October 2, 2021

If you read the title then you should have a pretty good idea of what this post is all about…Boston! Affectionately known as Beantown, Boston is a city “steeped” in rich history, made famous for events such as Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the Boston Tea Party; just to name a few. Being such a pedestrian friendly city, it was easy to spend the day traipsing from historic landmarks to museums, ballparks to bakeries, and everything else in between. All we had to do was follow the “red brick road,” a.k.a Freedom Trail, but first the Boston Tea Party Museum! Huzzah!

By far, the Boston Tea Party Museum is probably my most favorite museum I have ever visited! It is a must see if you plan to make a stop in Boston. Mixing hands-on activities, interactive exhibits, and colonial actors dressed to the nines, the museum manages to engage all the senses, making learning fun and entertaining. We even met Samuel and Abigail Adams. Besides, where else can you become part of history by boarding the Dartmouth and literally throwing tea into the Boston Harbor?!

After participating in treasonous acts, we made our way to Boston Commons, the starting point of Freedom Trail. While you can opt to pay for a guided walking tour, we decided to tackle the city on our own, since we had already “historied” our kids out at the museum. Lacing up our walking shoes, we soaked up 2.5 miles of Revolutionary history on a beautiful, sunny October afternoon. We didn’t go into every building, but we did pass each of the 16 famous landmarks, such as the Boston Massacre, Granary Burying Ground, and the Old North Church. We stood beneath Paul Revere’s shadow, waved at Benjamin Franklin, and marveled at the antique Gutenberg printing press displayed at Fanequil Hall.

Hot, sweaty, and famished, (Trust me! Sam let us know how hungry he was!) our steps finally led us across the Charles River and into the shade of the majestic U.S.S. Constitution. Constructed in Boston over 200 years ago, she is the oldest commissioned Naval ship still afloat. Having never been defeated in battle, she earned the nickname Old Ironsides, as 18-pound cannonballs bounced off her hull during the capturing of the British Ship, Guerriere. It was hard not to imagine what life would have been like serving aboard the ship when she was underway in all her glory.

As our day came to a close, I am unashamed to say that instead of retracing our steps, Dave hitched an Uber back to our car. The rest of us sat worn out on the park bench, weary from our day of strolling the streets and reliving Boston’s past.