In and around Boston
compiled by EyeWorld staff
Boston has many activities and attractions to fill your visit, but the surrounding areas offer snapshots of our nations history as well.From the pre-Revolutionary days and fishing community of Salem, to the beginning of the American Revolution and cultural center of Lexington and Concord, you can travel through time and gain a better appreciation of this country’s history. If there’s time, stroll throughthe unique college town of Cambridge or experience life on the premier island of New England, Martha’s Vineyard.
Sam Adams Brewery Tour
30 Germania St.
617- 368-5256
www.samueladams.com
Before you exit Boston to sample the region, make sure you first sample some of the city’s premier beer. Learn all about Samuel Adams, brewer and patriot. Experience the entire brewing process, from start to finish. Taste the special malts used to brew Samuel Adams beers and smell the Hallertau and Tettnang hops. Enjoy many of the great styles of Samuel Adams beers. The tour is open to visitors of all ages, but proper ID is required in order to sample beer.
Lexington, & Concord, Mass.
At Minute Man National Park (www.nps.gov/mima) the opening battles of the American Revolution are brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors.
Also, the North Bridge Visitor Center (174 Liberty St., Concord) and Minute Man Visitor Center (250 North Great Road, Lincoln), both are open in April. For more information, contact the park headquarters at 978-369-6993.
In addition to Revolutionary War history, Concord also is renowned as home to several famous American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott. To learn more about Concord and its attractions, visit the Concord Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.concordchamberofcommerce.org).
Salem, Mass.
www.salem.org
Salem, about a 30-minute drive from Boston, is filled with rich history and unique stories. It is a place where the old mixes with the new and the traditional stands alongside the contemporary. Most people recognize Salem because of its association with the Witchcraft Trials of 1692, and many appreciate the destination for its many unique stories and connections to the different chapters in American history.
Cambridge, Mass.
617-497-1630
www.cambridge-usa.org/visitors/cambridge
Just across the river from Boston, Cambridge offers an exciting multicultural setting where visitors from around the world mingle in the shadow of two of the world’s premier educational institutions: Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Teeming with cafes, bookstores, and boutiques, Cambridge is often referred to as “Boston’s Left Bank.”
Old Cambridge encompasses the original village of Newtowne—established by founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. The customs and institutions of Newtowne’s first residents are discernible in the street plan of their settlement, which survives almost intact in Harvard Square. The neighborhood of Old Cambridge remains a residential, commercial, and academic center. The buildings here span four centuries of Cambridge history and have witnessed the development of a wilderness village into an international community.
The most famous house along “Tory Row” on Brattle Street is the Longfellow National Historic Site, former home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and briefly the headquarters of George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
www.marthas-vineyard.com
About a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Boston, Martha’s Vineyard is an ideal location for some rest and relaxation, art galleries, dining, and shopping, but it also has activities for the adventure seeker. Whether you want to cast your line for a feisty bluefish or soar above the Island in a biplane, the island has an adventure around every corner.