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Adams National Historical Park
Address: Visitor Center 1250 Hancock St.
Quincy, MA 2169
Phone: 617-770-1175 or 617-773-1177
Fax: 617-472-7562
Overview. In 1787, John Adams, the second president of the United States, purchased the "Old House" from a wealthy West Indian plantation owner. Since then, four generations of this preeminent American family of presidents, writers, and thinkers have lived here, including Abigail Adams, sixth president John Quincy Adams, Brooks Adams, and Henry Adams. On this 13-acre site, 11 other historic structures surround the Old House, among them a formal 18th-century style garden, the presidential birthplaces and the United First Parish Church, where the remains of the presidents and the first ladies are entombed. The buildings commemorate the formidable achievements of these important American intellectuals and their contributions to the shaping of the American government.What to see and do. History fans will want to spend at least a half-day at this site, which is about ten miles south of Boston. Pay the required fee in the visitor center, located in the Galleria at Presidents Place. To help orient you, the National Park Service has set up models of the birthplaces, Old House and the church. A free trolley will take you around the site. Take a guided tour at the John Adams Birthplace, and the John Quincy Adams Birthplace. Both of these small wooden houses are wheelchair-accessible, as is the first floor of the Old House (but not the second floor). You can see this 20-room, three-story house by guided tour only. The first floor features a collection of Louis XV furniture John Adams purchased in 1780. Don't miss the study with its collection of unique leather globes. When you see the chair in which John Adams died, you'll remember that he and Thomas Jefferson, bitter political rivals yet fast friends, died within hours of one another on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. After you've seen the Old House, walk through the formal garden, where you'll find a rosebush that has bloomed (seasonally) since 1788. Continue to the Stone Library, which contains an impressive collection of 18th-century American paintings, maps, and furniture, as well as the extensive book holdings that demonstrate the high level of learning achieved by all members of the Adams family. Pets, picnics, and bikes are not allowed on the site. Groups over eight persons and school groups must make a reservation. While you're in Quincy, you may also visit the Quincy Homestead, the Josiah Quincy House, Abigail's Cairn, and the Adams Academy.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Address: 99 Warren St
Brookline, MA 2445
Phone: 617-566-1689
Fax: 617-232-3964
Overview. In the nineteenth century, landscape architecture and urban design were new fields, and Frederick Law Olmsted was their greatest pioneer. With his partner, Calvert Vaux, he won the design contest for the new Central Park in New York City, still his most popular design. His office created plans for thousands of America's most treasured public and private landscapes including the U.S. Capitol, White House, and Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC; entire park systems in Buffalo, Chicago, Louisville, and Boston; West Point Military Academy and Stanford University; the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC; and Yosemite and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. Olmsted retired in 1895, but the firm continued until 1979, producing thousands of drawings, photographs, and blueprints. The site preserves this archival material along with the house itself.What to see and do. Plan on a weekend visit because the site is open only from Friday to Sunday, from 10 AM until 4:30 PM. Rangers lead explanatory tours of the house, design offices, and surrounding grounds, which Olmsted used to display his particular landscape ideas and style, including spaces reminiscent of the pastoral and picturesque landscape. Exhibits, video, and rooms furnished with period office furniture and design equipment are offered to visitors. If you'd like to see the firm's extensive archives, you'll need to make an appointment. Groups may see the site during the week by advance reservation.
Lowell National Historical Park
Address: 246 Market St
Lowell, MA 1852
Phone: 508-970-5000
Fax: 508-275-1762
Overview. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, the New England landscape transformed from agricultural to industrial. Leading the way in 1826 was the mill town of Lowell. Named after its founder, Francis Cabot Lowell, the town boasted ten major mill complexes, a 5.6-mile canal system, and a revolutionary arrangement for the girls working 70 hours a week. They lived in boarding houses and attended classes and lectures sponsored by the mill, instead of going home to their families. Thought by some to be a fine innovation, its darker side is satirized in Herman Melville's "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids." Later the town became the center of labor unrest. Today the park reminds us of the impact the Industrial Revolution had on the lives of working people.What to see and do. A trip through Lowell's restored sites (most of which are accessible) should take a day. Watch a slide show at the visitor center, open daily from 9 AM until 5 PM, and look through exhibits tracing the development of industrial capitalism in New England through the past two centuries. Sign up (or call ahead) to reserve a spot on one of several tours through the town sites, the most interesting of which may be the barge tour along the town's canal system. After you see the Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit, take a turn through the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, with its operating weave room exhibit of 88 power looms. Once a boarding house for the "mill girls," the Mogan Cultural Center now shows the "Working People Exhibit." Call ahead for hours and for details on Lowell's variety of summertime music festivals. Braille and large-print literature are available.
