Open seasonally, this is a unique NPS park as a site representing the industrial revolution, factory working conditions, and an early but prominent labor strike, led by female workers. When I went, the visitor center was undergoing renovations, but I could still tour a few of the open buildings, which were well worth it. We started with the boardinghouse. Young women from local farms were early workers who lived on site in an era when women hadn't worked before. I found the information thorough representing both the pros and cons of women having their own income and Lowell being one of the first towns women could open their own bank accounts, they were experiencing life outside their family's farms for the first time interacting with new people to the terrible working conditions and slashed pay forcing the women to stand up for themselves as a collective. It wasn't just a simple "workers good factory bad" but had quotes from many of the workers and the array of experiences. Next door is the factory itself. There is a very thorough exhibit on the entire history of Lowell from its founding based on its ability to harness the river power to its decline based on the rise of other power sources and cheaper sites and labor in the south to its revival based on changing industries. The exhibit was very informative and visually interesting. We didn't even have time to look at everything because it was close to closing time, so leave at least an hour to go through it. There were two videos to engage with, and hearing interviews from former workers was very insightful. When we went, the machine demo was not available, so there was no fee. A tour guide explained how the machines work, so even without them actually running, you could understand the noise, the safety risks, the unbearable heat they worked in, and the fabric fibers in the air they breathed in constantly. Small gift shop on site, and they offer other buildings and tour types on different days, so it's best if you can pick a day for one of the boat tours or when some of the other buildings are open. Personally, I thought what we experienced was still really interesting and worth the visit. NPS sites generally put on a great presentation. read more

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Overall a great stop, several different areas make up the park (I included some extra pictures of things we saw while walking). The 1st Spot was the main visitor center- Very nicely done and very friendly Rangers that gave us an overview of the area. The displays are very informative and helpful. A lot of stuff to see while walking, a train, a fountain, canals, murals (not part of park). We went to the second area, a very friendly young Ranger at desk, she explained what we could see within the buildings. This area was also beautifully done with some of the best restrooms that we have seen. Top of the line !!! The machines were running upstairs to give you a general idea of the noise & chaos that the workers endured. There were videos of actuall workers who told their story which really brought the history to life. There is a trolley that will take you to a third part of the Park (we ran out of time) so missed out on that location. Overall a great representation of an era,of a time of industrial development and the people who made it possible. We visited on a holiday weekend so downtown was pretty empty and street parking was easy (and free due the day). I can see where parking could be confusing on normal days. The second location was very confusing as the building is located where they converted surrounding buildings into apartments. The parking lot in front had restrictions and we just parked on street to be safe. Most of the Rangers working were friendly & helpful except for a group of three that we encountered on factory floor. We just missed a demonstration I am guessing (there were no other visitors that around), but as we walked up, they broke off their conversation and walked away. No acknowledgement at all, which was strange as usually they greet you at least. This incident, parking and the Boarding house not being open (sign said it was) put a slight tarnish on the whole visit. Definitely recommend as the history is fascinating, the areas we saw are well done, and most of the Staff are super helpful & friendly. read more

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This is a really cool NPS site. The interpretative content is really well done. I learned a ton. Super kid friendly. Nice junior ranger program. Rangers are very nice and informative. I would definitely recommend. read more

The one thing that was worth seeing isn't even part of the park. The park itself consist only of the visitor center. Skip.

I had no idea what to expect, but we were in the area and we always try to go to any NPS site when we can because we invariably learn something. We figured we'd spend a little time then find something else to do the rest of the day. I'm so glad we planned to get there when they opened because we ended up spending the entire day there! A couple of tips...... Park in the garage at Paige & John St because it will be walkable from there to anyplace you want to see within the "park". The Visitor Center is where you should start (on Market & Shattuck). There is a good film and just a handful of displays to see. Take a tour (the cost is minimal). The day we were there they had a tour of the old Suffolk Mill which was a short trolley car ride away and where we got to see the turbines up close (don't really see them anyplace else that I know of). I think they have other tours though. Do not miss the loom room. OMG........they have most of the looms running (many just with the belt turning but quite a few actually weaving) and you really start to get an appreciation of the working conditions. Stand there and imagine all the machines running, all the people that would have been in there, and all the fibers in the air. It must have been some very difficult work. And don't miss the museum upstairs from the loom room. You can see all the various steps in the process up there. I esp enjoyed the giant 3D display of the entire building as it was in the day. Have a park ranger walk you thru all the steps throughout the building to really understand start to finish. And, if you are like me and seeing/doing is understanding, don't miss the miniature loom pretty much at the end of the museum. You can actually see/touch a small loom and work it yourself. But, again be sure to have a park ranger help you because whoever used it prior to us had it all screwed up so it wasn't making any sense. She kindly untangled the mess and showed me the proper way to use the loom. Now I finally get it! read more

