Folks who have been wanting to visit one of California’s State Historic Parks but haven’t found the time to do so may be in luck, as Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state will be offering a free pass to residents in celebration of Juneteenth and America’s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n
California State Parks will offer a special free version of its Historian Passport, which normally costs $50 and allows guests to visit historic parks an unlimited number of times. The pass will grant admission for up to four guests.<\/p>\n
Californians can download the free pass on the California State Parks’ website<\/a>. Notably, the pass is a limited-time offer that will grant guests admission to the parks from June 17 through July 6.<\/p>\n Juneteenth<\/a>, a holiday commemorating the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Texas, officially marks the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj.\u00a0Gen. Gordon Granger informed the city of Galveston, Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had freed slaves in southern states two and a half years earlier.<\/p>\n The day was not officially recognized as a federal holiday until\u00a02021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law<\/a>. However, last year, President Donald Trump<\/a> removed Juneteenth from a list of free admission days to national parks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Newsom noted that in addition to celebrating the day, California would be embracing it and learning from it.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia doesn\u2019t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history,” Newsom said in the press release. “While Trump ignores and tries to rewrite the past, California is marking these celebrations of freedom by inviting everyone to learn our country\u2019s history \u2013 our real history \u2013 for free in our state parks.\u201d<\/p>\n Notably, the Historian Passport does not provide access to all of California’s 280 state parks but rather the 52 Historic Park Sites<\/a>, which are spread across the state.<\/p>\n The special edition of the Historian Passport was supported by donations from the California State Parks Foundation and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, with the goal of offering Californians the opportunity to explore the state’s rich and complex history.<\/p>\n One park that was highlighted for guests to visit during the holidays was Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, which is considered one of the most significant state parks representing Black history in California.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia\u2019s state historic parks preserve some of our nation\u2019s most powerful and meaningful stories, and I\u2019m proud to live in a state that celebrates diversity to connect more people with those stories through this limited-time free pass,\u201d California State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a press release.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope the free Historian Passport introduces more Californians to the state\u2019s historic gems and sparks a curiosity, thirst for knowledge and sense of belonging that leads to many return visits.”<\/p>\n Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at\u00a0npadilla@usatodayco.com<\/a>, follow him on X @1NoePadilla<\/a>\u00a0or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.\u00a0Sign up for the\u00a0TODAY Californian newsletter<\/a>\u00a0or follow us on Facebook at\u00a0TODAY Californian<\/a>.<\/p>\n