Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11
Side Trips from Boston
I
n addition to being, in Oliver Wendell
Holmes's words, “the hub of the solar sys-
tem,” Boston is the hub of a network of
delightful excursions. The destinations in
this chapter—
Lexington
and
Concord,
the
North Shore
and
Cape Ann,
and
Plymouth
—make fascinating, manage-
able day trips and offer enough diversions
to fill several days.
Like Boston, the suburbs are home to
many attractions that rely heavily on aid
from outside sources. Admission fees in
this chapter are current at press time, but
the double whammy of funding cuts and
energy prices may have nudged admission
fees higher by the time you visit. If you're
on a tight budget, call ahead.
1 Lexington & Concord
The shooting stage of the Revolutionary War began here, and parts of the towns still
look much as they did in April 1775, when the fight for independence began. Start
your visit in
Lexington,
where colonists and British troops first clashed. Spend some
time at
Minute Man National Historical Park,
on the border with
Concord,
inves-
tigating the battle that raged there. Decide for yourself where the “shot heard round
the world” rang out—bearing in mind that
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
who wrote those
words, lived in Concord. Emerson's house and
Louisa May Alcott's
nearby family
home are just two of the fascinating destinations in this area.
Some attractions close from late fall to March, April, or mid-April (opening after
Patri-
ots Day,
the third Monday in April). Information about both towns is available from
the
Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau,
9 Central St., Suite 201,
Lowell, MA 01852 (
&
800/443-3332
or 978/459-6150; www.merrimackvalley.org).
LEXINGTON
6 miles NW of Cambridge, 9 miles NW of Boston
A country village turned prosperous suburb, Lexington takes great pride in its history.
It's a pleasant town with some engaging destinations, but it lacks the atmosphere and
abundant attractions of nearby Concord. Making sure to leave time for a tour of the
Buckman Tavern, you can schedule as little as a couple of hours to explore downtown
Lexington, possibly en route to Concord; a visit can also fill a half or full day. The
town contains part of
Minute Man National Historical Park
(see “Exploring the
Area” in the “Concord” section, below), which is definitely worth a visit.
British troops marched from Boston to Lexington late on April 18, 1775 (no need
to memorize the date; you'll hear it everywhere). Tipped off, patriots Paul Revere and
William Dawes rode ahead to sound the warning. Members of the local militia, known
as “Minutemen” for their ability to assemble quickly, were waiting at the
Buckman
Tavern.
John Hancock and Samuel Adams, leaders of the revolutionary movement,
