The Northeast region of the United States contains a wide range of traditional national parks, but also has a large number of historical parks, monuments, heritage corridors, scenic trails, and scenic rivers. All are part of the national parks system.

In New England, perhaps the focal point of the parks system is Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The greater Boston and the greater Philadelphia metropolitan areas standout because of their colonial era heritage.

These national sites include beautiful parks and rivers, but also urban historical sites in the centers of Boston and Philadelphia.

Visitors will see the beginnings of the American experience at sites that celebrate America's history even before the United States was born.

The sites include historical museums, historical locations, military parks, monuments marking key locations of the American Revolution, and the individuals who contributed greatly to the founding and development of the cities of Boston and Philadelphia and of the United States.

We take readers to the Freedom Trail, that famous red line painted or bricked into the sidewalks of downtown Boston. We visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in downtown Philadelphia. We also explore historic areas outside of these grand cities, such as Salem, Lexington, Gettysburg, and Valley Forge.

There is much of America's history and culture to explore in the modern-day Northeast.