Cape Cod National Seashore
Rte 6
Eastham, MA 2642
Phone: 508-255-3421 or 508-349-3785
Overview. This reserve, which stretches across 43,000 acres of beaches, ponds, and marshes, was established in 1961 by legislators in an attempt to preserve and restore Cape Cod's ecosystem and terrain. The national seashore is located along the easternmost tip of Massachusetts' peninsula and is a haven for huckleberry, hazelnut, pitch pine, beach heather and beach plum, some of the hardier cultivars being used to stabilize the shoreline. The 40 miles of pristine sandy beach are backed by a high cliff. The cape itself was formed during the Ice Age and is distinguished by kettle moraine, rolling hills, and bluffs. Some of the "kettles" are deep enough to be fed by ground water, and are populated by large- and smallmouth bass. The town of Orleans is the gateway to the national reserve, and Eastham, North Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown are just a few of the other towns situated near or on the outer edges of the site.
What to see and do. To take advantage of the seashore, you may want to visit Nauset Beach in Orleans, Coast Guard Beach outside of Eastham, or First Encounter Beach, named for the first meeting between Pilgrims and Native Americans. These areas offer bike rentals, nature trails, and areas designated for swimming. Nauset Light Beach, north of Coast Guard Beach, also features Nauset Light, a lighthouse that has become a historical landmark and is available for touring. In Eastham, the Salt Pond Visitor Center can give you a lay of the land with films and exhibits about the area's ecology. The Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, managed by the National Audubon Society, is set on 700 acres and contains hiking trails that wind their way through woods and along the coastline. The town of Wellfleet is home to an oyster business, serving Cape Cod and other areas of the state, and is well-known for this delicacy. At the tip of the reserve is Provincetown, a fishing port whose population increases more than ten times in high season. Highlights of this area are Race Point Beach, Herring Cove Beach, and the Provincetown Museum. The Pilgrim Memorial is a free-standing tower offering a full view of the surrounding cape and has local memorabilia on display. In any of these towns, visitors can enjoy nature walks, guided canoe trips, and shows. The area is famous for striped bass and flounder fishing; there are several boat launch ramps and private campgrounds nearby.
Minute Man National Historical Park
Address: 174 Liberty St
Concord, MA 1742
Phone: 978-369-6993
Fax: 978-371-2483
Overview. By the time the British troops reached Concord after a fight in nearby Lexington, local minutemen had gathered near Concord's North Bridge. On April 19, 1775, the two hostile groups met, opening the American Revolution with the "shot heard 'round the world." Pursued by persistent minutemen, the British retreated back to Boston along Battle Road, but not before sustaining substantial casualties. This park commemorates the first battle of the Revolution. Its 900 acres include sites at Lexington and Concord as well as The Wayside, a Concord literary landmark.What to see and do. A good place to begin your visit is at the Minute Man Visitor Center in Lexington. Open daily from 9 AM until 5 PM May through October and until 4 PM in winter, the center offers a multimedia theater program, "The Road to Revolution," that explains the events at Lexington and Concord. You can access the Battle Road Trail, a five mile long path for walkers, cyclers or wheelchairs that connect the park's historic sites and natural areas. Travel the entire path or portions of it. In Concord, at the North Bridge Visitor Center, you can view the Minute Man statue. While in Concord, visit The Wayside, home of Samuel Whitney, Minute Man muster master during the Revolution. The Wayside was also home to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and Margaret Sidney during the 19th-century "American Literary Renaissance." Tour the home with a guide daily, except Wednesday from 10 AM until 5 PM, from May through October. A nominal fee is charged. Patriot's Day weekend, the three-day weekend closest to April 19th, brings special celebrations. Call for exact dates and a detailed schedule of events. The park is closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Boston National Historical Park
Address: 15 State St
Boston, MA 2109
Phone: 617-242-5642 or 617-242-5601
Fax: 617-367-3539
Overview:
Walking the Freedom Trail, you visit 16 sites that together tell the tale of how this country was "conceived in liberty" and wrested from the British in the Revolutionary War. From a magnificent gold-domed State House to three historic burying grounds to the Charlestown Navy Yard, these sites paint a varied picture of how life was lived in the port city of Boston before, during, and after the War of Independence.
