We love our local Jacksonville parks, and one of the great things about them is that most of them are free to visit. With lots of great National Park sites and Florida State Parks in North Florida, you might want to take notice of the free National & State Park admission days so you can save a few bucks and get the kids outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
2024 Free National Park Days
There are five days in 2024 where you can visit our National Park completely free of charge.
- January 15th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- April 20th – The First Day of National Park Week
- June 19th – Juneteenth
- August 4th – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- September 28th – National Public Lands Day
- November 11th – Veterans Day
In Florida this means you won’t have to pay for entry to any of the parks that charge admission. Florida National Park sites that charge admission include, Canaveral National Seashore, Castillo De San Marcos National Monument, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Gulf Islands National Seashore. Just a reminder that in our area some National Parks, like Fort Caroline National Memorial, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, and Fort Matanzas National Monument are free to visit year round!
2024 Free Florida State Park Admission
There are no days in 2024 where you can visit our Florida State Parks completely free of charge. However Veterans and Florida residents can obtain discounted annual passes.
A few of our favorite Florida State Parks in North Florida include Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, O’Leno State Park, and Anastasia State Park. But there are tons of options, whether you prefer to climb on the trees at Boneyard Beach or explore the gardens at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.
About Free National Park Admission Days
The free entry days for National Parks is for single car or individual person entry fees. The free day promotions do not cover any extra amenities or fees for things such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or tours.
Other Ways to Gain Free Entry
For National Parks, all fourth graders can receive a free park pass by signing up at the Every Kid Outdoors website. This allows the student and their family to gain admission for free to all National Park throughout their fourth grade year. Current US military members and their dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force, as well as Reserve and National Guard can also get a free Military Annual Pass that will allow them to visit National Park sites at no charge.
Florida State Parks doesn’t have any programs for students, but certain military members and licensed family foster homes can get a discounted or free pass depending on which category they fall into. You can learn more by visiting the Florida State Park discounted membership site.
