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Weekend
explorations in the Boston area
The
Boston area abounds with a great mix of fun and educational options,
both indoors and out, and April is a wonderful time of year to
visit. We provide URLs and phone numbers for the following well-known
and not-so-well-known options to explore, for easy planning from
your armchair. In all cases, call first to confirm hours and cost.
Starred destinations (*) have donated to AHEM's Silent
Auction to take place on Saturday, April 12, 2008.
Ideas
for themed explorations
Literary jumping off points
Birthplace
of the American Revolution
• Battle Green, Lexington
• Battle Road Visitor's Center, Lexington
• Old North Bridge, Concord
• Freedom Trail, Boston
• Find
activities for students as well as a comprehensive guide to lesson
plans tied to the American Revolution here: http://www.nps.gov/revwar/.
Exploring
Arlington
The birthplace of Uncle Sam, the location of the first public
children's library, and the site of most of the fighting when
the British marched through it returning from the Old North Bridge
at the start of the Revolutionary War, Arlington has preserved
many of its historical buildings and even recreated its town common.
Arlington, located between Cambridge and Lexington, is easy to
explore by foot, bike, bus, or car. The main thoroughfare, Massachusetts
Ave., runs from East Arlington to Arlington Heights. The 77 bus
runs along it, and if you bring your bike, you can follow the
Minuteman Bikeway (http://www.minutemanbikeway.org/)
through Arlington, and all the way to Bedford, passing through
Lexington center as well.
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Arlington
(formerly Menotomy)
A fun itinerary might be to hop on bikes and ride along Mass.
Ave. in East Arlington to browse the shops clustered around Lake
St. At Lake St. take the bike path and continue to the center
of town and explore one or more historical sites:
• Cyrus Dallin Museum in the Jefferson Cutter House http://www.dallin.org/
• Uncle Sam monument (corner Mass. Ave and Mystic St.)
• Jason Russell House, http://www.arlingtonhistorical.org/house/index.php;
The Jason Russell House was the site of the bloodiest fighting
during the first day of the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775.
Today it and the adjoining Smith Museum hold collections of the
Arlington Historical Society. Open 1 PM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday
(call to confirm hours).
Continuing
up Mass Ave. or the bike path, a short detour will take you to
the
• Old Schwamb Mill, 17 Mill Lane at 29 Lowell St., http://www.oldschwambmill.org/main.html.
Open Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 781-643-0554. Visitors
can tour the mill buildings and see the manufacture of high-quality
oval and circular picture frames using original tools and processes.
In Arlington
Heights stop for some unique shopping :
• Balich 5 & 10 - one of a kind old-timey dime store.
781-648-3707
• Penzey's Spice: http://www.penzeys.com/
- only location in Massachusetts.
• *Trader
Joe's: http://www.traderjoes.com/
- a good place to pick up unique picnic items. There are many
restaurants along the way as well, including Chinese, Indian,
Thai, Mexican, Italian, burgers, Panera Bread, you name it. If
you keep going on the bike path or Mass. Ave., you will arrive
at the historic sites in Lexington center.
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Boston
Arnold Arboretum: Free, donations welcome. http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/;
Telephone: 617-524-1718; Transport: Orange Line to Forest Hills
stop.
Boston
African American National Historic Site: http://www.afroammuseum.org/;
Telephone: 617-725 0022; Transport: Park Street subway station
on the Red Line.
*Boston
Duck Tour: http://www.bostonducktours.com/;
Telephone: 617-267-DUCK; Transport: Tours leave from both The
Museum of Science, Science Park station on the Green Line's Lechmere-bound
"D" train, and from the Prudential Center in the Back
Bay on the Green Line's Lechmere-bound "E" train.
Children's
Museum, Boston: http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/index.html;
Telephone: 617-426-8855; Transport: South Station stop on the
Red Line. The Children's Museum will recognize a homeschooling
parent as an educator, who therefore has free admission to the
Museum at all times.
Faneuil
Hall & Quincy Market: National Park Service Rangers offer
historical talks every half hour in Fanueil Hall (except when
the hall is closed for city sponsored events). For more information
call (617) 242-5675. Adjacent to Quincy Market http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/.
(Lots of places to grab lunch in the food court.)
