lowell national historical park

We've visited here a couple of times. Once a long time ago with our sons' boy scout troop. Later with as a history group for a quilting exhibit. The staff and rangers are wonderful.

We found the free parking lot area, but the mix of free, pay and private parking confused us. The Visitors Center needs better signs from the parking area.Once inside, we enjoyed the film, bought some cloth, and headed off for the boarding house exhibit. The museum focuses on the personal and social dimensions of the the mill system.

The National Park Service, to my experience, always does an excellent job. The Lowell NHP is no exception. Situated in an old textile mill, the Visitor Center provides an good starting point. The Boot Mills Museum has a working weave room set up that gives a wonderful sense of what working in a mill must have been like. Walking tours through the downtown area are led by knowledgeable rangers as is the canal boat tour offered during certain seasons.Overall, a trip to Lowell is better if you make time to stop off at the Park.

Met a friend and her 3 boys, (plus my son), ages 8-14 for the afternoon. The boys (including dad) were groaning that this would be boring but as I predicted based on Tripadvisor reviews everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the National Historic Park. The Park staff was engaging and you could tell they truly loved to tell the story of Lowell. We visited the Visitor Center, and then took the trolley to the Boott Mill and the Mill Girl museums. The boys enjoyed learning about the machinery as they competed their Junior Ranger workbooks. The all liked the hands-on chance to spin their own thread. The staff at the Boott Mill took time to talk with the boys about how the machines worked and the conditions during operation which really helped to engage them in the experience. Overall we spent about 3 hours at the Park.

Fascinating and unique national historical park in an urban setting. You learn and understand the genesis, growth and demise of the Industrial Revolution in this part of New England by visiting several of the original textile mill buildings. Excellent and enlightening experience. Exhibits and films presented are top-notch. Good for young and old. A truly eye-opening experience for anyone interested in history, sociology, and engineering.

Touring this National Park takes time, and a great of walking. Not something I am very good at any more. I had some difficulty with the handicapped acces in the museum and visitors center. That aside, the museum is EXCELLENT. NPS has preserved well the machinery and tools of the cotton mills. Some great stories of the people who worked the mills turning cotton into fabrics. We spent most of the afternoon touring the park, time well spent. I just wish I could have done the tour in less pain. The could provide a bench now and then for sitting. Parking is easy at the visitors center, no so at the mills... The history is excellent, but I can't say this was any where near my favorite national park

Great collection of historic photographs of the city mills. Take time to watch the 20 minute film at the visitor center.

A friend and I spent parts of three days in Lowell. We toured the Boott Cotton Mills Museum and the Mill Girls Museum, both operated by the National Park Service. We enjoyed learning about the role of immigration in the development of the mills and seeing the looms in operation. We also did the trolley tour and the canal boat tour for additional views of the area. It's possible to walk between the sites, but there's parking available for those who wish to drive. The trolley is available to shuttle visitors at some times, also. The staff at the Visitor Center was very helpful and there are worthwhile displays there, also. The cost is very reasonable, but be sure to check for hours and availability of the various options and make reservations as needed. We were there in September and the canal boat rides were available on only limited days. The museums are probably not a good choice for small children, but would provide a great experience for school-age children studying history. Hint for first-time visitors: Our GPS took us to the front of the building, but extensive free parking is located behind the building.

What a great way to see Lowell!! Breath taking views, well informed and professional guided tour. I will make this a yearly event with my family. Only in Lowel!!Who dug the canals? Who laid the stone walls? Who operated the locks and gates? Discover the human stories of the workers who built and operated Lowell's remarkable waterpower system. Find out who is still "working the water" today.

We stopped by the Lowell Mill museums on our way home, so didn't have a lot of time. There is a lot to see. We were able to see the Boott Cotton Mills Museum- which had a large space filled with the vintage looms- all the belts were spinning but only a few at the end were producing fabric. You get an idea of the noise level in this workplace. Upstairs was a museum of photos, equipment etc detailing the process from raw cotton to finished material. There was a ranger up there to offer info. Of particular interest were video interviews of people who had worked in the mills not that long ago. There was also a free museum at the nearby boarding house for the girls. We did not have time to take the free trolley tour (free with museum admission I think-- admission for us was only $4 since we had the senior national park pass). It's very impressive here, and other New England towns, to see the vast expanse of mills utilizing the water power in the industrial revolution. It is good that these buildings are being preserved. The museums give an idea of what working in them was like and also goes into the story of the immigrants who came later on to work in themThe whole place is very well done and we hope to return for the trolley tour and the canal boat rides (which were not operating when we were there)- all reasonably priced. The rangers were also helpful.CAVEAT- if you park in the parking lot near the visitor center, bring your parking ticket into the center so it is validated and then parking is free. The places are a bit spread out, so some walking is required, but it's not bad. There is pretty good signage to get to the visitor center

I live in this city and am addicted to the Folk Festival every July. I have been fortunate enough to spend some of my time at the park, where there is amble opportunity to learn some of this mill city's history. Great family activity.

Although this is the city i call home, i have learned alot by visiting Lowell's National Historical Park. It would also make a great history lesson as well. I would recommend it to others as well as go there again myself

We took the trolley tour of the area and visited an original turbine station and saw a working loom. The ranger was informative and gave a good insight into the area and history of the textile industry. I think middle school and above children and families would enjoy this national park.

The story of Lowell is a fascinating one. In just a few decades stemming from around 1820 Lowell grew into an industrial powerhouse producing more than half of all textiles manufactured in the U.S. Many of the massive mills still line the city's rivers and canals some of which have been converted into offices and apartments and others into museums as part of the Lowell National Historic Park. It is impossible to cover everything in a few hours. If your time is limited start in the visitor's center gathering maps and catching the 20 minute introductory film, then walk along one of the canals to the Boot Cotton Mill museum. Here you will find 100+ year old looms producing a variety of cotton products (it is very loud and earplugs are provided) while on the top floor there are some fabulous exhibits on the history of textile production in Lowell and related technology developments. With more time you can explore some of the other buildings/museums and even take a canal tour.

We took the train from Boston - apx. a 1 hour ride - for a day trip to Lowell. We were disappointed to find that there is no information at the train station on how to get to the national park. We discovered that it is fairly easy to walk there with the assistance of a map or GPS.Upon arriving at the park's visitor center we were given a variety of options - some were free and some had a cost. The folks at the visitor center were very helpful and knowledgable in helping us chose what we would like to do. We chose the combined ticket for a canal tour and the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. We also watched the free movie and visited the Mill Girls Exhibit (also free).The canal tour was okay. It was two hours long and I felt we only learned a little bit about the history of Lowell and the American Industrial Revolution. If one has never been through locks this would be a neat experience to better understand how the canal and its lock system works - which is a big part of what made Lowell into the spot where the American Industrial Revolution began.The Boott Cotton Mills Museum was fantastic. It did a great job explaining the American Industrial Revolution and how the town grew up around that. Our favorite part was the loom room where the looms were running and a few of them were being tended as they might have been 200 years ago!The Mill Girls & Immigration Exhibit helped further our understanding of what it was like to live & work for the mills. It also included an exhibit that showcased the history of the city - how it went from a farming community to a booming industry city then how the city changed as the mills left and it became a relocation spot for refugees.Overall, this is a great historical day trip for learning about the history of industry in the United States and its role in shaping the lives of American workers. We found that we needed the whole day to take everything in. If you're a lover of textiles be sure to leave yourself time to check out the textile museums that are not included in the national park (we ran out of time).