You’re free to roam our US National Parks on select days in 2025, including all the parks, historic sites and other federal lands managed by the National Park Service in Georgia. But if you’re visiting the US or a non-resident, you’ll need to take along a credit card or cash because this benefit is for US residents only due to recent changes.
On eight occasions in 2026 totaling 10 days, the US National Park Service makes parks free to roam for US residents. The Park Service waives entry fees for all properties under its stewardship. So, whether you are a family looking for a weekend getaway, friends seeking a memorable outing, or even solo adventurers desiring to connect with nature, you’ll want to mark these on your calendar.
Free for Residents
According to the US National Parks Service, here are a list of the free admission periods and days for 2026:
- February 16, Presidents Day
- May 25, Memorial Day
- June 14, Flag Day
- July 3-5, Independence Day Weekend
- August 25, National Park Service 110th Birthday
- September 17, Constitution Day
- October 27, Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthday
- November 11, Veteran’s Day
Georgia is home to 11 sites that are managed by the National Park Service or designated as National Parks. More than 11 million visitors enter the Georgia locations each year, according to the US National Park Service.
Plus, the National Park Service manages additional locations in Georgia designated as National Heritage Areas, National Trails, National Register of Historic Places Listings, National Historic Landmarks and National Natural Landmarks. Admission also is waived to those locations. But note that other fees for activities, rentals, and similar, remain in place on free admission days.
Georgia’s National Park Locations
Now, the free days apply to National Parks nationwide, so you don’t have to limit your exploration to Georgia. But, if you want to stick close to home in the Peach State, Georgia’s most visited and popular National Parks-managed sites, according to NPS statistics, are:
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, various locations in the Atlanta area. Spanning about 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River from the Buford Dam down toward metro-Atlanta, these sites are popular for hiking, jogging, paddling, fishing, picnicking, and enjoying riverfront trails and scenic natural units. NPS estimates that more than 3 million visitors each year visit the river-straddling units including Cochran Shoals, East Palisades, and the Sope Creek and Vickery Creek.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Marietta and Kennesaw. The summit here offers spectacular views of Atlanta and the northern Mountain. Trails feature historic earthworks, cannon emplacements, and memorials from this Civil War battlefield from the Atlanta Campaign. KeMo, as its known to locals, attracted nearly 1.5 million visitors, according to recent NPS reports.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, near downtown Atlanta. The Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta is home to this park which preserves several sites tied to Dr. King’s early life. Key locations include Dr. King’s birth home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King Center, his and Coretta Scott King’s tomb, and interpretive exhibits about the Civil Rights Movement. It receives close to a million visitors annually, based on NPS statistics.
Cumberland Island National Seashore, in Camden County. Georgia’s largest barrier island includes roughly 17.5 miles of undeveloped beach, maritime forest, marshes, and historic structures. Visitors take a ferry from St. Marys to experience native landscapes, wild horses spotting sea turtles and shorebirds, camping, walking its dunes and trails, and exploring the ruins of mansions and estates like Dungeness and Plum Orchard.
Fort Pulaski National Monument, on Cockspur Island, near Savannah. This Civil War-era fort is well known for the 1862 bombardment by Union forces. Troops used rifled cannon which proved to render brick fortifications obsolete. The monument offers guided tours, a visitor center museum, trails through salt marsh and coastal forest, and proximity to the Cockspur Island Lighthouse.
Fort Frederica National Monument, on St. Simons Island. Live oaks and tabby ruins mark the site of General Oglethorpe’s 18th-century fort and town. Here, Britain secured Georgia against Spanish Florida. Trails and waysides lead through the archeological remains along the Frederica River.
For a list of all National Park managed sites in Georgia, visit the US National Parks website.
More National Park Visits
Below, a few random choices of favorite experiences and photos from our most recent visits to our US National Parks and park properties.
