One of the things that I absolutely love about living in New England (aside from the four seasons, delicious food, and sports teams) is our abundance of history. From Plimouth Plantation to Sturbridge Village and as far north as Strawbery Banke in New Hampshire, there is no shortage of historical sites and experiences.

One such experience is the Minute Man National Park. From their Wikipedia:

Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War.  The National Historical Park is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and protects 970 acres in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord.

We started our walk at Paul Revere’s Capture Sight and ended at the Hartwell Tavern (and back again).

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I had a great time catching up with my friend Courtney and her family. Eleanor did a great job too and really seemed to take everything in. I know she’s still too young to really understand what’s going on but, like I mentioned in my previous post, it’s the best feeling to see these experiences through her eyes. 🙂

After our walk, which took about an hour or so, we headed in to downtown Concord for lunch at Main Streets Cafe. The restaurant was very busy but we were able to get a table in their lower restaurant, near the bar and the ice cream stand. Service wasn’t terribly quick but it was very friendly and the kids kept us entertained. I had a chicken flatbread sandwich, with provolone cheese and roasted red peppers. Eleanor had some mac and cheese…and she devoured it! She sure loves her carbs. 🙂

We continued our afternoon by walking around the downtown area for a little bit. It’s a small area but rich with history and cute little shops and restaurants. One of my favorite coffee shops is down one of the side streets, Haute Coffee. They make a refreshing iced coffee and delicious baked goods.

It was such a pleasure to get to catch up with Courtney! We’ve been friends since college; traveled to Ireland together and roomed together our senior year. She has since moved out here from California and I’m excited that we’ll be working together in the near future!

In addition to what we explored, you can also visit the Orchard House, which was made famous by the literary classic, Little Women; the Old North Bridge, and the Wayside Inn. You can find information on what sights to visit and events that take place throughout the season here.

Are you a big history buff like me? Where’s been your favorite place to visit? I absolutely loved visiting Ireland and I want to go back!