{"id":142001,"date":"2026-02-03T15:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142001\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T15:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:06:11","slug":"get-free-entry-to-florida-state-parks-heres-when-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142001\/","title":{"rendered":"Get free entry to Florida State Parks. Here’s when and why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida State Parks<\/a> announced free admission will be offered this month as part of the United State’s 250th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n

Held over the Presidents Day weekend, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection<\/a> “invites residents and visitors to explore the places where history unfolded.”<\/p>\n

In addition, national parks across the U.S., including one in Florida, will offer free admission on Washington’s Birthday.<\/p>\n

Get free admission to Florida state parks Feb. 13-16, 2026<\/p>\n

“Explore the places where history unfolded … and experience the landscapes that shaped the nation\u2019s earliest chapters,” the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said in a news release.<\/p>\n

“In honor of George Washington\u2019s birthday, Florida State Parks will offer free admission from Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, through Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.”<\/p>\n

As the ’14th colony,’ Florida played role during Revolutionary period<\/p>\n

“Florida played a complex and often overlooked role during the Revolutionary period<\/a>,” according to Florida State Parks.<\/p>\n

“At the time, British West Florida was sometimes described as the ‘fourteenth colony<\/a>,’ and several present-day state parks preserve sites connected to that era, including:<\/p>\n

Are there any exceptions to the free park admission?<\/p>\n

The Florida DEP said free admission applies to day-use only and excludes Skyway Fishing Pier State Park<\/a> and Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All other fees, including overnight accommodations, special events, concessions and rentals from park vendors, remain in effect.<\/p>\n

Walk grounds where history was made<\/p>\n

“From barrier islands and riverbanks to forts and frontier settlements, these sites offer visitors a chance to walk the same ground where history was made,” Florida DEP said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the nation reflects on 250 years of independence, Florida State Parks invite visitors to experience history not just through exhibits, but through the landscapes themselves,\u201d said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur parks offer meaningful connections to the people and events that shaped our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find Florida events at America250FL<\/p>\n

“America250FL<\/a> is an invitation to every Floridian to celebrate the 250th \u2014 semiquincentennial \u2014 anniversary of our nation\u2019s founding,” the website said.<\/p>\n

To learn more about Florida\u2019s role in America\u2019s 250th anniversary, visit America250FL.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New state park opens in Florida<\/p>\n

A new state park opened in Florida in late January: Shoal River Headwaters State Park.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u27a4 There’s a new state park open in Florida. 6 things to know<\/a><\/p>\n

Shoal River Headwaters State Park is located west of DeFuniak Springs in Florida’s Panhandle.<\/p>\n

The new park in Florida’s Panhandle joins 175 other state parks in the Sunshine State<\/a>, offering a wide variety of experiences for residents and tourists.<\/p>\n

Florida State Parks announced the new addition Jan. 23 during a celebration in Defuniak Springs.<\/p>\n

The 2,480-acre park is comprised of rolling sandy hills, mesic flatlands and floodplain forests along the tributaries of the Shoal River.<\/p>\n

Not a US resident? It’ll cost you to visit national parks<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to get more expensive for international travelers to visit some of America\u2019s most popular national parks<\/a>, including Everglades National Park<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 $100 entry to national parks? Who will pay more, where in Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, “nonresidents without an annual pass will pay a $100 per person<\/a> fee to enter 11 of the most visited national parks.”<\/p>\n

Get free entry into national parks on ‘patriotic fee-free days’<\/p>\n

Most of the sites managed by the National Park Service are free to visit, but some require an entrance pass. You can get free park entry on several “patriotic fee-free days.”<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2026, those dates are:<\/p>\n

July 3-5: Independence Day weekend<\/p>\n

Aug. 25: 110th birthday of the National Park Service<\/p>\n

Sept. 17: Constitution Day<\/p>\n

Oct. 27: Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s birthday<\/p>\n

“Beginning in 2026, free entrance on these days will be for U.S. citizens and residents only,<\/a>” the National Park Service said.<\/p>\n

“Nonresidents will pay the regular entrance fee and any applicable nonresident fees.”<\/p>\n

Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida\u2019s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https:\/\/tallahassee.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Free admission Florida State Parks Presidents Day weekend<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida State Parks announced free admission will be offered this month as part of the United State’s 250th…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142002,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[68881,28,30,29,68883,10156,22202,68884,26729,68882,68880],"class_list":{"0":"post-142001","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-british-west-florida","9":"tag-florida","10":"tag-florida-headlines","11":"tag-florida-news","12":"tag-fort-clinch-state-park","13":"tag-free-admission","14":"tag-national-parks","15":"tag-skyway-fishing-pier-state-park","16":"tag-state-parks","17":"tag-tomoka-state-park","18":"tag-united-state"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}