A cultural landscape is a geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein, associated with an historic event, activity, or person, or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values.
Park Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscapes are a part of the fabric of this nation’s heritage. They’re defined as any lands public or private, large or small, with historic significance (or importance in American history) and historic integrity (or physical authenticity). These lands are eligible for listing or are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the NPS has a Federal government leadership role in preserving them. Cultural landscapes reflect our multi-generational ties to the land as expressions of our need to grow food, give form to our settlements, enjoy places to recreate and have special places to bury our deceased. Our nation has a rich legacy of cultural landscapes, from scenic parkways to battlefields, formal gardens to cattle ranches, cemeteries and pilgrimage routes to village squares and industrial areas.