We are currently on a 12 day trip to Massachusetts and New
York to visit some of the many National Park Service (NPS) sites jammed into
those two states, especially around Boston and New York City. This will bring our total number of NPS units
visited to over 350 and provide information for many future blog posts.
We are also working hard to edit our first guidebook, which we will self-publish in October 2019. It is entitled A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s National Parks and it focuses on helping the reader have special experiences in 50 of the busiest National Parks. Scott has created original logos for each of the 50 parks, which can be printed on T-shirts, mugs, pillows, and a variety of products through Amazon and Café Press.
Thank you to our readers for continuing to inspire us to visit new NPS sites and share the wonders with you all.
The events that occurred at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775 were immortalized by Ralph Waldo Emerson as “the shot heard round the world.” First of all, a “Minute Man” was a colonial militiaman who was always ready to fight at a minute’s notice. Secondly, when the colonial militia fired upon British troops at North Bridge, it was considered an act of treason against the Crown and truly started the Revolutionary War at a time when the majority of colonists did not want independence.
Highlights
Films, Hartwell Tavern, North Bridge, the Wayside, Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery
Must-Do Activity
If your memory on what exactly happened here is a bit foggy,
start with the multimedia presentation at either of two National Park Service
(NPS) visitor centers, located in the suburbs west of Boston. At Lexington, you will learn the true story
of how Paul Revere’s ride ended early when he was captured by British soldiers
and that he did not mention redcoats, instead yelling “the Regulars are coming
out!” At Concord, you will learn about
“the shot heard round the world.”
Best Trail
Battle Road Trail stretches 5 miles between Fiske Hill in
Lexington to Meriam’s Corner in Concord, and is open to bicycles. It passes many historic sites, including
Hartwell Tavern.
Instagram-worthy
Photo
We recommend a walk up Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The graves of famous local writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, are located here.
Peak Season
Summer
Hours
Hours for the many historic buildings vary and most are not open every day of the week.
Built in the 1820s, Lowell, Massachusetts took the idea of a mill town and scaled it up to a factory city. Utilizing the power of the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, its textile mills grew until its population reached 33,000 by 1850. The workers were primarily immigrants and predominantly women, many of whom were single and lived in boarding houses like the one you can tour today in Lowell National Historical Park.
Highlights
Mill Girls and Immigrants Exhibit, Boot Cotton Mills Museum, canal boat tours, Lower Locks, Jack Kerouac Commemorative Park
Must-Do Activity
It is worth the entry fee to go inside Boott Cotton Mills Museum to hear, feel, and see early-1900s machines still running and learn more about the manufacturing process, living conditions, and labor unrest.
Best Trail
Not a traditional trail, but it is a short walk along the historic canals from the NPS Visitor Center to Boott Cotton Mills Museum, the Lower Locks, and the Commemorative Park to author Jack Kerouac.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Hand dug canals from the Concord and Merrimack Rivers powered the Lower Locks in downtown Lowell.
None for most sites and NPS Visitor Center (free parking there), but Boott Cotton Mills Museum charges $6 per adult for admission (discount with America the Beautiful pass).
Road Conditions
All roads paved
Camping
Harold Parker State Forest has a campground open in summer 13 miles east of Lowell.
Feel the power of these loud machines in action inside Boott Cotton Mills Museum.
There are a few artifacts from the life of hometown hero Jack Kerouac whose books inspired the Beat Generation.
Explore More – How did the “kiss of death” slowly kill many textile workers?
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