Tag: National Monument

Posted in: Exploring Georgia, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia

Written by tepetravels

Fort Pulaski is outside of Savannah, Georgia (on the way to Tybee Island), and about an hour from our campground. It is part of the National Park Service, so we were able to use our annual America The Beautiful pass.

It was similar to Fort Zachary in Key West, but had a few unique features to it including a moat and a drawbridge!

The Visitor Center was closed, although the bathrooms across from the Visitor Center were open. The Visitor Center had maps outside and there was someone there to hand out Junior Ranger program booklets and badges. There are also few hiking trails; however, only two were open when we were there. The ranger did not think the Lighthouse trail would be opening anytime soon. It seemed like nature was reclaiming the trail.

Visitor Center, informational signs, looking towards Fort Pulaski from Visitor Center

There was a moat around the fort, which was pretty cool. During the Civil War, the Fort was originally Confederate, but Union soldiers gained control. There was a small cemetery out front from when the Fort also acted as a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Parts of the outside paths and trails were closed for construction. We entered the Fort on a boardwalk over the water and through the drawbridge.

One of my favorite features was the drawbridge and the amazing doors of the Fort.

The Drawbridge

The fort had lots of rooms and cannon exhibits open on the main floor. It also had stone spiral staircases leading up to the top floor. Most of this area was closed for repairs/construction and there was also no guardrail along the edge. It definitely gave you a different perspective of the fort and the surrounding area.

Views from the top of the Fort

Fort Pulaski still had some of the metal rails in the floor that guided the cannons. It was neat to see those, as Fort Zachary in Key West had similar markings on the floor of where (I assume) these metal pieces used to be. It was nice to see the “whole picture” of the cannon set up at Fort Pulaski. Pulaski also allowed us to see a couple new cannon accessories that we had not seen before; the casement gin and sling carts that were used to move the heavy equipment.

There was another really neat feature that we got to see at Fort Pulaski, the foundation and built in cisterns. The Fort is surrounded by salt water, so there were 10 built-in cisterns to collect rainwater.

During the Civil War the Fort also acted as a Prison for Confederate soldiers.

Some information when it was acting as a Civil War prison

DETAILS:*

  • TICKETS: Included in America the Beautiful (Interagency) Pass. If you don’t the America The Beautiful Pass, it is $10/person for a week pass (ages 15 and under free), or $35 for a Fort Pulaski annual pass. Cash was not being accepted at the gate, credit/debit cards only. COVID Restrictions: masks required, Visitor Center closed.
  • HOURS: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • PARKING: Parking lot at Visitor Center/Fort.
  • BATHROOM: Yes, by the Visitor Center
  • TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-3 hours
  • *Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.
Posted in: Exploring Texas, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Waco Mammoth National Monument

Written by tepetravels

I dragged Ben to see more dinosaur bones. He was thrilled. Well, not exactly since he isn’t into dinosaurs, but at least this time we could see actual bones easily.

While looking up things to see in Waco, I saw the Waco Mammoth National Monument listed. It is a relatively new part of the National Park Service, having been inducted in 2015. It was less than 10 minutes from downtown Waco, so after exploring Magnolia, we drove over. On our way to the park, we passed the suspension bridge, which we also wanted to walk across, but was currently closed.

We have the National Park pass, but you still have to pay admission to see the bones. The flyer at the desk says it is for access to the bones with a guided tour. However, there was not a guided tour, just someone monitoring the amount of people in the building. We basically paid another $20 to the city of Waco to see the site. It is a really small park with only one real walking trail and a short loop off of the main trail through the woods. Since there had been rain this week, parts of the trail were covered in water, so we didn’t get to go on the whole trail.

Ben said the molars looked like boot prints.

It was interesting, but I would not go back again, especially since we would have to pay again.

Posted in: Exploring California, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Cabrillo National Monument

Written by tepetravels

Today we visited the Cabrillo National Monument. We had missed seeing it before because there is a Naval base in front of it. I thought you weren’t allowed to go through the base, but apparently you do indeed drive through part of a Navy base to get there.

It was very foggy out when we left in the afternoon. Visibility was pretty low in some areas.

We went to the tide pools first. We did get there a little after low tide, so the water had started to come back in. It was still a really neat experience. We saw small crabs, barnacles, hermit crabs, sea grass, and a few anemones! The park did a great job with signs at the top of the entrance labeling different creatures you might see.

After finding several creatures, we headed back up to the Visitor’s Center. The inside of the center was closed the day we were there. The fog had momentarily cleared and we could see the bay area and the downtown area. The Goodyear blimp was out, as well as several boats on the water. It was relaxing just to sit on the wall and watch the bay.

After awhile, we saw a Navy ship coming back into the bay. It had quite the loud horn!

The fog started rolling back in. While it was cool to see it drift down the hill towards the water, it did make visibility in the bay a lot lower. We headed up the hill to the Point Loma Lighthouse and Assistant Keepers house. The Assistant Keepers house had the glass part of the beacon showcased. It was really neat to see. The Lighthouse itself was closed.

The Lighthouse was the original lighthouse for San Diego. However, it actually sat too high and wasn’t as effective because the fog would block visibility of the light. They closed the lighthouse and made a new one at a lower elevation.

The park closed at 5:00pm, which seemed really early. I’m not sure if that is a COVID restriction or it that is the time they normally close. It was a nice park. There are several things to see and the views are amazing.

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