It’s freezing out there. But a wonderfully inexpensive time to tie the knot with the one you love at Great Falls National Park.
That’s because the government is waving all fees at national parks and monuments for the three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Great Falls is one of the 394 national parks across the county. It’s in our own backyard.
Normally a permit to get married costs around fifty bucks at Great Falls. It’s a spectacular location overlooking the falls and hypnotizing rapids of the Potomac River.
But if you aren’t in marriage mode, put on your hiking boots and go for a bracing walk or bike ride this weekend. The small fee to walk or drive at the park has been reduced to zero for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
We are lucky. Great Falls is close. And visiting is like going on mini-vacation for the day. It normally costs just a few dollars, unlike the Grand Canyon that will set you back up to twenty-five dollars per car.
This is the first of five free national park admission events this year. Get out your calendar and plan ahead. The other four times of this “freeness” are:
1) National Park Week – April 16 to 24.
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2) The first day of summer – June 21
3) National Public Lands Day – September 24
4) Veterans Day Weekend – November 11 to 13
For you history buffs:
The scenic Great Falls of the Potomac River are near the northern boundary of Great Falls National Park. It extends 300 acres along the Potomac River in Fairfax County. Nearby are the remains of the Patowmack Canal. This was the first canal in the United States to use locks to raise and lower boats.
