SEBRING — Highlands Hammock State Park, which is home to the state of Florida Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum, will be celebrating International Museum Day on May 18.

The CCC Museum is one of many museums worldwide that will be marking this event. On Saturday evening, the CCC Museum will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Curator David Schmidt will present his most recent program ‘Built By The CCC: America’s Favorite Parks’ at 6:30 p.m. In the 1930s, hundreds of parks were built by ‘CCC boys’ all over America. Thousands of young men were enrolled in one of President Frank D. Roosevelt’s most successful New Deal Era programs implemented to counter unemployment during the Great Depression. Park Services Specialist Carla Sherwin remarked, “State parks have had an enormous impact on millions of American families and their quality of life. Just think of the family reunions held in a lodge or sheltered by a picnic pavilion and all the summer vacations spent in a cabin in the woods near a lake.” “State parks are so much a part of our lives, that is astonishing to learn that in 1921 only 19 states had any state parks,” she continued. Developing parks became an important part of CCC projects in addition to the work involving reforesting stripped hillsides and planting eroded grasslands.

Historic masonry marks the entrance to the family campground at Highlands Hammock.

Schmidt will present a sweeping overview of CCC parks in all 48 states, their legacy in Alaska and Hawaii and why these parks are immediately recognizable as CCC parks due to similarities in construction, design, engineering, materials, and unique features. CCC buildings and signage have a rustic appearance as they were usually constructed in wood and stone and followed a set of style guidelines, so the aesthetic is the same regardless of the state or geographical region of the country. Although the parks vary by region and may be known for an historic battle, a museum, or a spectacular natural feature, they are all extraordinary and embedded in our national history. Regardless of where you grew up, chances are that your favorite park is a CCC park! This program will be repeated during the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25 at 2:30 p.m.

Park visitors are advised that the CCC Museum is open during the off-season summer months on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Hammock Inn concession also made the following schedule changes: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; Closed Monday. Tram tours, which ended operation for the summer season, will run on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Tram tickets for adults and youth ages 13 years and older are $15 per person. Tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $10. Children ages 5 years and younger ride free. Tickets are sold at the Hammock Inn and may be purchased on the day of the tour or one day in advance. Call the Hammock Inn at 863-402-0061 for more information. Highlands Hammock is located at 5931 Hammock Road in Sebring. Park entry fees of $6.00 per vehicle (up to 8 people) and $4.00 per single occupant vehicle are waived after 6 p.m.