2016 Philadelphia Flower Show

The 2016 Philadelphia Flower Show, which ran from March 5 to 13, celebrated the beauty and diversity of America's National Parks.

It had exhibits that celebrated the beauty of local parks such as Independence National Historic Park, Valley Forge, and Hopewell Furnace, as well as parks such as Cape Cod, Acadia and Death Valley, among others.

National Park Service Rangers were at the Flower Show to answer questions about the parks and give talks about the National Parks. The show had it's own National Park Service Passport stamp and children were invited to participate in the Junior Ranger program to learn more about the National Parks represented at the Flower Show.

The Flower Show celebrated the National Park Service's 100th Anniversary. The 2016 Philadelphia Flower Show was the best in recent memory.

Clara Barton National Historic Site

Located just outside of Washington, DC, the Clara Barton National Historic Site celebrates the life of the founder of the Red Cross. Clara Barton was an extraordinary woman, especially for her day. She defied conventional wisdom of the time of what a woman can and could not do.

The site here was her home for the last 15 years of her life, and also served as the original headquarters of the Red Cross. Tours are available every hour, on the hour, from a National Park Ranger. While the house itself is mostly empty at this point (due to an attempt to have it restored), the stories you will hear are well worth the visit.

In addition, if you're a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, you'll find a stamp at the bookstore inside the house.

You should note, that in order to get into the house, you'll need to ring the doorbell.

Tumacácori National Historical Park

The Tumacácori National Historical Park is located about 45 minutes to an hour south of Tucson. This small national park offers you a glimpse into how this area was first settled by Spanish Jesuits, and shows how life was like back then, as well as in subsequent missions to the area. It also focuses on how the people in the missions interacted with the Native Americans in the region. It's very interesting and a good spot for history buffs.

In addition, you'll find part of the Juan Batista de Anza National Historic Trail here. If you're a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, you'll find stamps for both at the Visitor's Center here. They also have a Junior Ranger program here to encourage children (and adults) to learn about Tumacácori.

Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Park is actually two parks in one. There is one on the Eastern side of Tucson, and one on the Western side, about 30 minutes from each other. At each location, you'll find a visitor center and plenty of hiking trails. You'll get gorgeous views of the valleys and the Saguaro cacti. You can spend an entire day at these parks, and they are well worth it. If you have to pick one though, the Eastern side is a bit more scenic.

In addition, you'll find part of the Juan Batista de Anza National Historic Trail here. If you're a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, you'll find stamps for both at the Visitor Center. They have different stamps at the two different Visitor Centers, so be sure to stop by both. They also have a Junior Ranger program here to encourage children (and adults) to learn about the Saguaro cactus, as well as other parts of the national park.

Coronado National Memorial

About 90 minutes from Tucson, the Coronado National Memorial offers gorgeous views over southern Arizona and even to Mexico. Most of the park's roads are dirt roads and up a mountain, so be prepared for that. The short hike up to the top of the peak is well worth the views. There are a number of much longer hikes here as well.

If you're a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, you'll find a stamp at the Visitor Center. They also have a Junior Ranger program to encourage children (and adults) to learn about Coronado's expedition.

John Muir National Historic Site

The John Muir National Historic Site is located just between Napa Valley and San Francisco. You can visit the house that John Muir used to live in and learn about his contributions to America and the National Park system. In addition, you'll find part of the Juan Batista de Anza National Historic Trail here. If you're a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, you'll find stamps for both at the Visitor's Center here. They also have a Junior Ranger program here to encourage children (and adults) to learn about John Muir.

Roger Williams National Memorial

The Roger Williams National Memorial is a park in the center of Providence, RI that explores the history of the founder of the state. Roger Williams is best known as one of the original champions of religious freedom, and founded the state of Rhode Island based on this principle.

Tours are available from the visitor's center to learn more about the history of Roger Williams, and there is a short video there as well to give you a quick overview of his significance. There is also a Junior Ranger program available for kids (and adults!) to learn more about Roger Williams. If you are a collector of the National Park Passport Stamps, there is a stamp at this location as well.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site honors the former president as it is the site where he was born. Visitors can walk around the grounds here to see what life was like in this area during Herbert Hoover's years. In addition, you can visit the graves of the former president and his wife.

As this is a National Park, you can also participate in the Junior Ranger program, which is fun for kids AND adults. It helps to immerse you more in what the park has to offer, and if you complete the program (which takes about an hour or so), you'll get a badge at the end.

Also, note that there is a National Park Passport Cancellation stamp located in the Visitor's Center here.

Joshua Tree National Park

Famous from various movies and TV shows, the Joshua Tree National Park, located about 1 hour outside of Palm Springs, CA, is a must visit.  You'll obviously see a ton of Joshua Trees while there, but there is so much more to this vast park.  You get an excellent taste of what desert life is like in this region of California from the cacti to the rock formations.

There are 3 entry points into the park by car, and we'd recommend entering by the main Joshua Tree Visitor's Center, as they have more souvenirs than the others, plus there is a cafe there which will make you a boxed lunch to have in the park for later in the day.  In addition, make sure you bring plenty of water with you.  We took frozen bottles of water with us provided by our hotel, which kept them nice and cold all day.

It would take several days, or more, to do everything in the park.  To maximize your time there, we'd recommend sharing your interests with one of the Park Rangers at the Visitor's Center and asking them for their recommendations on what to do with your time.  Personally, we loved the Key View, as well as some of the 1 to 2 mile hikes that were around the park.  The Cholla Cactus garden was also quite different and neat to see.