History fans looking for something fun to do might want to check out the many historical sites in the U.S.
These sites include everything from battlefields to historic houses as well as many other historic places.
Even though travel to most national parks and other tourist destinations have nearly doubled in the past decade, visits to historic sites fell by more than a third from 1982 to 2012, with declines across most age groups.
This news is concerning because historic sites are vital to understanding American history and visiting them is a great way to see this history firsthand. Furthermore, tourism to these sites helps fund historic preservation and upkeep of the sites.
Despite the fact that tourism is down at these places, they are still some of the most visited places in the U.S. though and receive many visitors a year.
The following is a list of the most visited historical sites in America:
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park:
A park in Maryland and West Virginia that features the historic Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 4,543,017
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park:
A park in California that features a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 4,227,452
Castle Clinton National Monument:
A park in New York that features, Castle Clinton, a 19th century military fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 4,104,478
Independence National Historical Park:
A park in Pennsylvania that features several sites associated with the American Revolution. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 4,083,345
Colonial National Historical Park:
A park in Virginia that features the original site of the colony of Virginia, the site of the first landing of the Jamestown colonists and the battlefields of Yorktown. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 3,330,151
Boston National Historical Park:
A park that features 8 historical sites associated with the American Revolution in Boston. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 2,544,888
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park:
A park in Georgia that features the Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign as well as Kennesaw Mountain. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 2,028,987
Valley Forge National Historical Park:
A park in Pennsylvania that features the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,837,995
Fort Point National Historic Site:
The site of a 19th century fort in California. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,561,809
Alcatraz Island:
A small island in California that features the historic Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,400,000
San Juan National Historic Site:
The site of a colonial-era fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, in Puerto Rico. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,248,459
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park:
A park in Texas that features four Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, including the site of the Battle of the Alamo. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,124,278
Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve:
A national preserve in Florida that features wetlands as well as historic sites like the Fort Caroline National Memorial and the Kingsley Plantation. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,118,842
Gettysburg National Military Park:
A military park in Pennsylvania that features the site of the famous Civil War battle, the Battle of Gettysburg. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,068,999
Minute Man National Historical Park:
A park in Massachusetts that features the sites of the first battles of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Lexington and the Battle of Concord, as well as some historic homes. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,023,072
Pilgrim Memorial State Park:
A state park in Massachusetts that features Plymouth Rock and the National Monument to the Forefathers. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,000,000
President’s Park (The White House):
A national park in Washington D.C. that features the White House. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 926,627
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park:
A military park in Virginia that features the site of several Civil War battles, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Spotsylvania. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 915,844
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Alaska:
A park in Alaska that features several sites associated with the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 909,678
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site:
The site of a historic fort in Oregon and Washington state. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 882,418
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park:
A park in South Carolina that features two historic forts, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 841,225
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park:
A park in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee that features several sites associated with the area’s local history. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 821,638
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument:
The site of a historic fort in Florida, Castillo de San Marcos, which is the oldest and largest masonry fort in the United States. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 768,230
Hearst Castle:
A historic home in California built by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 750,00
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site:
A theater in Washington D.C. that was the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 659,621
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park:
A park in Georgia that features several buildings associated with Martin Luther King Jr. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 652,067
Fort McHenry National Monument & Historical Site:
A historic fort in Maryland that was the site of a War of 1812 battle, the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired the Star Spangled Banner. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 635,736
Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area:
A living history museum in the historic district of Williamsburg, Virginia that features numerous colonial-era buildings. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 600,000
Fort Matanzas National Monument:
The site of a colonial-era fort, Fort Mantanzas, in Florida. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 599,451
Arlington House, The R.E. Lee Memorial:
A historic house in Virginia once owned by Civil War general Robert E. Lee. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 599,422
Manassas National Battlefield Park:
A park in Virginia that features the site of the the Battle of Manassas which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 568,846
Vicksburg National Military Park:
A park in Mississippi that features the site of the Battle of Vicksburg which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 565,039
Mesa Verde National Park:
A park in Colorado that features some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the U.S.. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 544,114
Lowell National Historical Park:
A park in Massachusetts that features various historic sites related to Lowell’s textile industry and its role in the industrial revolution. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 533,938
Salem Maritime National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features 12 historic structures and a replica tall-ship associated with Salem’s maritime history. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 516,367
Montezuma Castle National Monument:
A historic site in Arizona that features a set of well-reserved cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua people. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 460,229
Wright Brothers National Memorial:
A historic site in North Carolina that features a memorial commemorating the site of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 441,395
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park:
A park in Hawaii that features a site where Hawaiians took refuge during times of war. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 427,794
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve:
A park in Louisiana that preserves wetlands and forests as well as historic sites related to the cultural history of the region. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 424,239
Shiloh National Military Park:
A military park in Tennessee that features the site of the Battle of Shiloh which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 423,151
Fort Pulaski National Monument:
The site of Civil War-era fort in Georgia. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 391,561
Boston African American National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features 15 pre-Civil War structures related to the history of African-Americans in 19th century Boston. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 386,145
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site:
A historic house museum in New York that was once the home of Frederick William Vanderbilt. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 385,391
Antietam National Military Park:
A military park in Maryland that features the site of the Battle of Antietam which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 376,854
Plimoth Plantation:
A living history museum in Massachusetts that features a replica of Plymouth colony and a replica Wampanoag village. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 340,000
Stonewall National Monument:
A historic site in New York near the Stonewall Inn which is widely regarded as the start of the modern LGBT rights movement in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 309,006
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park:
A military park in North Carolina that features the site of the Battle of Guildford Courthouse which took place during the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 308,005
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument:
A historic site in Montana that features the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn which took place during the Great Sioux War of 1876. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 306,041
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site:
A historic site in North Carolina that features the site of the Roanoke Colony which was established in the 16th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 285,491
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park:
A park in West Virginia that features the site of John Brown’s failed abolitionist uprising. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 280,609
Lincoln Home National Historic Site:
A historic site in Illinois that features the home where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 274,041
Morristown National Historical Park:
A park in New Jersey that features four sites related to the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 268,192
San Juan Island National Historical Park:
A park in Washington that features the sites of the British and U.S. army camps during the Pig War in 1859. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 265,281
Fort Caroline National Memorial:
A national memorial in Florida dedicated to the history of the 16th century Fort Caroline. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 264,067
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park:
A park in Virginia that features the site of the Battle of Appomattox Court House, where Robert E. Lee surrender the Confederate Army to Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 251,047
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park:
A park in Washington state that features several sites associated with the Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 243,160
Nez Perce National Historical Park:
A park in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington that features 38 sites related to the history of the Nez Perce people. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 241,895
Fort Necessity National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in Pennsylvania that features several sites associated with the French and Indian War, such as the site of the Battle of Fort Necessity, the site of the Battle of Jumonville Glen as well as the grave of a British general killed at Jumonville Glen. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 237,364
Fort Frederica National Monument:
A national monument in Georgia that features the site of an 18th century British fort and town. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 235,834
Fort Donelson National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in Tennessee and Kentucky that features the site of the Battle of Fort Donelson which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 235,576
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park:
A park in Massachusetts that features the site of 19th century whaling port. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 231,746
Wupatki National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features Native American ruins of the Ancient Pueblo people. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 213,631
Adams National Historical Park:
A park in Massachusetts that features the homes of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams, Henry Adams and Brooks Adams. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 210,647
Natchez National Historical Park:
