April 22-30 is National Park Week this year. The theme for 2023 is "Your Park Story." We've gathered some suggestions of national park units close to home that may spark a connection with you, your children and your pets.

Consider visiting some of the National Park Service sites in the tri-state that welcome dogs and have special programs for kids. Here's three local suggestions: 

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site - Long Island

President Theodore Roosevelt was a family man and that family always included a menagerie of pets. Sagamore Hill, his Oyster Bay estate known as his "summer White House," is protected by the National Park Service. Kids can earn junior ranger badges through activities about Roosevelt's life and the natural aspects found at Sagamore Hill. Dogs are welcome on the property and the trails.

Sagamore Hill offers three junior ranger programs, which the park describes as follows:

Morristown National Historical Park - New Jersey

Morristown National Historical Park honors the New Jersey winter encampment of Gen. George Washington's army during the Revolutionary War. BARK rangers are welcome to join families exploring the trails and the grounds, which include reconstructed shelters. Children can obtain a junior ranger booklet and learn about the Revolutionary War and our area's place in its history. 

Children who complete the Morristown Junior Ranger booklet can receive a special Morristown Junior Ranger badge at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center or the Washington's Headquarters Museum. A virtual program can be done online as well.

Weir Farm National Historical Park - Connecticut

Weir Farm preserves the home, studio and grounds of artist Julian Alden Weir. Dogs can join their owners exploring the site's lawns, trails and pond. 

Weir Farm's Junior Ranger materials are available on the front porch of the visitor center. A virtual scavenger hunt is also available online.

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