Returning to Cade and I’s Boston Bucket List that we created shortly after moving to the area, we decided that our local exploration before going back for the fall semester would be a trip to Lexington and Concord. Because it was going to be quite challenging to make the trip using public transportation, we asked Cade’s aunt Dana, who lives in the area, if she would be interested in joining us…and using her car. Always up for adventure, she happily agreed! So, we set off that Friday evening to her apartment to prepare for our weekend trip. Saturday we woke up early and headed for Concord. First up was checking out Walden Pond, which was where Henry David Thoreau lived while writing Walden. It was actually pretty funny, none of us have actually read Walden, but it was still pretty cool to see some history and take a hike around the pond.
After our hike, we all agreed that we had earned some beer, so we headed for a local diner to have lunch. Then, after some relaxing and yummy beer, we continued our journey by heading to the Old North Bridge. If you’re not up on your history, this is where the Revolutionary War began with the “Shot heard round the world.”
Next, we hit up the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where many famous people rest, including Thoreau and Hawthorne. This quickly turned into a scavenger hunt with us all splitting up in search of certain headstones.
Last for the day was the Orchard House, which was where Louisa May Alcott grew up. This was also she wrote and set Little Women.
We ended up not taking the tour of the house with the cost but just checked out the gift shop area of the house and bought a couple souvenirs. With that, we called it a day, headed back towards Aunt Dana’s apartment and got some delicious Indian food for dinner.
The next day, Aunt Dana wasn’t quite as interested in seeing Lexington, so Cade and I headed out on our own. Our big goal of the day was to retrace the steps of the battle that happened between the British and Americans, which was about a 5 mile hike between Lexington and Concord. So, with the morning cool temperature, we parked the car and began our hike.
As you can see, even though it was a long walk there was no lack in scenery. Along the way, we came across the site where Paul Revere was captured by the British. What, Paul Revere was captured!? That was exactly my thought. I found it incredibly funny that at no point in my education was that mentioned. He was released after they took his supplies, but he indeed was captured during his midnight ride.
After we reached the end, we headed about another 2 miles into downtown Lexington. Here, we found memorials for the men who lost their lives in the battle.
And, the old Befry perched up on a hill.
After walking close to 10 miles, we hitched a Uber ride back to Concord where we left Aunt Dana’s car and headed downtown for some dinner, which of course included beer.
Dropping Aunt Dana’s car off and catching the commuter rail back home wrapped up our weekend exploring some more history that Boston has to offer, and we got to check another item off our bucket list.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed the history, it was such a fun trip!