Excellent hands on learning experience for kids. The staff is great and the working mills are cool! Just be prepared to do Some walking, but it is fun! read more

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We had a great day in Lowell tromping around on canals and through old mills. Lowell is actually a very pretty city. We hit it on a perfect day with temps in the mid-70s, no humidity, and the sun shining brightly. It wasn't crowded at all. Good to note that the Boott Cotton Mill is not immediately next to the actual Lowell NPS center and requires admission. We parked at the Visitor's Center and walked all over Lowell. It's a nice place to walk around and take pictures. We highly, highly recommend the NPS canal tour (it's a total bargain at $8 per person!) which leaves from across the street from the Visitor's Center. Our guide was very entertaining and we learned so much about the canal system and the city. From the trolley cars to the canals and the mills, this is a great day trip from Boston and full of really useful historical lessons. read more

Lowell National Historical Park - Patent model for a loom, 1855, built by Samuel T Thomas, Lawrence MA - Museums Near Me - Lowell, Massachusetts

A must for anyone with an interest in industrial history. You'll have a better understanding of what many of these old mill buildings around Massachusetts actually were. The weave room at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum is simply astounding. Each visitor is given a set of ear plugs because the noise level is so loud when the power looms are operating. If time remains, see the lower locks, swamp locks, Francis gate and Pawtucket gatehouse (Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark), which at one time was controlled by the Francis turbine. The trolley line is a Heritage Railroad but unfortunately was not operating on the day of my visit. Do plan a short visit to the Lowell Public Library to see the four painted panels by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux, the same artist who is responsible for the Gettysburg Cyclorama. read more

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I grew up in Lowell, and still have a ton of love and pride for my hometown. This park does a fantastic job of preserving all the local history, particularly related to the Industrial Revolution/local mills and the canal system. There a number of things to do and see, and agreed w/other folks that when it's warm out, there are a number of pathways to take and walk around outside in. Even though I grew up here and have actually visited this park within the last couple years, I'd gladly go back. read more

I admit, when I think of national parks I envision mountains, and canyons, and fields of wildflowers the size of Rhode Island. But this is just as an important part of our American landscape as those places. An epicenter of human culture, workers rights, industrialization, ingenuity, - the whole ball of wax. And its pretty cool looking too, with the canals and everything. Very much worth the visit - we are where we are today ( or not) because our nation adopted this mode of production. New England (and beyond) are littered with the burned out shells of these once prosperous, industrious places. This park is a great reminder of where we came from and how many lives it impacted. Made me think of what factory towns people will be touring in China in a 100 years. read more

I really like what they do at this park. There really is no other place to learn such in-depth stories of the American industrial revolution - a period which really helped make a modern nation. They touch upon economy, technology, diversity, labor laws, and so on. If it's a good day, I highly recommend the canal tour. read more

