Enjoy 2 Free Days To The National Parks In Lowell This Month

LOWELL, MA — If you're looking for something fun to do with friends or family in Lowell, and you're on a budget, visiting your nearest national park in August might offer the perfect solution. The National Parks Service announced it is waiving entrance fees twice this month at its sites that normally charge entrance fees.

Admission to any national park will be free Wednesday, Aug. 4, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. This law provides up to $1.9 billion a year for five years to put toward maintenance at national parks, forests and other public lands.

In Lowell, guests can get into the Boott Cotton Mills Museum at 115 John St. for free that day. Any other day, guests typically pay anywhere from $3 to $6 for admission.

Once at the museum, explore the stories of the workers, engineers, inventors and investors who made Lowell the first successful planned industrial city in the United States. Learn more about the city’s role as a cutting-edge developer of technology and hub of social and economic change in the American Industrial Revolution.

The Boott Cotton Mills Museum is currently open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

When you visit, make sure you follow any health and safety guidelines the National Park Service has in place. Mask requirements for fully vaccinated visitors will vary by park. In all parks, people who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces.

Regardless of vaccination status, guests must wear a mask inside all park buildings as of Sunday, Aug. 1, according to Lowell National Historical Park,.

If you can't take advantage of the National Park Services' free park admission this Wednesday, no worries! You'll have another opportunity to do so before the month is over. To celebrate the National Park Service's 105th birthday, guests will also enjoy the national parks for free on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

There will also be two more opportunities to visit a national park free of charge later this year. The National Park Service will offer free entrance to all parks on Saturday, Sept. 25 in celebration of National Public Lands Day and then once more on Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day.

To view parks in Massachusetts and other states participating in the National Park Service's free entrance day, visit this link.

The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation or special tours.