Expanded Children's Programming in 2020

Two children assemble a large 4 by 8 foot puzzle in the museum gallery

NPS Photo

New children’s programming will be offered at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site on select days throughout the rest of 2020. “Second Sunday Family Fun” will take place on the second Sunday of each month from 2PM to 3PM. Activities will vary each month and include games, crafts, puzzles, and music. For March, Park Guide Ashton Farrell will be offering a program on the life of a Civil War soldier. He will wear a Civil War soldier’s uniform and discuss camp life, military drills, and the every day challenges of life as a soldier.

The park is also hosting “Toddler Tuesdays” on alternating Tuesdays throughout the year from 9AM to 10AM. In March the program will take place on the 3rd and the 17th. Activities will include story time, finger painting, and nature walks throughout the park grounds.

The idea for expanded children’s programming came from Park Guide Evann Meyer. “I was interested in creating more programs for families with younger children,” Evann said, because “we simply didn't have a lot of programs for kids under elementary school age.” While the park has historically offered special activities such as Junior Ranger Day and living history programming, connecting with children under the age of five was a challenge Evann wanted to tackle. “It can be difficult if not impossible to get a two-year old to be interested in a thirty-minute house tour or twenty-minute movie. National Parks are for children too, and we need to find ways to engage them,” she stated.

These children’s programs are free with no reservation required. Check the park’s calendar for scheduled dates throughout the remainder of the year.