Latest news with #NationalParkService
Condé Nast Traveler
42 minutes ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Where to Stay Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park
To begin to understand the breadth and beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you must first look at it by the numbers: 522,427 acres, 16 peaks over 6,000 feet in elevation, 848 miles of hiking trails, and nearly 23,000 different species living among the creeks, mountains, and wildflower-filled valleys. According to the National Park Service, over 12 million people venture to this part of North Carolina and Tennessee each year, making it one of the most-visited national parks in the US. The quantitative view, however, only provides the initial context for this sprawling, incredibly biodiverse region. To truly wrap your head around the wonder and wildness of the Smokies, you have to experience it for yourself. Watch the namesake fog settle over the mountains in the early morning. Stumble upon a sky-high waterfall or two. Finally snag a rainbow trout after hours of wading through a cool mountain stream. Whether it's your first time exploring the park or you're planning a return trip, you have options for where to set up your base camp. The historic LeConte Lodge is the only lodging within the park's boundaries—and reservations for the following year are quickly snatched up when the booking window opens in the fall—but there are plenty of memorable hotels, unique glampsites, and rentals to choose from in and around the park's gateway towns. Read on to discover 11 of the best places to stay near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Anti-Trump "Dictator Approved" sculpture erected on National Mall, White House responds
An anti-Trump sculpture titled 'Dictator Approved' has been installed on the National Mall, igniting backlash from both political observers and the White House. The gold-painted, 8-foot artwork features a thumbs-up hand crushing the Statue of Liberty's crown, with plaques quoting authoritarian leaders who have publicly praised Donald Trump. The installation, permitted by the National Park Service, coincided with Trump's June 14 military parade marking the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday. Organisers of the artwork say it was intended to criticise what they described as 'imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regimes.' Each side of the sculpture's base features direct quotes, including Vladimir Putin calling Trump 'a very bright and talented man,' Viktor Orbán describing him as 'the most respected,' Jair Bolsonaro admiring their 'shared values,' and Kim Jong Un citing 'extraordinary courage.' In response, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated: 'If these Democrat activists were living in a dictatorship, their eye-sore of a sculpture wouldn't be sitting on the National Mall right now.' She added, 'In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called 'art,' no matter how ugly it is.' The statue is authorised to remain in place through Sunday.
Mint
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘Dictator approved' sculpture smashing Statue of Liberty in DC baffles internet: ‘Trump should take a selfie with it'
In another turn of events, the artists behind last year's controversial 'poop statue" are back with another masterpiece. This time, it is called 'Dictator Approved', a mocking nod to US President Donald Trump. The statue stands tall in the same spot on the National Mall near Third Street NW. The 8-foot-tall sculpture of a gold-painted hand gives a thumbs-up while crushing the seafoam green crown of the Statue of Liberty. According to a permit from the National Park Service, the artists created Dictator Approved as a response to the military parade held on June 14. 'Will feature imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regime, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC, " the application penned by the sculpture's architects states. According to the parade, the purpose of this artistic masterpiece is to bring to notice the 'the praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump.' An all four sides of the artwork's base, quotes from world leaders are inscribed. One is from Russian President Vladimir Putin that states, 'President Trump is a very bright and talented man.' Another from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban which states, 'The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump.' The third side features a quote from former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, 'We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump.' The fourth quote is from no other than North Korea's Kim Jong Un, ''Your Excellency.' A 'special' relationship. 'The extraordinary courage of President Trump.'' The permit lists Mary Harris as the applicant which allows the artwork to be in place until 5:00 PM of June 22, The Washington Post reported citing permit documents. Its placement was authorised from 7:00 AM of June 16. Social media users were in a frenzy on seeing the 'Dictator Approved' artwork and flooded the internet with hilarious reactions. A user stated, 'This is more beautiful than the statue of liberty itself.' Another user remarked, 'Trump is dictator-approved.' A third user stated, 'This is hilarious!' A fourth user quipped, 'Trump needs to do a selfie next to it.' A fifth user remarked, 'Art as protest—love it. A bold statement against authoritarianism right on the Mall.'
