National Park Service Senior Pass

If you are 62 years old or older, you are eligible to purchase a lifetime pass for seniors from the National Park Service.  For only $10, you can have access to all of the national parks run by the National Park Service. Since that number is close to 400, that is quite a bargain.  But, as they say in those infomercials on television, it gets even better.  Not only you have that access, you can take along 3 other persons with you on your visit---at no charge.

We were recently in St. Augustine, Florida and visited the Castillo de San Marcos. It was there that one of the park rangers told us of this real steal. By the way, the Castillo is an absolute must-see if you get a chance to visit that part of the country. It is in excellent condition, despite dating back to 1672. Built by the Spanish to protect their empire in America, it was built to last. Some of the walls are said to be between 14 and 19 feet thick. It was also surrounded by a 40 foot moat. Large cannons still line the gun deck. At 2:30 p.m. during our visit last Sunday, there was a demonstration of the firing of one of those cannons.  It was an excellent show that had everyone cheering.

Two suggestions: If you are interested in visiting the national parks, by all means secure a senior pass. And if you are in the vicinity, you must stop and see the Castillo de San Marcos.