If you follow my reviews, you know that I am such a fan of our country's National Parks system. They are all either free or inexpensive, and they have great exhibits to help you learn about important places or eras in our nation's history. Some are outdoorsy, like Yosemite, and others are entirely inside, like the Theodore Roosevelt Innaugural Site in Buffalo. This one is a combination of both elements. Lowell, MA is a town that was designed and built to best utilize the Merrimack River and its power. The main industry in the town was a series of mills that manufactured textiles. Young women would com from their homes on the farms in the surrounding towns to rent space in boarding houses and work long days in the mills for a decent (at the time) wage and live under the supervision of women who would cook and clean for them. In return, the girls paid rent. Eventually boys also came to work in the mills. This sytem worked pretty well for a while until competition from surrounding mill towns drove fabric prices down, and in turn, management needed to demand more production for less money from employees. The three sites that comprise the Lowell National Historical Park consist of a visitor's center that shows a film about the history of the town, a working mill that produces fabric on vintage machines (it's loud in there!) with exhibits upstairs, and a re-created boarding house to show the living conditions of the young female mill workers. You can easily walk between the sites on a variety of routes, including along the canal (checking out the sculptures and interpretive signs along the way) or through the business district (there are a couple of great indpendent coffee shops here). The rangers will give you a map. Alternatively, if you don't want to walk, you can take the vintage yellow trolley for free between the museum sites. It's a great way to see Lowell at a very slow pace without having to walk. Every ranger I met here was very informative and eager to share the history of the town with me and help me find anything I needed. I went on black Friday, so I pretty much had the exhibits all to myself! The trolley was lovely but I think the most memorable part of my visit was watching some videos on the second floor of the mill factory and hearing a woman named Valentine remember seeing a coworker of hers being snatched up into the rafters by her long hair. She also said, "I had to leave school to go to work. I didn't like that. I... don't really want to talk about that." She looked so sad. read more

This park system is awesome. I temporarily moved back to the Lowell area after living out of state for awhile and was looking for things to do. If you can follow the map, this park system is amazzzinggg! It stretches almost across Lowell. The parts of the walkways following canals are so beautiful when it's warm out. I actually live in Brooklyn, NY right now, which is also a historical town. I would place these cities side by side in their coolness factor in keeping history preserved. Here are some sections which stand out to me. There is a long greenway that walks along the Merrimack river, including boathouse on Pawtucket Blvd from the Rourke Bridge to School St Bridge. You can park your car here and walk. Parking is right off the Rourke Bridge on the north side of the river. When you walk over the school street bridge south, there is an opening to your left labeled by national parks that leads into a old walkway along the canal system. This is an amazing walk. You can follow this and continue under the University Ave bridge where you will be taken to the amazing water falls. This is also another beautiful area of the park with the water rushing over carved rock. If you continue along this trail, following the river, you will be taken to a hydroelectric power plant which is pretty cool sight. Further along the trail, following the river, takes you around the Spinners baseball park and some of the oldest historical mill sites around. The portion of the trail that passes Spinners stadium and along to the Bridge Street Bridge is also quite a sight. There are multiple canals you will pass over with running water. The Park System has some other trails which zig zag throughout the historical part of the city which is also a cool thing to do. Have fun. read more

An awesome park! Lowell is considered among the best parks in NPS for education and they have some great programs for school kids. The film is a bit outdated, but it reminded me of 321 Contact which was nice :) Lots of color and noise The visitor center has some cool exhibits, a very helpful computer that can link you up to the MBTA, and bathrooms, which are always good to have. Stop by here first to get a map and info! read more

The 15 minute intro video at the visitor's center was very interesting and informative. We also really enjoyed the exhibits at the Boott Mill. I was hoping for a little more about the life of the Mill Girls at the Mill Girls exhibit, but all in all, the park was great. Looking forward to going back in slightly nicer weather to walk the trails and go on the canal boat tour. Don't miss the free trolley ride! read more

OMG pause OMG This place had me feeling all "Murica and what not. I chose the Park because I wanted to do the canal tour. What I got was a ton of inspiration and a greater understanding of America's past and abilities. I was so impressed by what Lowell and his partners did, and by the canals and the lock system and the everything!!! Sadly seeing Lowell made me question how we as a country have fallen so behind, after reaching so high. read more

What a great park! We only had a few hours to spend here before our flight home from Manchester, but it was a great experience even in the heavy rain. The visitors center is very nice and the staff there was great. We were the only two people there, so they started the little film on Lowell for us and showed us where to get on the trolley to the Boott Museum. The trolley ride was pretty neat and saved us from getting soaked on the way to the museum. The museum was so much better than I imagined. I thought it would be nice, but I also thought it might bore my wife a little. She generally isn't a museum fan, but she loved it. Seeing the power looms in action was awesome. The noise and vibration from them was incredible. I can't imagine what it was like for the mill girls or immigrants that were working those things in limited light for 12 hours a day during Lowell's hay day. The rest of the museum was interesting as well. The Mill Girls exhibit was ok too, but not as in depth as I was hoping. The young ranger stationed there was cool though. Since it was raining so hard and our time was limited we opted not to take the boat tour, but that gives us something to look forward to next time. read more