What to See and Do:
You may want to consider using Greater Boston's public transportation system, which whisks you to the city's heart, Boston Common, where the Freedom Trail begins. Bring your walking shoes because even though the sites are located relatively close to one another, the entire Freedom Trail is 2.5 miles long. Following the red paint or red brick line through the complete tour can take a whole day.
Before you begin the tour, stop in at one of the handicapped-accessible visitors centers for maps, brochures and orientation. They are located downtown at 15 State Street, next to the Old State House, and at 55 Constitution Road, next to Gate 1 of the Charlestown Navy Yard.
From mid-April through November, National Park Service rangers lead 90-minute walking tours of the downtown portion of the trail. Once you've completed the downtown tour, cross the Charlestown Bridge to see the Charlestown Navy Yard and the Bunker Hill Monument. In the yard, members of the U.S. Navy lead 30-minute tours of the USS Constitution -- "Old Ironsides" -- the oldest commissioned warship afloat. You can also visit the USS Cassin Young, a World War II destroyer, for guided and self-guided tours.
If you still have the strength, wrap up your Freedom Trail outing with a climb up the 294 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument obelisk for a view of Boston and the Atlantic Ocean.
Park sites and visitors centers are closed on Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. Many sites require reservations for school groups.
Boston African American National Historic Site
Address: African Meeting House 46 Joy Street
Boston, MA 2114
Phone: 617-723-8863
Fax: 617-739-1285
Overview. After Massachusetts outlawed slavery in 1783, many freed blacks moved to Boston and chose to live on the north slope of Beacon Hill. Building the community center around Smith Court and Joy Street, they developed a thriving middle class and were politically active in the volatile years preceding the Civil War. Both geographically and historically central to Boston, this site is comprised of 15 historic structures dating to the antebellum period.What to see and do. Wear walking shoes for your tour along the 1.6-mile Black Heritage Trail,® which links the 15 separate structures. Pick up information and a map at the African Meeting House at 8 Smith Court. You may take a guided tour instead of walking the trail on your own. The Museum of Afro American History occupies the African Meeting House and the Abiel Smith School, the building that once housed Boston's first school for black children. Named after Abiel Smith, the white merchant whose bequest funded the school, the Smith School was desegregated in 1855. The African Meeting House is the oldest black church building in the U.S. Built in 1806 by blacks, it was called the Black Faneuil Hall because the abolitionist meetings and speeches given there by blacks and whites parallel Revolutionary activities in political importance. Fourteen sites are privately owned and not open for viewing, though you can see their exteriors from the street. Among them are the home of William C. Nell, an attorney and abolitionist who was the first black man appointed to a federal position (with the U.S. Postal Service in 1860). Don't miss the Augustus Saint-Gaudens memorial to Civil War Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the African-American 54th Massachusetts Regiment. Educational groups must make reservations. Call ahead for year-round programs and events, especially during Black History Month. The Museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM everyday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and from 10 AM to 4 PM weekdays during the rest of the year.
Longfellow National Historic Site
Address: 105 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 2138
Phone: 617-876-4491 or 617-876-2100
Fax: 617-876-6014
Overview. During the mid nineteenth century, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of the United States' most popular poets. A Cambridge/Boston literary fixture, he published classics such as The Song of Hiawatha and The Courtship of Miles Standish. While writing poetry, he was also a professor at Harvard. From 1837 until his death in 1882, he lived in this Georgian house, which had also been General Washington's headquarters during the siege of Boston during the Revolution. What to see and do. Enjoy your walk to the house through Cambridge, which is filled with old, historic homes dating to the eighteenth century. At the house, which is open from 10 AM to 4:30 PM, May through October, sign up for a guided tour. If you have to wait, browse through the small bookstore's solid collection of Longfellow editions. Rangers lead you through the mansion's 16 rooms, which are filled with original furnishings and even original wallpaper. The tour takes 45 minutes. Afterward, you may walk through the two acres of formal gardens and landscaping surrounding the house. Lilacs and flowering fruit trees make spring a lovely time to visit. Beginning in mid-June, you can attend garden concerts on Sundays. Call ahead for details about the concerts as well as about poetry readings.
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