Yellowstone.

The Grand Canyon.

Yosemite.

The Great Smoky Mountains.

Majestic mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and miles of hiking trails.

And we’d be right – but we’d also be wrong.

When most of us hear the words national park, we picture one of the country’s 63 national parks. But the National Park Service actually manages more than 430 sites, preserving everything from natural wonders to places where American history was made.

Some of America’s most fascinating National Park Service sites don’t have mountains, waterfalls, or even campgrounds.

Instead, they preserve everything from a bicycle shop and an aviation field to ancient earthworks, battlefields, presidential homes, and the places where people helped change history.

That’s one reason to pay attention to National Park Week (August 22-30). The theme this year is “Celebrate America’s Story.” It’s a good reminder that the American story isn’t just found in amazing scenery. Sometimes it’s found in places we’ve driven by dozens of times without ever stopping.

Five National Park Service Sites Worth Visiting near Southwest Ohio

The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park does not have mountains or waterfalls. But it does preserve the story of two bicycle mechanics whose curiosity and determination changed the world forever. The Wright brothers’ bicycle shop, Huffman Prairie Flying Field, and other sites tell the story of how powered flight began in the Miami Valley.

Just a short drive away is the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, the only national monument in the state. Young was the third African American to graduate from West Point, commanded Buffalo Soldier regiments, served as a diplomat, and became a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Army. Visitors can tour his home, view museum exhibits, and walk the surrounding trails.

The Hopewell Culture National Historical Park contains enormous geometric earthworks built nearly 2,000 years ago – one of North America’s greatest archaeological mysteries.

William Howard Taft National Historic Site is the beautifully restored Cincinnati birthplace and childhood home of America’s 27th president.

And if you are looking for the classic national park experience, Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers beautiful forests, waterfalls, scenic railroad rides, and more than 125 miles of hiking trails.

Maybe you don’t live in Ohio. That’s okay. No matter where you live, there’s a good chance a National Park Service site is closer than you think. Even better, admission is free at every National Park Service site on August 25th in celebration of the National Park Service’s 110th birthday. You might be surprised by what’s within a short drive from your home.

Did you know the National Park Service also manages:

• the Gateway Arch in St. Louis?
• Alcatraz Island?
• Mammoth Cave?
• Sleeping Bear Dunes?
• The Statue of Liberty?
• the home where Abraham Lincoln was born?

National Park Week might be a good excuse to cross Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon off your bucket list. But it might also be a good excuse to visit the National Park Service site that has been in your backyard all along.

The post The Ohio National Parks You Didn’t Know Existed appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

If you haven’t seen any Europeans praising American hot dogs, free refills, or gas stations on Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok recently, you have either been without your phone or are wise enough not to have any social media at all. But I would guess most of us have at least heard about it.

Some visitors from Europe, here for the FIFA World Cup tournament, have discovered Buc-ee’s. Others are amazed by our use of ice and the ability to get free drink refills. Some are delighted with the safety they feel, some with our friendliness, and some are just fascinated by the variety of choices at Walmart.

It sometimes seems funny to us because, well, yeah, of course we have that.

And honestly, that is probably the point.

Most of us don’t think much about convenience stores. We stop, use the restroom, buy a drink, and leave. We don’t stand there marveling at the snack choices, the ice machine, or the fact that we can drive hundreds of miles across the country on good roads and find another gas station every few miles.

We are used to it. The things we see every day rarely seem remarkable.

And as I have watched World Cup visitors react to life in America while our country prepares to celebrate its 250^th anniversary, I have been thinking about that. Not so much about the hot dogs but about the things we have stopped noticing.

We have inherited a country that has provided freedoms, opportunities, and stability that much of the world has spent centuries seeking. Because we have always lived with those things, it is easy to assume they are normal.

But they are not normal. There literally is no other country on earth that provides the stability and freedom that America offers.

And those things were given to and preserved for us by earlier generations of people that we for the most part will never meet. We inherited roads we did not build. Schools we did not establish. Communities we did not create. We inherited the freedom to worship openly, speak freely, vote, own property, start businesses, gather together, and pursue opportunities that the rest of the world only dreams about.

Not everything we have is perfect, but it is valuable. Most of us have never known what it is like to be unable to speak openly about our beliefs. Most of us have never known what it is like to need government permission to attend church. Most of us have never experienced war on our own soil. We have grown up with freedoms that seem normal simply because they have always been there.

But they did not appear by accident.

Someone built them. Someone protected them. Someone sacrificed for them.

Receiving an inheritance usually comes with responsibility. If someone leaves you a family Bible, you don’t just toss it in the trash. If they leave you a family farm, you do not immediately pave it over and forget about why it mattered.

You take care of it.

And eventually, you pass it on.

The same is true of a country. The Europeans making videos about gas stations is a good reminder to recognize the other things we take for granted. When we recognize something’s value, we don’t just celebrate it – we talk about it, we teach it, we refuse to take it for granted, and we preserve it so we can pass it along to others.  

As America 250 celebrations happen across the country – and even beyond – remind yourself of the blessings we have. Help teach the next generation not only what America is but how it got here.

Because one day this country will no longer be our inheritance.

It will be theirs.

And the question we should ask is not just whether we appreciate what we have been given but whether we are doing a good job passing it on.

The post An Inheritance 250 Years in the Making appeared first on 93.7 The Light.