5 Surprising National Park Sites in Cities

These locations are easily accessible and don’t require hiking or long walks

Statue of Liberty and Jersey City and Manhattan

The Statue of Liberty National Monument is one of the National Park System sites that is tucked within a city.

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Rosalind Cummings-Yeates,

AARP

Published January 13, 2025

The diverse beauty of the U.S. landscape inspires many people to hike, walk, bike or just gaze at the scenery up close. The National Park System (NPS) supplies plenty of opportunities to connect with this country’s natural wonders. However, you don’t have to be able to scale mountains or walk miles to enjoy them. Traveling to the wilderness isn’t the only way to enjoy a national park, you can also visit a city-based park.

An overlooked aspect of NPS is the historic and cultural parks that honor not just the outdoors but also the significant sites that reflect American history. These parks don’t require advanced mobility or even traveling great distances since many are in easily accessible cities. Accessibility is important as 14 percent of travelers 50-plus say they need accommodations for a disability, with 78 percent of those needing accommodations for mobility, according to a recent AARP travel trends survey.

Whether you’ve always longed to visit a national park but didn’t think you could tackle it physically, or even travel the distance required, these parks offer accessibility and manageable travel for most people. Here are five NPS park sites tucked into the heart of cities that deliver just as much excitement as bigger, rural parks.

Pullman National Historical Park in Chicago joined the National Park System in 2015.

Daniel Pels

1. Pullman National Historical Park, Chicago

The National Park System added Chicago's Pullman National Historical Park in 2015. Spanning 12 acres on the city’s far South Side, the park preserves the history of one of the first planned industrial communities in the U.S.

George Pullman founded the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1867 and soon amassed a fortune by developing comfortable and luxurious accommodations for cross-country train travel. He purchased 4,000 acres of open prairie to start a model industrial town for Pullman workers, which he completed in 1884. The park includes the Hotel Florence, the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, Historic Pullman Workers’ Homes, and the Pullman Administration Clock Tower Building, which houses the Pullman Visitor Center.

Watch an introductory video and browse through exhibits about labor history, urban planning and civil rights. The center is accessible for all abilities and the exhibits are equipped with no barriers to audio, visual and tactile components. Admission: Free.

Can’t miss: The Pullman National Historical Park is free but check out the Pullman at Home Tours, for $20, which give a glimpse into the lives of Pullman workers and their homes.

A visit to the Statue of Liberty National Monument includes Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty Museum, the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, as well as the statue's pedestal and crown.

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2. Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York

The Statue of Liberty National Monument has also been a part of the NPS since 1933. A gift from France that was dedicated in 1886, the 22-story copper sculpture was installed on Liberty Island in the same year.

An international symbol of freedom and liberty, the statue has welcomed millions of immigrants into the U.S. A visit to the monument includes Liberty Island, the statue’s pedestal and crown, the Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

A ferry ride and admission lines are part of the Statue of Liberty monument journey. Visitors with wheelchairs or scooters are encouraged to bring their own. There are elevators and ramps inside the statue and museum as well as open-captioned films and American Sign Language ranger tours. Admission: Free. Ferry: $25 for adults, and $22 for adults 62-plus.

Can’t miss: Purchase a ticket for the pedestal through the ferry company for $25.80 for adults, $22.80 for adults 62-plus, where the balcony offers soaring views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park highlights the West Coast's maritime heritage.

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3. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Discover the nation’s maritime heritage on the West Coast at the 50-acre San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Established in 1988, the park includes a maritime museum, a visitor center and a library/research facility.

The park is laid out around Aquatic Park Cove which features six vessels from the 19th and 20th centuries that reflect the history of maritime commerce in the West. Learn about the ships’ varied histories with interpretive panels and tactile exploration or use a computer kiosk for an interactive tour of the ships at the visitor center.

The visitor center, the Maritime Museum, Hyde Street Pier (temporarily closed) and research facility are all wheelchair accessible. Admission: Free.

Can’t miss: Don’t pass up the Maritime Museum and its exhibits on the salmon trade and a full-size mermaid ship.

Mission Espada is one of four Spanish frontier missions that is a part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Andrew Shirey

4. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio. (The fifth is the Alamo which is preserved separately.) The park stretches 12 miles and contains the 18th-century Spanish colonial missions of Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada. The Spanish colonial architecture and frescos date back more than 250 years and represent the mingling of Spanish and Indigenous cultures.

Aqueducts, a nature trail, a ranch and operating churches with regular Catholic services can be found at various missions. The visitor center, in Mission San José, has a museum, and features a park film, a gift shop and a guided walk with rangers.

Each of the park’s missions are partially wheelchair accessible but rough terrain and steep stairs cover some areas. The ranger-led tours at Mission San Jose are on paved paths. Admission: Free.

Can’t miss: With so much history to explore, the free ranger-led tours, which run three times a day, are indispensable. You’ll learn about how Indigenous people created the mission frescos.

There is no public access to the high school at the center of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

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5. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Arkansas

Learn about the battle for civil rights and school desegregation in the U.S. at the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. In 1957, the governor of Arkansas tried to block nine African American students from attending Little Rock Central High School after the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation with Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect the Black students from violent mobs.

The site includes a visitor center with an interpretative film, a commemorative garden, the Magnolia Mobil Gas Station where journalists called in their reports about the desegregation crisis, and the historic high school. Visitors can walk around the reflection pool and front steps but there is no public access to the operating high school. The visitor center is equipped with accessible entrances and exhibits with audio descriptions and assistive listening. The commemorative garden and ranger-led tours are on paved paths and a ramp with a slight uphill incline. Admission: Free.

Can’t miss: The visitor center displays thought-provoking exhibits like the differences between Black and white schools of the era and the stories of the Little Rock Nine, including audio with their actual voices.

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Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is an award-winning journalist and author, specializing in travel and culture.

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5 Surprising National Park Sites in Cities

These locations are easily accessible and don’t require hiking or long walks

1. Pullman National Historical Park, Chicago

2. Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York

3. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

4. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

5. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Arkansas

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