George Washington Carver National Monument

This was the first national monument honoring an African American and the first for a non-president: George Washington Carver, born into slavery here near Diamond, Missouri, around 1864, rose to become the great agricultural scientist of Tuskegee who transformed Southern farming. The park preserves his boyhood cabin site, the 1881 schoolhouse, and the woods where he first studied plants.

Walk the nature trail past his birth site, try hands-on science activities, and visit the museum; young kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge. For a challenge, take the full Carver Trail and work through the museum in depth.