The National Park Service provides technical, planning, and limited financial assistance to National Heritage Areas. The NPS is a partner and advisor, leaving decision-making authority in the hands of local people and organizations.
This means that a National Heritage Area is not a unit of the National Park Service, nor is any land owned or managed by the NPS. National Park Service involvement is always advisory in nature.
National Heritage Areas
What are National Heritage Areas?
National Heritage Areas are not National Parks; it is where the NPS partners with private partners through a national heritage area designation to further meet the mission of the National Park Service by fostering community stewardship of our nation's heritage.
They are places where Congress-designated natural, cultural, and historic resources to join to form a cohesive, naturally important landscape.
The National Park Service does not assume ownership of lands inside heritage areas or impose land use controls. Instead, it fosters community stewardship of the 62 heritage areas.
Through these National Heritage Areas, each one tells a nationally important story that celebrates our country's diverse heritage.
The NPS will provide technical assistance and distribute matching federal funds/ federal dollars from Congress to NHA entities.
What is the goal of a National Heritage area?
Heritage areas are a community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. This means that between public-private partnerships, National Heritage Areas' goals are to support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.
The goal of National Heritage Areas is to provide resource stewardship through community initiatives. Giving local residents the opportunity to participate in the preservation and stewardship of their local community.
With that being said, there are still National Park Passport stamps in most National Heritage Areas, so you can designate that you visited them.
List of the 62 National Heritage Areas in the U.S.
Alabama
Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, AL
Alaska
Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, AK
Arizona
Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, AZ
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, AZ
California
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area, CA
Colorado
Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area, CO
Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, CO
South Park National Heritage Area, CO
Connecticut
Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor, (CT, MA)
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, (CT, MA)
Florida
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (FL, GA, NC, SC)
Georgia
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, GA
Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, GA
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (FL, GA, NC, SC)
Iowa
Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, IA
Illinois
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, IL
Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area, IL
Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, IL
Kansas
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (KS, MO)
Louisiana
Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, LA
Cane River National Heritage Area, LA
Maryland
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (MD, WV)
Baltimore National Heritage Area, MD
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area (MD, PA, VA, WV)
Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, MD
Maine
Downeast Maine National Heritage Area, ME
Massachusetts
Essex National Heritage Area, MA
Freedom's Way National Heritage Area (MA, NH)
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (MA, RI)
The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor (CT, MA)
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (Ct, MA)
Michigan
MotorCities National Heritage Area, MI
Mississippi
Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (AK, LA, MS)
Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, MS
Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, MS
Missouri
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (KS, MO)
Nevada
Great Basin National Heritage Route (NV, UT)
New Jersey
Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, NJ
New Hampshire
Freedom's WayNational Heritage Area (Ks, MO)
New Mexico
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, NM
New York
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (NY, VT)
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, NY
Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River National Heritage Area, NY
Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, NY
North Carolina
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, NC
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (FL, GA, NC, SC)
Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor (NC,SC)
North Dakota
Northern Plains National Heritage Area, North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway, OH
National Aviation National Heritage Area, OH
Pennsylvania
Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, PA
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area (MD, PA, VA, WV)
Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, PA
Oil Region National Heritage Area, PA
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, PA
Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area, PA
Susquehanna National Heritage Area, PA
Path of ProgressNational Heritage Tour Route (Inactive)
Rhode Island
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (MA, RI)
South Carolina
Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (FL, GA, NC, SC)
South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, SC
Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor (NC, SC)
Tennessee
Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Tn
U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix National Heritage Area, USVI
Utah
Great Basin National Heritage Area (NV, UT)
Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, UT
Vermont
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (NY, VT)
Virginia
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area (MD, PA, VA, WV)
Northern Neck National Heritage Area, VA
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, VA
Washington
Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, WA
Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area, WA
West Virginia
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (MD, WV)
Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area (MD, PA, VA, WV)
National Coal Heritage Area, WV
Wheeling National Heritage Area, WV
The 28 National Heritage Areas that participate in the National Park Passport Stamp program are listed below.
Arabia Mountain • Georgia
Atchafalaya National Heritage Area • Louisiana
Augusta Canal National Heritage Area • Georgia
Cache la Poudre River Corridor • Colorado
Cane River National Heritage Area • Louisiana
Crossroads of the American Revolution • New Jersey
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor • Pennsylvania
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor • New York
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area • New York
Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area •Ohio
Essex National Heritage Area • Massachusetts
Illinois & Michigan National Heritage Corridor • Illinois
John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor • RI and MA
Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area • Pennsylvania
Looking for Lincoln National Heritage Area • Illinois
Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area •Mississippi
Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area •Mississippi
MotorCities National Heritage Area • Michigan
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area • Alabama
National Coal Heritage Area • West Virginia
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area • New Mexico
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area • Pennsylvania
Schuylkill River National Heritage Area • Pennsylvania
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area • Iowa
Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area • Tennessee
The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor • CT and MA
Upper Housatonic • CT and MA
Wheeling National Heritage Area • West Virginia
National Heritage Areas Program
Heritage Areas Program Office
If you are interested in learning more about the National Heritage Areas Program? Contact the program office in Washington, DC. at (850)232-3624
You can also contact the regional offices for additional information.
National Heritage Areas Blog
Make sure to check out the National Heritage Areas Blog for news and stories about National Heritage Areas across the U.S.
National Heritage Areas quarterly Newsletter
Make sure to check out the National Heritage Areas homepage for current and past newsletters on the National Heritage Areas.
National Park Fees
Planning a National Park vacation? America the Beautiful/National Park Pass covers entrance fees for an entire year to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites.
The park pass covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and for up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy on REI.com and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.
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If you enjoy visiting National Parks sites, make sure to check out my List of National Parks by State, a Free Printable checklist of the U.S. National Park Sites, U.S. National Historic Sites, U.S. National Historic Sites, U.S. National Historic Sites, U.S. National Historic Sites, and National Seashores.