From the subway to the president’s porch, historic sites offer visitors a new experience and social science lesson all rolled into one. At historical locations across the country, tourists can step into a different time, worldview, or social status with nothing more than a park pass. We can visit some places to pay our respects to painful pasts and others to celebrate American icons and pioneers.
Using data from the National Park Service’s annual park ranking report for recreational visits, Stacker identified the most popular National Historic Sites (NHS) in the United States. These include museums, forts, houses, and railways. The ranking of historic sites is based on the number of recreational visits in 2019, with data released on March 2, 2020.
America has nearly 90 national historic sites as set out in the 1935 Historic Places Act. Just two years later, the first was created with the Salem Maritime NHS. In 1966, all NHS were automatically placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today there are many famous American sites on this list from the east coast to the west coast and Puerto Rico.
How many of these popular websites have you visited or planned? From a major 19th century military outpost to colonial-era locations in the Caribbean, something on this extensive list is sure to spark some educational inspiration, memories, or an upcoming road trip. Read on to see the 50 most popular historical sites in the country.
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