The directors of the nation's state park systems will gather at a historic southern Indiana hotel this week for an annual conference.
Park directors from all 50 states and U.S.-held territories who are members of the National Association of State Parks Directors will meet Tuesday through Friday at the French Lick Springs Hotel. The U.S. has more than 10,000 state parks that span 18 million combined acres and draw millions of visitors each year.
Both Indiana's state park system and the National Park Service are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year. The theme of this year's conference is "America's State Parks: Celebrating our Sacred Inheritance."