Boston and the Northeast 2017

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 17^th 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.