mill girls) who lived in the dormitories and worked in the mills. The textile industry in New England experienced a sharp decline after World War II and by the 1960s, many of the Lowell’s textile mill buildings were abandoned. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, several important forces came together from which emerged the Lowell National Historical Park. 

Mill buildings have been preserved

5.6 miles of canals

Visitor Center and Museum

Transportation History

Downtown Lowell has plenty of shops and restaurants

Johnstown Flood National Memorial – South Fork, Pennsylvania

Johnstown Flood National Memorial commemorates the more than 2,200 people who died in the Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889, caused by a break in the South Fork Dam, an earthen structure. The memorial is located at 733 Lake Road near South Fork, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles northeast of Johnstown. The memorial preserves the remains of the dam and portions of the former Lake Conemaugh bed, along with the farm of Elias Unger and the clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club which owned the dam and reservoir.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Boulder City, Nevada

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area located in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Lake Mead NRA follows the Colorado River corridor from the westernmost boundary of Grand Canyon National Park to just north of the cities of Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. It includes all of the eponymous Lake Mead as well as the smaller Lake Mohave – reservoirs on the river created by Hoover Dam and Davis Dam, respectively – and the surrounding desert terrain and wilderness. Formation of Lake Mead began in 1935, less than a year before Hoover Dam was completed. The area surrounding Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area in 1936 and the name was changed to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1947. In 1964, the area was expanded to include Lake Mohave and its surrounding area and became the first National Recreation Area to be designated as such by the U.S. Congress.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

At the marina be sure to walk out onto the docks, not only can you admire the boats but the swarming fish waiting to be fed are a sight to behold.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Although boating is the main attraction there are hiking and camping opportunities available.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos