National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series

Heritage Education Services

As our list of travel itineraries grows, the historic destinations you can visit online or in person are virtually endless! Each itinerary is a self-guided tour to historic places most of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Spotlighting different communities, geographic regions and themes across the country, the travel itineraries expose you to a huge variety of places significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries can help you plan your next trip!

Frequently Asked Questions

Some important concepts to keep in mind:

The itineraries are produced by the Discover our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary program. We are a program in the National Park Service. Neither the Discover our Shared Heritage program nor the National Park Service as a whole owns or operates the vast majority of properties described in the itineraries. Many questions are better answered by contacting the property owner. Contact information is at the bottom of each page in the itinerary.

Q: I want  to visit the property, how do I do that?

A: The Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary program is a program of the National Park Service. The National Park Service does not own or operate the vast majority of properties described in the itineraries. There is contact and visitor information at the bottom of each page in the itineraries.

Q: I want to host/hold an event, like a wedding, at one of the properties:
A: The National Park Service does not own or operate the vast majority of properties described in the itineraries. There is contact and visitor information at the bottom of each page in the itinerary.

Q: How do I get to the specific property I want to visit?
A: The bottom of each page includes a section on the property’s location, visiting hours (if applicable) and links to the property. Each itinerary also includes a map with the properties plotted.

 Q: The information in the description is incorrect:
A: Almost all of the properties in the Discover our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Program are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In most cases the information in the descriptions is based on the National Register of Historic Places file. Please check the file to see if the National Register file either confirms or disputes the information in the itinerary. You can find the file by going to the research section of the National Register website.
www.nps.gov/nr/research/

Q: Okay, I have the file, and it’s wrong too, what do I do?
A: In order to update a file in the National Register of Historic Places you can contact the NR program. Generally the file was prepared by a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The SHPO would have to update their file, then inform the NR of the change, then the itinerary can be updated.

Q: I don’t think I really need to check the NR file to tell you that World War II ended in 1945, not 1845. How do I report a typo?
A: Yes, for a brief period of time we reported that World War II ended in 1845. We have many people in our office and our partners review the itineraries before we launch an itinerary, but we still find tpyos. Please report any typos or mistakes that you find to us via e-mail (nr_travel @ nps.gov). Please include the property name, the itinerary and the URL of the page.

Q: One (or more) of the links in your itinerary is broken. How do I report this?
A: Please let us know via e-mail (nr_travel @ nps.gov). Please tell us the property name, itinerary name, and the URL of the page. If you know the correct link, please tell us that also.

Q: Can I use one of the photographs from the itinerary?
A: The photographs have a credit line under them. Please contact whoever is credited. The credits page on each itinerary may be able to help you to find the copyright holder. The National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Program does not own the copyright to the photographs used in the itineraries. If a photograph has a credit line of "NPS photo" or photograph by NPS or similar wording then the photograph is in the public domain. Photographs taken by federal employees in the normal course of their duties are in the public domain.

Q: How come a property that should be included was not included?
A: Each itinerary has a credits page that includes all of the partners that worked on the itinerary. There are many reasons why some properties were chosen and others were not. The property may not be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, or the property may not have been listed when the itinerary was created, the property may not fit within the theme of the itinerary.


Q: How do we get a property added to the itinerary?
A: Please contact us by e-mail. Please be aware that due to staff shortages we may not be able to add a property.

Q: Why isn't there an itinerary of my favorite place/town/vacation area?
A: We work with our partners to create an itinerary. Our partners do a lot of work of work on the itineraries. In some cases we approach people, agencies, programs, societies, organizations to ask if they have the time and resources to create an itinerary. In other cases we were approached with the idea of doing an itinerary.

Q: How do we propose an entire itinerary?
A: Please contact us by e-mail. Please be aware that due to staff shortages we may not be able to add an itinerary.

Q: How do I contact you?
A: You can e-mail us at nr_travel@nps.gov

If you are referring to a specific itinerary or description, please provide us

  1. the name of the property,

  2. the name of the itinerary and the

  3. URL of the web page.

Please keep in mind that the NPS Travel Itinerary Program does not own or operate any of the properties in the itineraries. Your question may be better directed to the owner of the property. Contact information for the properties are at the bottom of each page.


Q: I know someone who died in the Civil War, how do I find out more information about them?
A: The National Park Service has a Civil War website. On the website is the Soldiers and Sailors Database that may be of help to you.
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm


Q: I am doing genealogical research, how do I find out more about my family in your travel itineraries?
A: We do not really have very helpful genealogical information. The information we have is already in the itinerary. The information, generally is gathered from information in the National Register of Historic Places.

Some sites that may be of help to your search for genealogical information:

Q: I have some information on a property that I believe was part of the Underground Railroad. What should I do with this information?
A: The National Park Service is implementing a national Underground Railroad program to coordinate preservation and education efforts nationwide and integrate local historical places, museums, and interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad into a mosaic of community, regional, and national stories.  The NPS Program is called the Network to Freedom. They may be able to assist you:
http://www.nps.gov/subjects/ugrr/index.htm


Q: Can you send me more about the subject covered in the itinerary?
A: We post everything that we have about the properties. We do not have any additional materials. Each itinerary has a “Learn More” page that contains links to tourist offices, chambers of commerce, our partners on the itinerary and more.

Quicklinks