A park in Mississippi that features various historic forts and homes relating to the history of Natchez. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 209,910
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park:
A park in New Jersey that features a historic waterfall which played a major role in the early industrial development of New Jersey. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 209,767
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park:
A park in Kentucky that features two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln was born and lived during his childhood. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 206,815
Federal Hall National Memorial:
A national memorial in New York that features a historic building, Federal Hall, which served as New York City’s first City hall. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 206,677
Petersburg National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in Virginia that features the site of the Siege of Petersburg which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 193,297
Sitka National Historical Park:
A park in Alaska that features the site of the Battle of Sika which was an armed conflict between the native Tlingit people and Russian fur hunters in the early 19th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 193,071
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in Missouri that features the site of the Battle at Wilson’s Creek, which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 179,119
Richmond National Battlefield Park:
A park in Virginia that features various battlefields and historic sites in Richmond related to the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 170,867
Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park:
A park in Hawaii that features an archaeological site known as the Honok?hau Settlement. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 169,853
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site:
A historic site in Washington D.C. that features various historic buildings such as the White House, the Capital Building, the Treasury Building, Ford’s Theater, Federal Triangle, and more. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 157,847
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site:
A national historic site in New York that features the birthplace and lifelong home of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 156,450
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site:
A national historic site in Pennsylvania that features the Allegheny Portage Railroad, which was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Railroads. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 151,312
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site:
A national historic site in Iowa that features the birthplace of Herbert Hoover. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 139,871
Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site:
A national historic site in Hawaii that features the ruins of the last major Ancient Hawaiian temple as well as other historic sites. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 132,801
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park:
A national historical park in Georgia that features major earthworks built by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 130,914
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial:
A national memorial in Indiana that features the farm where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 129,001
George Washington Birthplace National Monument:
A national monument in Virginia that features the birthplace of George Washington. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 126,460
Andersonville National Historic Site:
A national historic site in Georgia that features the site of the Civil War Confederate prisoner-of-war-camp Andersonville Prison. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 125,667
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park:
A park in Indiana that features what is believed to be the site of Fort Sackville, which was captured by George Rogers Clark during the French and Indian War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 124,792
River Raisin National Battlefield Park:
A battlefield park in Michigan that was the site of the Battle of Frenchtown, which took place during the War of 1812. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 123,809
Christiansted National Historic Site:
A historic site in the Virgin Islands that features six historic structures from the colonial era. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 114,259
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park:
A park in Texas that features the birthplace, home and final resting place of Lyndon B. Johnson. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 112,544
Pea Ridge National Military Park:
A military park in Arkansas that features the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 108,715
Fort Stanwix National Monument:
A national monument in New York that features the site of Revolutionary War-era Fort Stanwix as well as a reconstruction of the original fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 106, 288
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site:
A historic site in Arkansas that features the Little Rock Central High School which was the site of forced desegregation in 1957. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 104,495
Fort Smith National Historical Site:
A historic site in Arkansas that features two 19th century-era forts. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 101,769
General Grant National Memorial:
The site of Ulysses S. Grant’s tomb in New York. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 97,681
Tuzigoot National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features a pueblo ruin. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 97,581
Steamtown National Historic Site:
A historic site in Pennsylvania that features a railroad museum and heritage railroad. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 94,462
Manhattan Project National Historical Park:
A park in Washington, Tennessee and New Mexico that features various buildings associated with the Manhattan Project. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 87,952
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park:
A park in Louisiana that features a historic hall associated with Jazz culture in New Orleans. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 89,270
Manzanar National Historic Site:
A historic site in California that features the site of a concentration camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 89,252
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site:
A historic site in South Dakota that features the last remaining Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile system in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 86,986
Homestead National Monument of America;
