Visit Chaco Culture National Historical Park virtually on August 1/NPS

Don't want to travel, but still want to visit Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico or Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina? You can do that on August 1. 

To maintain the American tradition of summer road trips in the age of “social distancing,” The Pursuit of History, a non-profit pioneering innovative ways to engage more people with history, will live stream “America’s Summer Roadtrip 2020” beginning August 1 on AmericasSummerRoadtrip.org. It will also be streamed and archived on The Pursuit of History’s Facebook page.

The “Roadtrip” will travel across the country and through the nation’s history with hour-long livestreams from 12 leading historic sites. Many of the sites are still operating temporarily with limited or no public access and services due to public health restrictions in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Conducted by leading expert guides, each tour will include a special behind-the-scenes look at something that visitors would not get to see if they went in person.

On August 1, the tour will start at 9 a.m. and run until 9 p.m. (Eastern). The tour destinations include:

• Historic New Bridge Landing (River Edge, NJ) – Revolutionary War battle site & Washington headquarters
• The Rebecca Nurse Homestead (Salem, MA) – Home of woman convicted and executed in Salem Witch Trials
• Faneuil Hall and The Printing Office of Edes & Gill (Boston) – Cradle of Liberty. The site of historic meetings, speeches, and debates for 275 years, and the recreation of a historic printing office
• Minute Man National Park (Lexington and Concord) – Site of the first battle in the Revolutionary War
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati) – Abolitionist-era museum and education center dedicated to ongoing struggle for freedom and equality
• The Molly Brown House (Denver) – Famed Titanic survivor’s ornate Victorian-era mansion
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park (West Orange, NJ) – Industrial facility built by Edison in 1887 to research and develop his inventions
• Wright Brothers National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills, NC) – Site of the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine
• American Heritage Museum (Hudson, MA) – Military history museum with extensive collection of vehicles from World War II, as well as World War I and other wars
• Heart Mountain Interpretive Center (Powell, WY) – WW II Japanese American confinement camp
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park (New Mexico) – Ruins of the largest and most advanced ancient Pueblo villages in the Southwest
• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (Near Sacramento) – Site of discovery that sparked California’s 1849 “Gold Rush”

“For organizations facing a sharp drop in visitations this summer, this is a great way to raise awareness and encourage people to visit next year and in the years to come,” explained Carrie Lund, founder and executive director of The Pursuit of History. “And for individuals, this will be a fun way to travel across the country from the comfort of your tablet, computer, or iPhone/Android device.”

For complete “Roadtrip” information including the day’s schedule, and to experience the Roadtrip live on August 1, please visit: AmericasSummerRoadtrip.org. 

The Pursuit of History™ is the non-profit organization that engages adults in conversation about history and connects them with historic sites in their communities and across the country through unique annual events, including History Camp Boston (the first, started in 2014), History Camp Colorado, History Camp Virginia, and History Camp Philadelphia (new in 2020) and through video and other online content.