August – National Historic Sites

The system of national historic sites developed over the last 100 years celebrates the places, people and events that have shaped our nation – a significant and irreplaceable legacy. We are proud of Parks Canada’s contributions to history and archaeology in Canada. This August, come celebrate the achievements of the last century at national historic sites across the country!

---

• Photo Gallery - Fab Forts

---

But first and foremost, we are thrilled to present you with a unique opportunity to celebrate Parks Canada's 100th birthday, which is directly linked with our theme of the month: The Fab Forts Weekend is a national celebration of Canada's historic forts that will be held in many of our national historic sites across the country on August 19-21. Spearheaded by the 300th anniversary of Fort Chambly, in Quebec, the event will be highlighted by a coast-to-coast 100-gun salute sure to please everyone. Many other activities have been planned everywhere in the country. Just have a look at our schedule of events!

Parks Canada is always innovating, and as part of its commitment to reach new audiences, the agency has developed a wide array of tools that will be sure to please everyone. Find out about some great new ways to discover national historic sites:

• Download our smartphone app to discover recipes from over 75 of Canada’s national historic sites! FREE on your iPhone or iPad. Check out the behind the scenes footage of the recipe testing, also available on Youtube.

• Explora handheld GPS units are an innovative way to explore our sites and are now being used at national historic sites such as Fort Rodd Hill. Click here for more details.

• Don’t forget that MyParksPass gives all grade-8 students in Canada free admission not only to national parks, but also to Canada’s national historic sites! Click here for a map of Parks Canada's heritage places you can visit.

• Follow us on Twitter @ParksCanada

Also, this month...

• Canada has some  amazing national historic sites - that range from ships, to forts, to waterways. They can be found from coast to coast, and from the Canadian -US border all the way up to the far North!

• Did you know that any member of the public is welcome to nominate places to be considered for a national historic site designation? Two of the most recent additions are the Westmount District, in Quebec, and Vancouver's Chinatown, in British Columbia. Learn more about the process here.

• Every month, we offer you beautiful theme-related images that you can download for FREE and use as screensavers for your computer. This month, you can enjoy one or more of these beautiful photos of our national historic sites!