California Parks and Recreation Areas with National Historic Site

The fort was designed to mount 126 massive cannon. Rushed to completion at the beginning of the Civil War, Fort Point was first garrisoned in February of 1861 by Company I, 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment. The fort was occupied throughout the Civil War, but the advent of faster, more powerful rifled cannon made brick forts such as Fort Point obsolete. In 1886 the troops were withdrawn, and the last cannon were removed about 1900. The fort was then used for storage and training purposes for many years.

Phone: (415) 556-1693   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: San Francisco   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Fort Point

The Site preserves the 14 room mansion where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. While living in Martinez, Muir accomplished many things: he battled to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, served as the first president and one of the founders of the Sierra Club, played a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world. Muir's work laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. The Muir house and historic Martinez adobe became part of the National Park Service in 1964. In 1992, Mt. Wanda was added to the Site. The 325 acre tract of oak woodland and grassland was historically owned by the Muir family.

Phone: (925)228-8860   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Martinez   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: John Muir National Historic Site

Located at the west end of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, this park includes the fleet of national historic landmark vessels at Hyde Street Pier, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility. Visitors can board turn-of-the-century ships, tour the museum and learn traditional arts -- like boatbuilding and woodworking. The Park offers educational, music and craft programs for all ages, and provides unique opportunities for docents, interns and volunteers to learn more about the nation's maritime heritage.

Phone: (415)447-5000   Price Range: $0 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: San Francisco   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, National Historic Site   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Wildlife Watching   Details Provided By: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps at which Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II. Located at the foot of the imposing Sierra Nevada in eastern California's Owens Valley, Manzanar has been identified as the best preserved of these camps.

Phone: (760) 878-2932   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Independence   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Birding, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Manzanar National Historic Site

The World War II Home Front is a significant chapter in Americas history. Fully engaged in winning World War II, American women, minorities, and men worked toward a common goal in a manner that has been unequaled since. Women affectionately known as "Rosies" helped change industry and had sweeping and lasting impacts. Richmond, California played a significant and nationally recognized part in the World War II Home Front. The four Richmond shipyards, with their combined 27 shipways, produced 747 ships, more than any other shipyard complex in the country. Richmond was home to 56 different war industries, more than any other city of its size in the United States. The city grew nearly overnight from 24,000 people to 100,000 people, overwhelming the available housing stock, roads, schools, businesses and community services.

Phone: 510 232-5050   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: South Richmond   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, National Historic Site   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park

Eugene Gladstone O'Neill, the only Nobel Prize winning playwright from the United States and the architect of modern American theater, lived at Tao House in the hills above Danville from 1937 to 1944. It was at this site that he wrote his final and most successful plays; The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and A Moon For the Misbegotten. Since 1980, the National Park Service has been restoring Tao House, the courtyard and orchards and telling the story of O'Neill, his work and his influence on American theater.

Phone: (925) 838-0249   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Danville   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Birding, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Eugene O'Neill