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump bans 'negative' signage at national parks, asks visitors to snitch on unpatriotic text
In his ongoing war on "woke,' President Trump has instructed the National Park Service to scrub any language he would deem negative, unpatriotic or smacking of 'improper partisan ideology' from signs and presentations visitors encounter at national parks and historic sites. Instead, his administration has ordered the national parks and hundreds of other monuments and museums supervised by the Department of the Interior to ensure that all of their signage reminds Americans of our 'extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity and human flourishing.' Those marching orders, which went into effect late last week, have left Trump opponents and free speech advocates gasping in disbelief, wondering how park employees are supposed to put a sunny spin on monuments acknowledging slavery and Jim Crow laws. And how they'll square the story of Japanese Americans shipped off to incarceration camps during World War II with an 'unmatched record of advancing liberty.' At Manzanar National Historic Site, a dusty encampment in the high desert of eastern California, one of 10 camps where more than 120,000 Japanese American civilians were imprisoned during the early 1940s, employees put up a required notice describing the changes last week. Like all such notices across the country, it includes a QR code visitors can use to report any signs they see that are 'negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes." An identical sign is up at the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Kern County, a tribute to the struggle to ensure better wages and safer working conditions for immigrant farm laborers. Such signs are going up across the sprawling system, which includes Fort Sumter National Monument, where Confederates fired the first shots of the Civil War; Ford's Theater National Historic Site in Washington, D.C., where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated; and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park. So, nothing negative about John Wilkes Booth or James Earl Ray? In response to an email requesting comment, a National Park Service spokesperson did not address questions about specific parks or monuments, saying only that changes would be made "where appropriate." The whole thing is "flabbergasting,' said Dennis Arguelles, Southern California director for the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Assn. 'These stories may not be flattering to American heritage, but they're an integral part of our history. 'If we lose these stories, then we're in danger of repeating some of these mistakes,' Arguelles said. Trump titled his March 27 executive order requiring federal sign writers to look on the bright side 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.' He specifically instructed the Interior Department to scrutinize any signs put up since January 2020 — the beginning of the Biden administration — for language that perpetuates 'a false reconstruction' of American history. Trump called out signs that 'undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.' He specifically cited the National Historical Park in Philadelphia and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., as bowing to what he described as the previous administration's zeal to cast 'our Nation's unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness' as 'inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.' His solution? Order federal employees and historians to rewrite the "revisionist" history with language that exudes "patriotism." 'It all seems pretty Orwellian,' said Kimbrough Moore, a rock climber and Yosemite National Park guide book author. After news of the impending changes began circulating in park circles, he posted on Instagram a sign he saw in the toilet at the Porcupine Flat campground in the middle of the park. Across from the ubiquitous sign in all park bathrooms that says, 'Please DO NOT put trash in toilets, it is extremely difficult to remove,' someone added a placard that reads, 'Please DO NOT put trash in the White House. It is extremely difficult to remove.' Predictably, the post went viral, proving what would-be censors have known for centuries: Policing language is a messy business and can be hard to control in a free society. 'Even the pooper can be a venue for resistance,' Moore wrote. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's National Park Tip Line Flooded With Angry Messages
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A tip line set up at national parks and monuments by the Trump administration has been flooded with angry visitors. The Trump administration has been asking national park visitors to report any language they see in the parks that is "negative about either past or living Americans or that fails to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes." They can do this via a QR code link attached to signs. According to National Park Service (NPS) sources who spoke with Government Executive, over 200 people have responded to the signs, but none have followed the prompt. Instead, they are using the QR code page to say they find the request "outrageous." Their responses have not been independently verified by Newsweek. A Department of the Interior spokesperson told Newsweek: "It is a true shame that employees are spending their time leaking to the media instead of doing work for the American people. The same American people who fund their paychecks. Leaks will not be tolerated and this will be investigated." Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025. Main: Jed Jacobsohn, Inset: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo Why It Matters Pushback from national park-goers suggests that many people are unhappy about the attempt to revise language related to American history. During President Donald Trump's second presidency, his administration has designated English as the national language, removed hundreds of books from military libraries that are about race relations and LGBTQ+ history in the United States, and reverted military bases to their Confederate names. The Trump administration has also removed mentions of transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website, despite a transgender woman being the person who initiated the riot. What To Know National park visitors have started to notice signs going up asking them to report language in the parks that discusses America's past or present in a negative light. It follows Trump's executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which says: "It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing." Visitors who respond to the tip line have not been afraid to voice their genuine opinions, according to emails obtained by Government Executive. One email reads: "The executive for feedback is ****. Parks already do an amazing job telling stories that contain hard truths and everyone is entitled to the truth to make better decisions in our lives. So what if people feel bad?" Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023. Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo Another person said in a feedback note to NPS after visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia: "What upset me the most about the museum—more than anything in the actual exhibits—were the signs telling people to report anything they thought was negative about Americans. "That isn't just frustrating, it's outrageous. It felt like an open invitation to police and attack historians for simply doing their jobs: telling the truth." Many people have pointed out how several monuments and parks, such as Stonewall and the Manzanar National Historical Site, a former Japanese internment camp, serve to educate Americans on negative aspects of history so that the same mistakes are not made again. The act used to intern Japanese-Americans en masse in camps was the Alien Enemies Act, now being used by the Trump administration to enable the mass detention and deportation of undocumented people. This executive order has been criticized by the National Parks Conservation Association, with Alan Spears, senior director of Cultural Resources, saying: "The president's executive order could jeopardize the Park Service's mission to protect and interpret American American who cares about our country's history should be worried about what people, places, and themes disappear next." A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024. A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024. Pamela Smith, File/AP Photo What People Are Saying An email sent by an Independence Hall visitor obtained by Government Executive: "Putting up signs like that doesn't protect anyone, [it] just tells visitors that the truth is a problem. And I can't think of anything more offensive than that." Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, told Government Executive: "If our country erases the darker chapters of our history, we will never learn from our mistakes. These signs must come down immediately." Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director of Cultural Resources, said in a press release: "For more than a century, National Park Service staff have worked tirelessly to provide park visitors with a truthful accounting of the people and places at the center of that history. That truthful and factual accounting of history should not change, regardless of which political party is in power." Executive Order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History: "Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history." What Happens Next Trump's executive order also calls for changes to Smithsonian Museum displays and exhibits. Visitors are likely to continue encountering these signs throughout the summer, when the parks are at their busiest.