Franklin
Park Zoo: Franklin Park Zoo, founded in 1911, is the 72-acre site
nestled in Boston's historic Franklin Park, long considered the
"crown jewel" of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace
Park System. Highlights of Franklin Park Zoo's collection include
the African lions of the Kalahari Kingdom, Masai giraffe and Grevy's
zebra of the Giraffe Savannah, and western lowland gorillas of
the Tropical Forest. Telephone: 617-541-LION (5466)
Also
part of Zoo New England is Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA, a short
drive from Arlington. Stone Zoo is located on a 26-acre site near
the sparkling Spot Pond reservoir in Stoneham, MA. Highlights
of Stone Zoo's collection include the snow leopards of Himalayan
Highlands, bald eagles of Yukon Creek, hornbills and emperor tamarins
of Windows to the Wild, and jaguars and cougars of Treasures of
the Sierra Madre. Telephone: 781-438-5100.
http://www.zoonewengland.com/
Freedom
Trail, Boston: Free. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/;
Transport: Park Street subway station on the Red Line. Printable
map: http://www.iboston.org/pap/freedom.htm.
Free tours of the Freedom Trail from the Boston National Historic
Park Visitor Center, 15 State Street, 617-242-5642. You can take
a ferry from Long Wharf to the Charlestown Navy Yard instead of
walking. See http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/.
Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/;
Telephone: 617-566-1401; Transport: Green Line E-train to the
Museum stop.
John
F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston: http://www.jfklibrary.org/;
Telephone: 1-866-JFK-1960; Transport: Red Line (any train) to
JFK/UMASS Station. At station take free shuttle bus to library.
Mary
Baker Eddy Library and Mapparium: http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/home/home.jhtml;
Telephone: 1-888-222-3711; Transport: Take the Green Line to either
the Prudential, Symphony, or Hynes/ICA T stop.
Museum
of Fine Arts: http://www.mfa.org/;
Telephone: 617-267-9300; Transport: Museum of Fine Arts stop on
the Green Line E train.
*
Museum of Science: http://www.mos.org/;
Telephone: 617-723-2500; Transport: Science Park station on the
Green Line's Lechmere-bound D train. Please note: Science Park
station is not wheelchair accessible.
*New
England Aquarium: Central Wharf, Boston. Two thousand species
of exotic fish, sharks, and sea turtles in giant ocean tank; penguin
colony; hands-on tide pool exhibit; seal and sea otter tanks;
IMAX Theatre. http://www.neaq.org/index.flash4.html;
Telephone: 617-973-5200; Transport: Aquarium stop on the Blue
Line.
New
England Holocaust Memorial, Boston: Free; http://www.nehm.com/;
Transport: Haymarket or Government Center stations on the Green
line.
Paul
Revere House, Boston: http://www.paulreverehouse.org/;
Telephone: 617-523-2338; Transport: Green Line to Haymarket station;
on the Freedom Trail in Boston's North End, follow the signs and
the red line on the sidewalks. Ten minutes from Faneuil Hall /
Quincy Market.
Prudential
Center Skywalk: http://www.prudentialcenter.com/play/skywalk.html;
Telephone: 617-859-0648; Transport: Prudential subway station
on the Green Line E.
Public
Garden: Free; http://www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org/;
Transport: Green Line to Arlington station.
Swan
Boats: http://www.swanboats.com/;
Telephone: 617-522-1966; Transport: Arlington Street subway station
on the Green Line. Opens April 19.
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Cambridge
Welcome to Harvard Square: http://www.harvardsquare.com/
Harvard
Yard:
• Busch-Reisinger Museum: http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/busch/;
Telephone: 617-495-9400; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington. Saturday morning until noon: Free;
Under 18 years of age: Free; Paid admission includes entrance
to the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and
the Fogg Art Museum.
•
Fogg Art Museum: http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/fogg/;
Telephone: 617-496-8576; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington. Saturday morning until noon: Free;
Under 18 years of age: Free; Paid admission includes entrance
to the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and
the Fogg Art Museum.
•
Harvard Museum of Natural History: http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/;
Telephone: 617-495-3045; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington. Free Sunday mornings 9:00 AM - noon.
•
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology: http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/;
Telephone: 617-496-1027; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington. Free Sunday mornings 9:00 AM - noon.
•
Arthur M. Sackler Museum: http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/sackler/
Telephone: 617-496-8576; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington. Saturday morning until noon: Free;
Under 18 years of age: Free; Paid admission includes entrance
to the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and
the Fogg Art Museum.
•
The Semitic Museum: Free; http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/;
Telephone: 617-495-4631; Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line
or #77 bus from Arlington.
