Annisquam Lighthouse at the Essex National Heritage Area National Park Week is celebrated across the United States from April 20-28, 2019, paying homage to one of America’s greatest natural resources. In 2017, 331 million park visitors spent an estimated $18.2 billion in local gateway regions while visiting National Park Service lands across the country. These expenditures supported a total of 306,000 jobs, $11.9 billion in labor income, $20.3 billion in value added, and $35.8 billion in economic output in the national economy, according to the National Park Service. Massachusetts is proud of its national parks, historical sites, seashores, heritage areas and national scenic trails spread across the Commonwealth. These parks offer incredible opportunities to experience our state’s history and heritage, natural resources and the environment, maritime and industrial heritage as well as important political, literary and cultural figures ranging from John F. Kennedy and John Adams to Henry Longfellow and Frederick Law Olmsted. In 2017, visitors to Massachusetts national parks spent $539 million and attracted 10,376,681 visitors, according to National Park Service records. Here are fee-free days throughout the year during which visitors can enjoy national parks for free: April 20, 2019 (the first day of National Park Week) August 25, 2019 (the National Park Service’s birthday) September 28, 2019 (National Public Lands Day) November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day) Find out more about visiting Massachusetts at MassVacation.com.

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