Cultures of the Coast, Florida

Cultures of the Coast is another Junior Ranger badge that can be earned by learning about the natural resources along Florida's coast. By visiting Fort Matanzas and Castillo de san Marcos, and completing another booklet, I also earned this badge.

Castillo de san Marcos, Florida

Castillo de san Marcos was a Spanish fort in St. Augustine, Florida. I earned a Master Junior Ranger patch for doing a good job completing my booklet.

Fort Matanzas, Florida

Fort Matanzas was a small outpost where Spanish soldiers watched for invaders.

Andersonville, Georgia

I visited Andersonville National Historic Site. It is a Prisoner of War memorial for all prisoners of all American wars.

Central High School, Arkansas

This is where the civil rights crisis happened in 1957, when 9 African American students attempted to attend Central High.

Hot Springs, Arkansas

I really had fun at Hot Springs. We saw a natural spring where the water was 143 degrees coming out of the ground. It was so hot, I could hardly keep my hand in it. We saw the bathhouses, which were really nice, and we filled up some jugs with mineral water to bring home.

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith was an Army outpost, a court, and a jail. Judge Parker, known as the "Hanging Judge" sent 75 people to the gallows that was located just outside the main building.

Chickasaw, Oklahoma

The nature center at Chickasaw had a bunch of snakes, that was my favorite part. The river was had flooded over the road and Papa had to turn around on a narrow road - with the trailer on. It was an adventure.

Lyndon B. Johnson, Texas

LBJ Ranch was really cool. It is a working ranch and a cowboy there showed me how to use a lariat. I also got to gather an egg at the German pioneer settlement.

San Antonio Missions, Texas

Mission San Jose was awesome! It is very authentic and I got to see how the Indian converts lived in the mission. Then we visited the most famous San Antonio Mission - The Alamo.

Big Thicket, Texas

Big Thicket has a great variety of habitats in a small area.
To earn my JR badge I had to take a hike and find a whole list of items. One item was animal tracks. I found deer tracks.

Cane River Creole, Louisiana

Cane River is a Creole cotton farm in rural Louisiana. Several families lived and worked on the farm. They had a store that was also a post office.

Natchez, Mississippi

We visited Melrose Plantation in Natchez Mississippi. My favorite part was the punkah fan over the dining table. A slave child pulled the cord to make it swing back and forth.

New Orleans Jazz, Louisiana

I learned about jazz music at the New Orleans Jazz NHP. They had musicians playing right there in the center. We also saw and heard many musicians on the streets of the French Quarter. After eating a muffeletta at Central Grocery, I ate beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde.

Jean Lafitte, Louisiana

Here I am in the Jean Lafitte Courtyard in New Orleans with my certificate and my souvenir - Museum replica Pirate Coins. The next picture is me at Jackson Park.

Obed Wild and Scenic River, Tennessee

Obed Visitor's Center is located in Wartburg, TN, a small town on the Cumberland Plateau. After doing some of my booklet at the center, we drove through the park a ways and had a picnic lunch. I explored the river and finished my booklet.

Big South Fork, Tennessee

The visitor's center is in the coal town of Strearn, at the rail station. Then we went into the park, to Blue Heron, an old coal mining camp. The buildings are gone, but they have skeleton buildings. Inside the buildings is a button to press and hear real people who lived there talk about life in a coal camp.

Cumberland Gap, Kentucky

We explored the Cumberland Gap by hiking to the saddle of the Gap and then on to the Tri-state marker, where I stood in three states, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia - all at the same time! The hike was about 2.5 miles roundtrip. Uphill for 1.25 miles and then downhill on the way back.

Chicamauga & Chattanooga, Georgia

We visited Chickamauga on a very rainy day, but most of the Junior Ranger booklet could be completed at the visitor center. Later, it quit raining so we visited Point Park.

Ullysses S. Grant, Missouri

I saw the home of the former president and the hero of the Civil War near St. Louis. The magic mirror was pretty neat.

Jefferson National Expansion, Missouri

I completed a Junior Ranger booklet at the Old Courthouse and learned about Dred Scott, architecture and how the city of St. Louis has changed over the years. Then we went up in the arch, and on a riverboat ride.

Lewis & Clark Trail, Missouri

St. Louis is a stop on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. I attended a ranger talk about the Lewis & Clark Expedition at the Visitor Center, and did my Junior Ranger booklet at home.

Lincoln Home, Illinois

The Lincoln Home in Springfield Il. was fun. There was a whole neighborhood of homes, just as they were when Abraham Lincoln lived there. Don't miss the Lincoln Presidential Museum if you go there.