Cane River Creole National Historical Park joins the nation in celebrating National Park Week. National Junior Ranger Day is Saturday, April 24 and children of all ages are invited to “Explore, Learn and Protect” your national park and become an official Junior Ranger. Pick up a free Junior Ranger activity book at the Oakland Plantation Store.
Every child who visits on National Junior Ranger Day will receive a free pop-out junior ranger hat and junior ranger activity book. In addition, every child who completes and turns in their junior ranger activity book will receive a free junior ranger badge or patch and special lapel pin.
For those who are adventurous, there is also Junior Ranger Night Explorer book with patch and a Junior Ranger Let’s Go Fishing book with badge.
Before you head out on your National Park Week adventure from April 17-25, download the National Park Service’s new NPS App with tools to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide. Find interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, and much more to plan your national park adventures before and during your trip. The NPS App can be downloaded for free through the App Store and Google Play. In addition, each day of National Park Week has a different theme, so keep an eye on the park’s Facebook page for fun posts each day.
The grounds of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations are open daily from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nearly 80 original buildings remain, many open for self-guided tours including several that are historically furnished from Wednesday through Sunday. Park staff conducts tours of the plantation grounds daily Wednesday through Sunday. In addition, the park offers a cell phone tour. The Oakland Main House is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Magnolia Main House is privately owned and is not open to the public. For more information, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/cari, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/canerivercreoleNPS or call the park at 318-352-0383, ext. 316.