Eastern National Family of Brands
Meet the Family
Eastern National is a non-profit cooperating association of the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and other public lands partners. Since our founding in 1947, we’ve contributed more than $180 million in support of educational programs and initiatives.
Our organization is comprised of seven branded entities that make up our “brand family.” Members of the brand family share the same mission and goals and are often able to maximize park and visitor services by sharing resources. All revenue generated by members of the brand family support our national park and public lands partners.
Eastern National is the name of the organization that manages brands within the family. It is “the parent company.” You’ll see this brand when you’re in a store that isn’t at a National Park Service site, like Tennessee State Parks or the US Forest Service.
All aid to parks is distributed to our partners under the Eastern National name.
America’s National Parks™ is our largest retail brand. We operate park stores at nearly 170 National Park Service locations. The America’s National Parks™ Online Store is our ecommerce site and carries a curated selection of items from national parks across the country, authentic Passport To Your National Parks® merchandise, and more. Purchases supports interpretation and education in the parks.
Outer Banks Forever is the official philanthropic partner of your Outer Banks national parks, helping to protect these special places through public engagement, programming, and project support.
In the Golden Age of American Maritime history, Salem’s Waite & Peirce sent their ships “to the farthest ports of the rich East” to bring back exotic spices and other treasures. The Waite & Peirce Park Store and Information Center features gifts inspired by the bold spirit of the Salem’s privateers and offers visitors a unique shopping experience in the heart of Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
We proudly operate educational tours and climbs of Highland Lighthouse at Cape Cod National Seashore as well as the Keeper’s Shop.
What’s a cooperating association?
A cooperating association (or “association”) is a 501(c)3 non-profit partner that supports interpretive programs and activities at government land management agencies. These government agencies can be managed on the federal, state, or local level – in other words, cooperating associations help connect people to public lands. Eastern National is a cooperating association that mainly works with the National Park Service but also has partnerships with the US Forest Service, Tennessee State Parks, and other similar entities.
Associations like ours focus on connecting people to parks by developing educational products and publications, operating park stores, procuring land and historical artifacts, and supporting parks’ missions through donations and grants. Our retail stores are the main ways that we generate funds to support the nation’s treasures.
Documents called “cooperating agreements” guide cooperating association activities and are reviewed and renewed on a regular basis. As the largest multi-region cooperating association, Eastern National’s cooperating agreement is signed by the Director of the National Park Service.
Learn more about Eastern National’s history here.