As part of NPS Centennial

free

News Release Date: December 23, 2015

Contact: Emily G Prigot, 508-996-4095 x 6105

The National Park Service turns 100 years old in 2016 and wants everyone to celebrate! The National Park Service has announced that it will waive entrance fees on 16 special days in 2016. New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, located in downtown New Bedford, offers free admission. The 16 entrance fee-free days for 2016 will be: • January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day • April 16-24 – National Park Week • August 25-28 – National Park Service Birthday Weekend • September 24 – National Public Lands Day • November 11 – Veterans Day

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park does not charge fees for admission. The visitor center stocks a variety of park passes which are valid at National Park Service locations as well as for four other governmental agencies. For more information on passes go to https://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html . 

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park has provided a vital economic boost to the region. In 2014, a National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 272,732 visitors to New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in 2014 spent $14,024,800 in communities near the park. That spending supported 225 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of Southeastern Massachusetts. 

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established by Congress in 1996 to help preserve and interpret America’s nineteenth century whaling industry. The park, which encompasses a 13-block National Historic Landmark District, is the only National Park Service area addressing the history of the whaling industry and its influence on the economic, social, and environmental history of the United States. The visitor center is wheelchair-accessible, and is free of charge. For more information, call the visitor center at 508-996-4095, go to www.nps.gov/nebe or visit the park’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NBWNHP. Everyone finds their park in a different way. Discover yours at FindYourPark.com www.nps.gov About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 409 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.