This park is an amazing piece of American history that celebrates and educates about the industrial revolution. Also, the chief ranger is smokin hot. He alone is reason to go. read more

The canal boat tour was great, we had a very nice guide.. Levine was the name, she brought the history alive and was very friendly to the visitors. We meet outside the National Streetcar Museum and then boarded New Orleans trolley 966 and went down to the swamp Locks, then loaded the boat. I never knew about the locks further down the river and about the 1852 flood and 1936 flood in Lowell. I only knew about the 1938 hurricane. It was a good two hours spent. It was 8 bucks. read more

We went on a summer weekday. Hot day but it didn't matter. What a great place. Disclosure-I was born in Lowell and brought up in the suburbs so I remember the City in the 50s, 60s & 70s, although I haven't lived there in decades. It is so much better, prettier, safer and more vibrant than it has been since the 60s. Kudos to the city and its people. All of the NPS rangers were terrific-from the desk folks to the tour guides. Our canal guide, a college kid named Matas, was enthusiastic, friendly and really knew a lot about the city and canal- he is a Lowell native too, which was nice. They also had City-Year volunteers (Lowell high school kids) doing things and interacting with visitors. What a nice way to involve locals with tourists. I had done the canal tour 20+ years ago and it wasn't as good as it was this time-well worth the time, money and heat. The Boot Mill area is stunning and thankfully this exhibit does make mention of the fact that the early Mill owners made their fortune off of southern slavery-produced cotton. All too many public history installations ignore the fact that slavery fueled fortunes in this country for north AND the south...I wish the section on slavery had been a little more prominent and detailed-but at least it was there. The canal walk was nice, even if hot, and the canal is clean, unlike the 60s. There are plenty of places to eat of all price ranges but we brought a picnic- found a nice shady bench in the Headquarters courtyard and it was lovely- there were also plenty of small and lovely parks nearby where we could have lunched. There is plenty to do for all ages and there is a concerted effort to have specific things for children. It is clean, safe, and (best of all) cheap. A lot of it is free and the canal tour and Boot Mill are inexpensive. We kept looking around and thinking that this place was a GREAT use of our federal tax dollars and we had a great day. Thank you to everyone at the NPS, city of Lowell and special gratitude to the late Paul Tsongas. read more

We did the walk around the canals and visited two museums. Fun day and informative signs line the walk around the canals. Definitely recommend stopping at the visitor's center first. Interesting National Park service and better than we expected. read more

I would have to say this has so far been my favorite National Park. The nature and outdoors is okay for me, but give me urban areas with old architecture, I'm happy! It was a threatening day of rain when I went with my girlfriend, and the NPS personnel at the Visitor Center were friendly and advised of the different options (considering our late arrival). We took the trolley and headed over to the Boott Mill Museum. That was a great museum, especially the floor with all the machines! The displays and stuff on the 2nd floor were awesome and I would have liked to have spent a little bit more time in there. Well, that just means we'll visit again with time enough to do both the mill and the canal boat tour. I would highly recommend it to everyone else! read more

Definitely recommend a visit to Lowell and a first stop at the visitors center. Here you can watch a brief film on the history of lowell and the cloth industry. Then grab a walking map and start out. Follow the trail through old and new. Signs are up along the river to point out old buildings and describe how the river and the trains were used to bring this small farming community to a huge manufacturing center in just a few decades and then it faded as fast as it grew. Its a wonderful contrast between old and new, nature (the river) and man. After, check out one of the little pubs or restaurants. They are mostly locally owned. Stay away from the few chains that are up there and you'll continue your experience of a true American City. The museum and tour maps are free (thanks fed gov) but you can donate a buck or two to help keep it that way. Also a little store with some interesting items is at the visitor center. And galleries line the walkway, so if you enjoy art, poke your head in a few of these too. Also free.... unless you can resist and buy a piece. Enjoy!! read more

Lowell National Park offers great educational programs. You get to experience what the industrial Revolution was like. During Doors Open in Lowell, I was lucky enough to get a tour from Lowell National Historical Park architect Chuck Parrott who described what the area looked like during the Industrial revolution...so amazing!! Wonderful and knowledgeable staff too...doesn't get much better than this! read more