Checking out the court house
Park waives fee to encourage visitors
Appomattox Court House National Park will start waiving the fee for visitors beginning Oct. 1 following a major overhaul of many national park fee programs across the nation.
The National Park Service conducted a small park analysis which determined what national parks could maintain financial security through other programs regardless of the waived entrance fee.
LANDMARK — The historic Appomattox Court House is at the center of the national park. Photo credit: Google Images
“We looked at all the details and determined overall the best course of action,” Robin Snyder, superintendent of the park, said. “I think one thing is trying to get more community members to come. Without the fee, more people will regard the park as their’s.”
Snyder said she hopes the change will bring in more visitors from the surrounding area, opening up possibilities to more programs and guests.
The park, which runs several programs for youth during the season, will maintain park funding through donations and budgeting.
The Appomattox Court House National Park has been charging a $10 entrance fee per vehicle for over a decade, according to Snyder.
The park is a national historical location housing the Appomattox Court House, in which the surrender of the Confederacy took place, ending the Civil War.
Snyder hopes the waived fee will encourage people to visit the park and enjoy the surrounding village, museums, cemetery, theater and bookstore.
Schwager is a news reporter.