Concord, Massachusetts

Drove into Concord and got a map and information from the Visitors Centre. It was spitting very lightly and we walked around to get our bearings. Went into what looked like a small gift shop called "Nesting" but it turned out to be a few rooms and was one of the nicest stores we've ever seen. Drove to the North Bridge, where the shot that was "heard around theworld " was fired. Saw the Minuteman Statue, which was made by the same person responsible for the statue of Lincoln in the lincoln memorial. Walked up the path to the Visitor Centre in a mansion previously owned by one of the colonists. There was a volunteer at the site who was very informative and interesting. Next stop at the Concord Museum which contains one of Paul Revere's original lanterns. It had excellent displays of period rooms and extensive dislays about Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had lived in the area. Next stop Louisa May Alcott's family home, where we did the guided tour. Fascinating - her parents were very progressive and liberal in their attitudes to raising girls. Her sister's bedroom had drawings on the walls, which her parents allowed because they felt it would help her to practise her skills. Drove to Lexington but had trouble finding the township and decided to return to Concord. Unfortunately we ended up taking a couple of wrong turns and ended up back on an Interstate more than once. Very stressful because it was also drizzling by this stage. We finally got back to the motel!! First shot isbthe Minuteman Statue, second an info board about Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote the poem that mentions the shot that was "heard around the world". Third shotnisnthe Alcott House.Read more