Yesterday, we took a day trip from Boston to the lovely historic town of Concord, Massachusetts. It’s only a 30 minute drive from our trusted housesitting assignment here so we grabbed the opportunity!
Concord the location of “the shot heard around the world” that started the American Revolution back in 1775.
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4 Great things to see in Concord:
1. The Concord Museum
The Concord Museum was really worth the visit, and we highly recommend starting there to refresh your American History before seeing all the other locations in the town, as it’s a great way to get some background for everything else you will see.
It has great exhibits about the American Revolution, the Abolitionist movement – Concord was a leader in the anti-slavery movement, the many literary figures from Concord, and the Civil War.
The exhibit about Paul Revere’s ride and the events that sparked the start of the American Revolution are particularly well done.
We also had the video game Fallout 4 in our mind as one of the first major quests takes place in the Concord Museum. The museum looks a lot like the video game version, although the outside location is different in the game.
2. Minute Man National Historical Park
The shot that was heard around the world and started the American Revolution was here at North Bridge over the Concord River. The Minute Man National Historic Park is easy to walk, with accessible paths and has great parking .
It’s amazing how the location of the battle here has been kept much like it was in 1775. In fact, there is a battle reenactment here in April every year. Access to the grounds is free and the stroll around the site is accessible and beautiful.
Also, the Minute Men are a faction in Fallout 4 – a history visit and a video game location visit all in one day trip from Boston!
3. The Old Manse at Concord, Massachusetts
The Old Manse has been home to both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau was a frequent visitor there.
You can purchase a Guided Tour or stroll the grounds for free, like we did. It overlooks the battlefield and you can easily visit while visiting the Minute Man park.
4. Walden Pond State Park
You can hike the loop around Walden Pond where Henry David Thoreau spent a year living in the woods. Accessing the state park costs $30 for out of state licence plate cars, and $8 for Massachusetts plates (cost per car 2023).
Since we are doing slow travel while being a trusted house sitting travel couple, we have had the opportunity to see many ponds and lakes in the area, we opted not to pay the $30 for our out of state plates!
Day Tripping from Boston
If you are not staying in the Boston area for a long time, or don’t want to drive yourself to Concord, you can book a tour. Here are some suggestions for guided day trips from Boston.
Read about our adventures while housesitting in Maryland, HERE.
3 responses to “A Day in Concord, Massachusetts”
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What a fun time guys. We did a few house sits in Massachusetts over the years. One in Middleton and one in North Adams, in the Berkshires. Gorgeous state, nice people and ya gotta love New England. So much history where you were in Concord.
Ryan
We really loved our month! So much to see and so much green space!