Anxious to escape the monotony of summer and the Texas heat, we set off seeking adventure in Boston and the Northeast. After checking in to the historic Omni Parker House Hotel, we stretched our legs with an easy walk to the Boston Commons and the Public Gardens. We took a ride on the swan boats, walked around the gardens, and stopped to snap a pic with some very famous ducklings! For dinner on our first night, we enjoyed Boston classics such as Yankee pot roast and clam chowder at Durgin Park.
Savoring the unseasonably cool temps (highs in the mid-60s!),
we spent our first full day walking the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile marked route
with stops denoting famous battle sites and historic landmarks. Some of our
favorite stops along the route were the Old South Meeting House, Paul Revere’s
house, and climbing the 294 steps to the top of Bunker Hill monument. At the
end of the trail, we caught a ferry to Long Wharf and then walked to the Boston
Tea Party Ships & Museum just in time to make the last tour. An immersive
experience, this fun museum allowed us to interact and play a part in the
famous events of Dec. 16, 1773, even participating in the rebel protest by
dumping tea overboard! I loved getting to see history come to life by visiting
these important landmarks and enjoyed walking (literally) in the steps of our
forefathers.
We spent the next day visiting the fabulous Museum of
Science. We especially enjoyed the Science in the Park exhibit, the piano
stairs, and a very electrifying Lightning Show. After dining at Penang
Malaysian Cuisine (I jump at any opportunity to eat Malaysian food!), we ended
this supercharged day of fun in vivid color with tickets to the
wildly-entertaining Blue Man Group!
Picking up our rental car the next morning, we drove an hour
south to Plymouth to visit Plimoth Plantation. Here, we walked through a
recreated Wampanoag village, and also a recreated 17th century
English village, exploring the life of the Puritans and early inhabitants of
this land. We also visited the Plymouth Grist Mill (still producing corn flour
today) and Plimoth Rock itself (though its size was a bit underwhelming). Back
in Boston for one more night, we capped our day with some fabulous seafood at
Provisions near the harbor front. And for dessert? Boston cream pie, of course
(invented by a chef at our hotel, the Parker House)!
We were anxious the next morning to see some fellow expat
friends we’d met while in Malaysia. What better meeting spot than the Old North
Bridge in Concord? Converging on Minute Man NHP, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and
visited one of the first battle sites of the Revolution. Our friends were kind
enough to host us for the next two nights at their 300-year-old house in nearby
Harvard; it was wonderful to catch up with them and watch the kids play
together!
Leaving Massachusetts, we headed north, passing through New
Hampshire and crossing into Vermont thru the covered Cornish Windsor Bridge. We
stopped to visit the hydropower-generated glassblowing studio Simon Pearce in
Quechee, then at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, where we saw the famous
philanthropist’s mansion. We toasted the day with beer and good food at Three
Penny Taproom in Montpelier.
The next day was a whirlwind of visiting factories (much
preferred by our kids!) and one long, sweaty hike mostly upwards (which they
hated!). We started off the day feelin’ fine at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory;
everyone enjoyed the fun and quirky tour, an ice cream treat, and the Flavor
Graveyard, where long-lost flavors RIP. Afterwards, due to some confusion and
lack of a GPS signal, we ended up on a very different hike than the easy stroll
I’d planned but could no longer find. Instead, we trekked up a steep mountain
to the reward of a nice-ish waterfall and lots of whining! After a recovery
lunch at the Trapp Family Brewery in Stowe, we did some shopping in the cute
mountain town, visited an apple cider factory (apple cider doughnuts are so
good!), and ended the day with a visit to Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, where we
learned all about the tapping of maple trees. Nothin’ but the good stuff for
me!
Leaving Vermont and heading east the next morning, we
visited the Cabot Cheese Factory and took a tour to learn about the process of
making cheese (another of my favorite foods!). We bought some food for a picnic
that I’d planned to eat during our hike on the Appalachian Trail, but we unfortunately
had to eat it in the car due to a heavy delay from having to change a tire on
our rental car. Thankfully, we were still able to hike the Table Rock trail (in
Grafton Notch State Park), where we were rewarded with amazing vistas at the
top, the privilege of boasting that we set foot on the famous AT, and most
luckily, no ticks! Back in the car, we ate a gourmet meal of lobster rolls and
Applewood bacon cheeseburgers (from McDonald’s!) and drove the rest of the way
to Bar Harbour, Maine, where we spent the next 4 nights.
I have always wanted to visit Acadia NP (one of the most
popular national parks in the country), so it was wonderful to have several
days to explore the park at our leisure. On the first day, we hiked to the top
of Pemetic Mountain, rested at Jordan Pond, and ended the day at Thunder Hole
and Sand Beach. The next day, we took
the popular Beehive Trail up a series of ladders and along narrow ledges to
enjoy the views, then returned to Sand Beach and watched our kids brave the
freezing waters and play on the rocks. We then drove to the less-crowded
western side of the park to explore life in the tide pools at Wonderland beach,
as well as to see the famous Bass Harbour Head Lighthouse. For dinner, as with
all our remaining nights in Maine, we made it our mission to eat all the
lobster and seafood we possibly could!
On our last full day, we had booked a morning tour with
Diver Ed’s Dive-in Theatre. It was fun to get out on the water without getting
in it, and diver Ed, his wife, and a big, lovable dog named Nori made a very
entertaining team! Using the latest high-tech cameras and diving equipment, we
watched on a big screen from the comfort of the Starfish Enterprise as Diver Ed explored the ocean floor and
kidnapped various “passengers” in his bag. Bringing them to the surface for
live show and tell and touch, we learned much about the creatures that lurk in
the deep!
After lunch and shopping in town, we walked across the land
bridge at low tide to Bar Island, then returned to our cottage for some
downtime. A fellow travel-loving friend had recommended the Eden Village Motel
and Cottages; one of these adorable cottages was just perfect for our 4-night
stay. Very close to Acadia and Bar Harbour, our private cottage had 3
full-sized beds, a small kitchen for making breakfasts and picnic lunches, and
a screened front porch. We enjoyed happy
hour here as our kids had fun feeding the ducks and riding the complimentary
paddle boats around the pond. =) Later that evening, we drove to the top of
Cadillac Mountain to enjoy the sunset.
Our last day was rainy, and we mostly spent it driving down
the coast, making one stop to stretch our legs at the famous Portland Head
Lighthouse. We spent our last night in Salem, and before a final seafood
dinner, we visited and toured the Salem Witch Museum and also The House of the
Seven Gables (immortalized in Hawthorne’s classic novel, and complete with a
hidden staircase and Hepzibah’s cent shop).
In the morning, we explored the Salem Maritime NHS, where
the many vessels of Derby wharf were once thriving with overseas trade. Alas,
we were forced to trade these ships for a plane to take us back home. Travel
leaves me enriched, refreshed, and enlightened, and yet, I’m always a bit saddened
when a trip comes to an end. This travel blog helps me to keep and remember these
special adventures and new explorations fresh in my mind.
