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National Historic Landmarks in Parks

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Visiting National Historic Landmarks

Including NHLs in your travel plans can be a great way to learn more about the many stories that make up American history. Because all NHLs have national significance and high degrees of historic integrity, they provide a unique opportunity to experience American history.
 

It is important to note, however, that designation as an NHL does not necessarily make a property open to the public. Property owners retain all property rights and, thus, can choose whether or not to open their sites to visitors. Please check with an NHL before you make plans to visit.

Please contact a National Historic Landmark directly to find out if it is open to the public. The NHL Program does not manage or own National Historic Landmarks. Please direct your inquiries regarding visitor information to the Landmark itself or to the local visitors bureau. NHLs are owned by both public and private entities so not all NHLs are publicly accessible. Some NHLs are located within National Park Service Units; please contact the park unit for visitor information.

That said, many other NHLs are public sites and do welcome visitors. You have likely heard of (or visited) some NHLs: New York's Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge are NHLs, as are Alcatraz Island in California and the Alamo in Texas.

There are National Historic Landmarks in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as in American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the US Minor Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. There is also a National Historic Landmark in Morocco, the American Legation in Tangier. To find NHLs to visit, please consult:

• Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itineraries, which feature sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Some of these sites are also National Historic Landmarks.

• Our page about NHLs in National Parks. Note: Please be aware that not all properties (especially archeological sites) are open to the public.
• Our lists of NHLs by state.

Reminder: please contact the site directly to find out if it is open to the public. The National Historic Landmarks Program does not own or manage NHLs. Beyond what is included on this site, we do not have travel or visitor information for NHLs. Many NHLs are privately owned and are not open to the public.