Articles

The United States established Yellowstone National Park as the country's first national park back in the 1800s. Other wilderness areas came under federal protection over the years, and the National Park Service was established in 1916 to protect and care for these wilderness areas. The list of national parks expanded, and the federal agency now safeguards nearly 400 places, including battlefields, historic homes and national monuments.

Whether you live in the state or a day's drive away, Florida offers a plethora of weekend getaways that are not limited to crowded beaches, theme parks or cities. There are plenty of destinations where you can get away from noise and crowds and enjoy a quiet weekend with your family, your significant other or even all by your lonesome.

Here are a few weekend getaways in Florida that we recommend:

Our national parks system is a thing of beauty -- from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the peaks of the Smoky Mountains. With 285 million people visiting at least one of the 392 parks in 2009, they are also some of the most popular tourist destinations in America. But the parks are in danger. As Kurt Repanshek, journalist and founder of NationalParksTraveler.com, points out, there are a number of different issues that are contributing to downfall of our most precious spaces.