Need a daytrip for the whole family? Six National Historical Parks within driving distance

Looking for a family outing that appeals to lots of ages and interests? Have you considered a National Historical Park?

You may be familiar with the U.S. Park Service's national parks where you can explore naturally preserved landscape in places like Yosemite in California or Acadia National Park in Maine. However, more than half of the service's parks are also historical sites.

Maybe grandma is visiting, but you also have a 2-year old to think about and many ages in between. A National Historical Park provides ample scenic grounds to explore or run around as a young child might do, and you don't need your hiking gear.

There is often a home or structure to discover and a museum telling the story of the the property. These sites are preserved or restored to reflect their appearance during their time of greatest historical significance. So, there is the opportunity to expand one's knowledge as well.

If you want to make it a day trip, there are six National Historical Parks within a three and a half hour drive of Burlington.

National Historical Parks within driving distance of Burlington

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock is the only U.S. national park in Vermont and is a 1 1/2 hour drive from Burlington. It is named for three early environmentalists who either worked or owned the farm. The park service says Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller is the only park to focus on "conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America." On the grounds you can see 400-year-old hemlock trees.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/mabi/index.htm.

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Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, is a 1-hour-45-minute drive from Burlington. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was one of the country's most celebrated sculptors and lived on the property until 1907. His work can be seen all over the country, including at other historical sites, including his famous Robert Gould Shaw/54th Regiment Memorial in Boston that memorializes African-American soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Walking among Saint-Gaudens gardens you can discover some of his other bronze sculptures.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm.

Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater, New York, is a 2-hour-45-minute drive away. The site commemorates the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 during the American War for Independence which ended in an American victory and marked a turning point in the war. It was also the first time in history the British Army surrendered.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/sara/index.htm.

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Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a 3-hour-15-minute drive. It is the site of a water-powered textile mill, which helped propel the country into the industrial revolution and a new time of prosperity due to an emerging global economy. Mill workers may have been immigrants or female, which allowed some groups with little opportunity the ability to make a living wage.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm.

Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford, Connecticut, is a 3-1/2-hour drive. The Colt revolver was developed there by Samuel Colt. After he died, his wife Elizabeth ran the company while it entered its heyday and became an integral to the expanding influence of the town of Hartford.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/colt/index.htm.

Minute Man National Historical Park is a 3-1/2-hour drive from Burlington and is located in areas of Lexington, Concord and Lincoln, Massachusetts. The site shows visitors where the "shot heard round the world" on April 19, 1775, occurred that began what would become the American Revolutionary War.

More information about the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm.

For those who like to visit multiple parks, you can get a national parks passport book and have it stamped at all of the 400 locations across the country. Each site has its own coin you can purchase and activities for kids.

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Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: National Historical Parks within 3 1/2 hour drive of Burlington