north bridge

Historic Concord, Massachusetts

Concord is rich with both U.S. and Literary History. This was such a charming and patriotic town to spend the afternoon in!  Our fist stop was the Concord Museum. We picked up a map with the city’s 11 main highlights. Although we didn’t have enough time to tour the museum, it is filled with Revolutionary War Artifacts- including the lantern Paul Revere used at the Old North Church. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, with ages 5 and under free. Hours vary, so visit their website for more information.  (For a similar driving map to the one we used, check out this one).

Old North Bridge

Minute Man Statue

A huge highlight for us was walking on the North Bridge. This is the historic site of the Revolutionary War “shot heard ’round the world,” in April 1775. It was absolutely beautiful, with the many trees and fall leaves secluding it. Our kids had so much fun running back and fourth over the bridge, pretending to be soldiers. To learn more facts about the bridge, visit here.  We were lucky to hear a few ranger talks/school field trip presentations adding to the experience.

concord ma

Minute man park Drive Minute Man Map Minute Man Drive Map

After we finished up with the North Bridge, we visited some of the famous homes in the area. There is a small fee for tickets to tour each of these homes.  Unfortunately, with our tight schedule (this was part of our East Coast Road Trip) we weren’t able to tour any of them this time. We still had fun following our map and driving past each one of them.

The Old Manse

The Old Manse: A short walk from the North Bridge, this home is rich with history. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandparents built the home and had a front row seat to the the ‘shot heard round the world’. Can you imagine?! At one point it was also home to Emerson himself as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne. Tours are available for $10 per adult and $5 for youth.

ralph waldo emerson home

Ralph Waldo Emerson House: Wanting to return back to his roots, Emerson purchased this home in 1835. Tours are available at select times for a fee. Find more information here.

Orchard House

Orchard House: Louisa May Alcott wrote and set Little Women here while living with her family. The home is available to tour for $10 per adults and $5 for youth.  Note: there is an online coupon for .50 cents off each ticket available here if you plan to tour Orchard House.

The Wayside: Part of Minute Man National Historic Park, writers Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harriett Lothrop (Margaret Sidney) all lived here at one time.  Tickets are $6 for adults and free for children.

Thoreau Farm Thoreau Farm Entrance

Thoreau Farm: The birthplace of Henry David Thoreau. Guided tours are available with tickets free for children and $6 for adults.

 

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Resting places of Thoreau, Emerson, the Alcotts and Hawthorne. For more information, visit here.

Other points of interest not pictured:

Robbins House: Learn the history of African American in Concord. For more information, visit here.

Walden Pond: Historic site of Henry Thoreau’s experiment in living simply.  Visitors can swim, hike, canoe, picnic at this lake. For more information, visit here.

This was such a charming town, filled with many bed and breakfasts, antique shops, and of course so much history. We hope to come back and spend a weekend here someday!