Weirdly, a lot of us felt powerless as our elected federal officials shut down the U.S. government for 16 days. We elected them, but I’m pretty sure most of us didn’t elect them to do this.
You can stress this point when your local representatives come up for reelection. Unfortunately, that’s a ways off. If you prefer instant gratification, here’s a suggestion: This weekend, now that the government is again open for business, visit one of the federal parks, forests, refuges, trails, historic sites, military parks — whatever, that was closed during the recent … situation.
Our friends at the N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development have put together a list of federal sites you can visit statewide. Click on the site for information on planning a visit.
This weekend, let your elected officials know how much you appreciate these gems — and don’t appreciate them being capriciously closed. Take a day trip.

• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Cape Lookout National Seashore
• Appalachian Trail
• Overmountain Victory National Trail
• National Forests: Nantahala, Pisgah, Uwharrie, Croatan
• Carl Sandberg Home National Historic Site
• Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
• Moores Creek National Battlefield
• Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
• Wright Brothers National Memorial
• Wildlife Refuges (11 statewide)
• Military Museums at Fort Bragg

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