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NO ENTRANCE FEES IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL!
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site has opened for the 2016 visitor season. The site is open seven days a week until October 31 and offers tours of Van Buren's mansion from 9:00am to 4:00pm. In celebration of the centennial year of the National Park Service the usual $7.00 entrance fee has been suspended for the whole season! If you have friends or relatives coming to visit in this summer and want to provide them with a different perspective on presidential politics you can bring them to Kinderhook to visit the home and farm of the country's eighth chief executive and save some money at the same time. If you're planning a trip during the summer, America the Beautiful - National Park & Federal Recreational Lands Passes are still available at the visitor center as are the Military, Senior and Accessibility versions of the pass. All passes are valid at Federal recreation areas such as national parks and historic sites, national wildlife refuges and national forest recreation areas.
In this presidential election year visitors may get a fresh perspective on the centerpiece of President Van Buren's Lindenwald farm, the mansion where he managed two presidential campaigns and entertained politicians and celebrities during the turbulent 1840's and 1850's. Tours are offered throughout the day; the last tour of the day begins at 4:00 pm. Also the grounds are open year round from 7:00 am to sunset. Visitors can pick up a brochure and site bulletin in the parking lot and follow the three quarter mile wayside loop trail to learn more about the founder of the Democratic Party. The experience on the wayside loop trail may be augmented by using a smart phone for additional photos, audio and links at each stop along the way. Other special programs scheduled over the course of the season include: - June 4, Recognition of National Trails Day at the Kinderhook Farmers' Market.
- June 25, MVBee: Learn about the history and beauty of native bees in this drawing and field experience program
- July 4, Ranger Color Guard marches in Kinderhook's Independence Day People's Parade
- July 9, The Friends of Lindenwald host a summertime picnic in the park
- July 19, Access Granted: The Van Buren Papers Project, The Library of Congress and more
- August 13, See our display of 19th century political cartoons at Historic Stuyvesant Day
- August 25, National Park Service 100th birthday recognition
- August 31 - September 6, The Columbia County Fair! See the combined efforts of the county’s historic sites and tourism groups at the Landmarks Collaborative display
September 17, Run the Farm! Join the Kinderhook Runners Club for the Kinderhook Dutch Farming Heritage Trail Run
Finally, we end the NPS centennial year with an extra special Winter Celebration at Lindenwald on December 3. Come and get a sense of what the world (and Lindenwald) was like in 1916. Don't forgetKinderhook Village's observation of the 234th anniversary of Martin Van Buren’s birth on December 5 . Be sure to check the Martin Van Buren NHS website at www.nps.gov/mava for dates and times of other events planned for 2016.
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Last updated: May 30, 2016