Plymouth, Mass – After my crisis of conscience that occurred along the Mohawk Trail, I jumped at the chance to give a proper, accurate introduction to local Native American tribes. If the twins are so interested in Native American culture,…
Historic Deerfield
Deerfield, Mass – For Father’s Day weekend, we decided to take the whole family on a working weekend in western Massachusetts. Our first stop was Historic Deerfield, by special request of Daddio. It’s an authentic 18th-century village–back then a frontier settlement–that…
Fruitlands Museum
Harvard, Mass – One of our local heroes–and certainly a hero of the 19th-century Transcendentalist movement–was Bronson Alcott, a teacher, philosopher and reformer (and incidentally the father of the famous author Louisa May Alcott). As a transcendentalist, he believed that…
Witch City
Salem, Mass – It’s a strange thing, how the city of Salem has turned something so horrific into something so fun. In total, 20 people were executed for practicing witchcraft, while many more were accused and saved themselves by confessing and…
Beware the Mummy’s Tomb
Somerville, Mass – I’m not sure where it came from–perhaps from reading the Magic Tree House series–but the twins have become obsessed with Ancient Egypt. It was a no-brainer that one of them would want to be a mummy for…
Walden Pond, Off-season
Concord, Mass – We spend a lot of time at Walden Pond in the summer (all the benefits of the beach, without the $20 parking), but we do not often take advantage of this natural resource in the off-season. A half-day…
History Lesson
Boston, Mass – In anticipation of Patriot’s Day, I brought home a sort of comic book, Paul Revere’s Ride, by Xavier Niz and Brian Bascle. The twins are into comics these days. It’s interesting to me how they are willing…
Boston Tea Party Ships
I finally found a legitimate reason to suck up the $25 (!) admission fee and check out Boston’s newest attraction. A decade after being destroyed by fire, the Boston Tea Party ships are once again docked at Griffin’s Wharf, alongside…