A national monument in Nebraska that features the site of the first land successfully claimed under the Homestead Act of 1862. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 81,371
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site:
A historic site in North Carolina that features the home of Pulitzer-Prize winning poet and writer Carl Sandburg. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 81,565
Ninety Six National Historic Site:
A historic site in South Carolina that features a Revolutionary War-era village and fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 79,977
Saratoga National Historical Park:
A park in New York that features the site of the Battles of Saratoga which took place during the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 79,000
Waco Mammoth National Monument:
A national monument in Texas that features a paleontological site and museum. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 74,696
Effigy Mounds National Monument:
A national monument in Iowa that features more than 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 74,965
Moores Creek National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in North Carolina that features the site of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge which took place during the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 73,687
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site:
A historic site in Arizona that features a 19th century-era trading post. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 71,905
African Burial Ground National Monument:
A national monument in New York that features a colonial-era cemetery for free and enslaved African-Americans. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 71,390
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features the ruins of various ancient Pueblo Hohokam structures. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 71,038
Navajo National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features three cliff-dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloan people. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 70,121
Pipestone National Monument:
A national monument in Minnesota that features the site of a historic quarry used by various Native American tribes of the region to make ceremonial pipes. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 70,049
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle:
A park in Washington that features several sites associated with the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 66,636
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site:
A historic site in Georgia that features the residence, boyhood farm, school, and campaign headquarters of President Jimmy Carter. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 64,708
Kalaupapa National Historical Park:
A park in Hawaii that features the site of the two historic leper colonies on the island. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 63,169
Monocacy National Battlefield:
A national battlefield in Maryland that features the site of the Battle of Monocacy which took place during the Civil War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 59,649
Roger Williams National Memorial:
A national memorial in Rhode Island that features the former site of the home of Roger Williams and Providence’s original common land. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 57,278
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features a cottage once owned by Eleanor Roosevelt. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 56,727
Eisenhower National Historic Site:
A historic site in Pennsylvania that features the home and farm of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 55,671
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site:
A historic site in Washington D.C. that features the home and estate of Frederick Douglass. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 55,001
Fort Laramie National Historic Site:
A historic site in Wyoming that features a 19th century-era trading post. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 54,825
Whitman Mission National Historic Site:
A historic site in Washington that features the Whitman Mission which was an important stop on the Oregon Trail. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 53,241
Rosie The Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historic Park:
A park in California that features various housing developments, shipyards, factories and other facilities related to WWII. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 52,772
Thomas Edison National Historical Park:
A park in New Jersey that features Edison’s laboratory and home. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 51,656
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site:
A historic site in Pennsylvania that features an 18th century-era iron plantation. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 50,205
Golden Spike National Historical Park:
A park in Utah that features an important site on the Transcontinental Railroad where the Central Pacific Railroad and the first Union Pacific Railroad met in 1869. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 50,732
Andrew Johnson National Historic Sites:
A historic site in Tennessee that features President Andrew Johnson’s homestead, family cemetery and tailor shop. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 50,896
Pipe Spring National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features various sites associated with American Indian, early explorer and Mormon pioneer history. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 48,461
Fort Davis National Historic Site:
A historic site in Texas that features a 19th century-era fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 48,885
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site:
A historic site in South Carolina that features Charles Pinckney’s farm house and plantation. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 46,617
Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features a home that served as the headquarters of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War and later as the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 48,312
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park:
A park in Texas that features the site of the Battle of Palo Alto which took place during the buildup to the Mexican-American War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 47,723
Tonto National Monument:
A national monument in Arizona that features cliff dwellings built by the Salado people in the 12th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 45,862
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park:
A park in Ohio that features earthworks and burial mounds built by the Hopewell culture. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 43,142