Longfellow
National Historic Site: http://www.nps.gov/long/;
Telephone: 617-876-4491; gardens and grounds are open dawn to
dusk. Transport: Harvard stop on the Red Line or #77 bus from
Arlington.
MIT
Museum: http://web.mit.edu/museum/;
Telephone: 617-253-4444; Transport: Red Line to Central or Kendall
stop, or #1 bus from Harvard Sq. - get a transfer if you take
the 77 to Harvard. Get off at either Sidney St. or Albany St.)
Mount
Auburn Cemetery: http://www.mountauburn.org/;
Telephone: 617-547-7105 Transport: Watertown Square or Waverley
Square bus (#71 or #73). Get off on Mount Auburn Street at Aberdeen
Avenue. Cross Mount Auburn Street to the Entrance Gate.
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Concord
The Concord Museum: Concord, Massachusetts is a community rich
in historical association, renowned as the site of the battle
that began the American Revolution and as the home of the most
original thinkers and writers of the American literary renaissance.
The Concord Museum is the one place where all of Concord's remarkable
past is brought to life - Algonkians, Puritans, Revolutionaries,
Loyalists, Farmers, Silversmiths, Transcendentalists, Cabinetmakers,
Anti-Slavery Activists, Mill-Workers. Free parking. 200 Lexington
Road, Concord, MA. http://www.concordmuseum.org/;
Telephone: 978-369-9763.
The
Old Manse, Concord: http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/346_old_manse.cfm;
Telephone: 978-369-3909.
Orchard
House, Concord: http://www.louisamayalcott.org/;
Telephone: 978-369-4118.
Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery, Concord: Free; http://www.concordma.gov/Pages/ConcordMA_Cemetery/sleepy;
Telephone: 978- 318-3233.
Walden
Pond State Reservation, Concord: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/wldn.htm;
Telephone: 978 369-3254.
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Lexington
Battle Green, Lexington: Free; http://www.battleroad.org/sites.html.
Minute
Man National Historic Park Visitor Center, Lexington: Free. Watch
the acclaimed program, "The Road to Revolution," a 26-minute
multi-media presentation detailing the events of April 18-19,
1775, shown daily every half hour, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Obtain
park newspaper and brochure and continue your explorations.
http://www.nps.gov/mima/touringmima.html;
Telephone: 978-369-6993.
National
Heritage Museum, Lexington: Free. http://www.nationalheritagemuseum.org/;
Telephone: 781-861-6559.
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Lincoln
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park: DeCordova is the largest
museum of modern and contemporary American art in the region.
The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition, collection, and preservation
of works by living New England artists. Distinctive for being
the only one of its kind in the region, DeCordova's public Sculpture
Park has also become internationally recognized for its programming.
A visit to DeCordova will be both enjoyable and educational. Whether
you want to view our many interior exhibitions, wander through
the Sculpture Park, enjoy lunch, or purchase art supplies, DeCordova
will excite and inspire you.
http://www.decordova.org/index.html;
Telephone: 781-259-8355.
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MBTA:
Tips for T Riders
Inbound is always toward downtown Boston, and Outbound is
away from it. In the subway system, Inbound is toward four stations:
Park Street, State, Downtown Crossing and Government Center. (Within
those four stations, Inbound and Outbound are not used.)
The
MBTA Information Booth is located at Park Street (on the Green
Line Westbound platform).
Red
Line Tips
Most Red Line trains stop at all stations between Alewife
and Andrew, including Harvard and Park Street. During rush hours,
some trains may terminate at Park Street. The last transfer point
between the two Red Line branches (Braintree and Ashmont) is at
JFK/UMass.
Bus
Tips
Before boarding, know your bus! The destination sign above
the windshield shows the bus's route number and destination. At
some stops, all buses on a route stop to pick up passengers, no
matter which direction they're going. Be sure to board the right
bus by checking the destination sign or asking the operator.
Most
local routes are $1.50 (cheaper with a Charlie Card). The fare
boxes accept cash or Charlie
cards/tickets.
All
buses are pay-as-you-board, except routes 71, 72 and 73 when heading
Outbound. Pay when leaving these routes.
You
can make service move faster for everyone if you exit at the rear
of the bus instead of the front. Thanks!
Click
here for map of the T.
Click
here for bus routes and schedules.
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Social.
The
information on this website does not constitute legal advice;
it is provided for informational purposes only.
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