Residents Take Photo Tour of National Parks


August 25 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service in the United States. This week, residents at St. John’s Meadows were treated to a special coast-to-coast tour of many of the 412 designated parks, historic sites, monuments, and battlefields that make up the National Park Service. Randi and Nic Minetor—a Rochester couple who have spent the last 16 years visiting these amazing sites across the country—shared photos and stories from their travels.

Randi and Nic have now visited over 300 sites in 47 states, and residents enjoyed the many insights they had to offer about these incredible destinations.  Starting in Acadia National Park in Maine and traveling down the East Coast before heading west towards Zion, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, the tour also stopped at some of our nation’s lesser known designated sites. One of the historic sites Randi described was the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace in Kentucky, which consists of a large stone structure housing a small replica of the cabin our 16th President was born in back in 1809.   

Along the way, Randi and Nic offered some expert advice for those who are inclined to start traveling to the destinations that comprise the National Park Service. Some of these tips include:

  • Visit the Cape Cod National Seashore by mid-June to park for free. For the remainder of the summer, the cost to park is nearly $20.
  • When visiting Ellis Island National Monument, be sure to take the audio tour.
  • Be sure to plan your trips to the National Parks out west in the month of June. By doing so, you’ll see the newborn babies of many of the animal species grazing throughout the parks.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “there is nothing so American as our national parks.” If you agree and would like to learn more about the National Park Service, here are a few ways to do so:

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