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument:
A national monument in New Mexico that features cliff dwellings built by the Mogollan people in the 13th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 42,460
Chaco Culture National Historical Park:
A park in New Mexico that features ancient Puebloan ruins. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 42,424
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site:
A historic site in Missouri that features a farm where Ulysses S. Grant lived with his wife and his in-laws. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 42,308
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features that home of President Theodore Roosevelt. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 40,774
John Muir National Historic Site:
A historic site in California that features a Victorian mansion owned by writer John Muir. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 40,320
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park:
A park in Vermont that features the site where Frederick Billings established a managed forest and progressive dairy farm in the 19th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 39,812
Tumacacori National Historical Park:
A park in Arizona that features the ruins of three Spanish mission communities established in the 17th and 18th centuries. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 39,194
Pecos National Historical Park:
A park in New Mexico that features various historical sites such as prehistoric archaeological ruins, 19th century ranches and a Civil War battlefield. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 37,819
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park:
A park in New Hampshire that features the home, garden and studio of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 36,187
Women’s Rights National Historical Park:
A park in New York that features various sites associated with the Seneca Falls Convention, which was the first women’s rights convention. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 35,410
Friendship Hill National Historic Site:
A historic site in Pennsylvania that features the home of American politician Albert Gallatin. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 35,062
Hampton National Historic Site:
A historic site in Maryland that features an 18th century estate, including a manor house, gardens, grounds and slave quarters. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 33,751
Hamilton Grange National Memorial:
A national memorial in New York that features the home of American statesman Alexander Hamilton. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 33,831
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site:
A historic site in Alabama that features a training base for African-American airmen in WWII. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 32,277
Harry S. Truman National Historic Site:
A historic site in Missouri that features the home of President Harry S. Truman as well as various other Truman-related sites in the area. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 32,039
James A. Garfield National Historic Site:
A historic site in Ohio that features the home of President James A. Garfield as well as the first presidential library established in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 31,312
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument:
A national monument in New Mexico that features three historic Spanish missions established in the 17th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 31,704
Fort Larned National Historic Site:
A historic site in Kansas that features a 19th century fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 29,039
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site:
A historic site in Colorado that features a 19th century fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 26,591
Fort Scott National Historic Site:
A historic site in Kansas that features 20 historic structures, a parade ground and a restored tallgrass prairie. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 26,942
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site:
A historic site in Alabama that features Tuskegee University, the second-oldest historically black university which was established in the 19th century,. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 23,577
Weir Farm National Historic Site:
A historic site in Connecticut that features a farm where artists J. Alden Weir and many other artists lived and worked in the 19th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 29,930
William Howard Taft National Historic Site:
A historic site in Ohio that features the birthplace of President William Howard Taft. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 24,797
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features the Ansley Wilcox House which served as Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration site in 1901. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 21,662
John F. Kennedy National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features the birthplace and childhood home of President John F. Kennedy. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 21,688
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site:
A historic site in Montana that features a 19th century ranch that commemorates the history of the Western cattle industry. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 21,504
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features the Lindenwald estate, which was a large mansion built by President Martin Van Buren. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 20,235
Springfield Armory National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features the first armory and gun factory established in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 19,564
Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features Saint Paul’s Church, which is one of the state’s oldest churches and served as a military hospital during the Revolutionary War. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 17,321
Keweenaw National Historical Park:
A park in Michigan that features various museums, mining buildings, mines, a theater, homestead and inn that are associated with the area’s local history. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 17,169
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site:
A historic site in North Dakota that features the archaeological remnants of bands of Hidatsa, Northern Plain Indians. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 15,640
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site:
A historic site in New York that features the birthplace of President Theodore Roosevelt. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 15,493
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site:
A historic house in Pennsylvania that was once rented by poet Edgar Allen Poe. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 14,733
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site:
A historic site in North Dakota that features the site of a partially reconstructed trading post that was one of the earliest declared national historical landmarks in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 13,693
Clara Barton National Historic Site:
A historic site in Maryland that features the home of the founder of the Red Cross, Clara Barton. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 12,171
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site:
An island in Maine that features the site of an early 17th century French colony. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 12,097
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site:
A battlefield in Oklahoma that features the site of the Battle of Washita which took place during the American Indian Wars in the 19th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 11,596
Minidoka National Historic Site:
A historic site in Idaho that features a concentration camp were Japanese Americans were imprisoned during WWII. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 11,595
First Ladies National Historic Site:
A historic site in Ohio that features the home of First Lady Ida Mckinley as well as an Education and Research Center known as the National First Ladies’ Library. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 11,359
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site:
A national historic site in Massachusetts that features the site of the first integrated iron works in North America. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 10,677
Fort Union National Monument:
A national monument in New Mexico that features a 19th century fort. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 10,661
President W.J. Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site:
A historic home in Arkansas that was the childhood home of President William Jefferson Clinton. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 10,198
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site:
A historic site in Washington D.C. that features the home of Civil Rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 9,688
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site:
A historic site in Virginia that features the home of Maggie L. Walker, who was the first woman to serve as president of a bank in the U.S. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 9,617
Fort Bowie National Historic Site:
A historic site in Arizona that features a 19 century outpost of the U.S. army. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 8,324
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site:
A historic site in Massachusetts that features the home of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 7,587
Thomas Stone National Historic Site:
A historic site in Maryland that features the home of Maryland delegate Thomas Stone, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 7,183
Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve:
A park in the Virgin Islands that features wetlands and forests as well as the Columbus landing site and a 17th century French earthworks fortification. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 6,037
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site:
A historic site in Colorado that features the site of the Sand Creek Massacre which took place during the Colorado War in the 19th century. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 5,539
Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site:
A historic site in California that features the home of Nobel-prize winning playwright Eugene O’Neill. Average Recreational Visits Per Year:3,333
Nicodemus National Historic Site:
A historic site in Kansas that features the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 3,174
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial:
A national memorial in Pennsylvania that features the home of Thaddeus Kosciuszko who was a Polish-born patriot in the American Revolution. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 2,182
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site:
A historic site in Washington D.C. that features the home of African-American historian Carter G. Woodson. Average Recreational Visits Per Year: 1,919
Sources:
“Historic Site Visits.” Humanities Indicators, humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=101
“Annual Visitation Report by Years: 2008-2018.” IRMA Portal, Integrated Resource Management Applications, irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Visitation%20By%20Park%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)
“Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2018.” IRMA Portal, Integrated Resource Management Applications, irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)
“America’s Most Visited Monuments.? Travel and Leisure, 7 April. 2019, www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-visited-monuments?
Gunts, Edward. “Fort McHenry Enjoying a Banner Year.” The Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2012, www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-fort-mchenry-attenance-20120812-story.html
“Antietam National Battlefield 2015 Business Plan.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/anti/learn/management/upload/business-plan.pdf
“Construction on the Visitors Center at the Breakers to Begin.” U.S. News, 10 April. 2017, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rhode-island/articles/2017-04-10/controversial-project-at-the-breakers-mansion-to-begin-soon
“Alcatraz at a Glance.” Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/alcatraz-glance
“Independence National Historical Park.” The PEW Charitable Trusts, 6 Nov. 2016, www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2017/11/independence-national-historical-park
“Tourism.” Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce, www.gettysburg-chamber.org/business-resources/tourism
Dalton, Tom. “What’s Drawing the Most Visitors?” Salem News, 7 Mar. 2014, www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/what-s-drawing-the-most-visitors/article_f3539932-e4df-5c71-8f99-b94db67b2047.html?psid=3G7n7
“What Will You #AskPlymouth400?” Plymouth 400, plymouth400inc.org/blog/what-will-you-askplymouth400
“Freedom Trail Establishment.” The Freedom Trail, www.thefreedomtrail.org/about/freedom-trail-establishment
Massey, Wyatt. “Most Popular Historic Sites in America.” The Stacker, 13 Aug. 2018, thestacker.com/stories/1469/most-popular-historic-sites-america#1
“Best Historic Destinations in the U.S.” USA News, travel.usnews.com/rankings/best-us-historic-destinations/
Bleiberg, Larry. “10 Best Bucket-List U.S. History Sites.” USA Today, 25 July, 2014, www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/10greatplaces/2014/07/25/10-best-us-history-sites/13105615/
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