Before getting into all of the things we did in Boston and Salem, I have to tell you about the fun thing we did on our way there! I was able to meet up just outside of Boston with my old coworker and friend, Shari. We worked together for about 8 years at Dr. Hudson's office, my last place of employment. We had a great time visiting over lunch. It was so good to see her!
As our time in Boston approached, I was
getting very nervous about staying at Winter Island Campground in
Salem but I am happy to report that it was better than I expected.
We stayed in an area on the water which is essentially a parking lot
but there are some sites near the entrance of the park that are a
little more “normal” as in near trees and on grass. My biggest
worries were not really having any place to get out and play, even
though we had the only little patch of grass in the parking lot, and
that the bathrooms would be scary because the two showers were shared
with the whole campground and the day use crowd. I am happy to
report that the bathrooms were clean and sharing never seemed to be
an issue. AND there was plenty of space to get out and play (weather
permitting).
(boat launch and view behind our site)
(looking towards our site from the boat launch. The building is an old Coast Guard seaplane hangar and barracks)
There are remnants of Fort Pickering
from 1794
to explore,
a fun playground,
(Greg and the kids playing Gladiator)
a beach and trails around the
shoreline.
We climbed on the rocks, collected smooth glass and
explored the tidal pools
AND really, Salem was a great place to
stay. Had we stayed in Boston (really there are no RV campgrounds IN
Boston), we would have missed out on another great town to visit.
Everyone has heard of Salem because of the Witch Trials but there
really is a lot more history in this little town and there is a commuter rail that
would take us into Boston when needed.
In Salem, we visited Salem Maritime
National Historical Site
There we would learn that by 1790 Salem was
the 6th largest city in the country and a world famous
seaport.
During the
Revolutionary War, 158
of Salem's ships became privateers
and captured over 445
British vessels! When ships
grew in size, the ships would move south to Boston Harbor which
is deeper and could accommodate them.
We
toured the life sized replica of the Friendship,
the Customs House
where Nathaniel
Hawthorne had an office,
and
several small buildings before heading to the Visitor's Center to
collect our badges.
We
also checked out Harbor Sweets for their chocolate factory tour. I
wish that I could report that this was awesome, but it was not. Their "tour" was only a video! LAME! The "tour guide" did, however, spend a little more time with us after a big group left.
From the front of the store you could see a few of the employees doing a couple of different tasks. She gave us more details about what they were doing. But, while she did make the experience a little better, it still felt
lacking. The positives: it was FREE and the chocolate was
really good. But of course, I bought chocolate before we left so was
it REALLY free???? Haha
Our
next Salem outing was to take a Salem Harbor sunset cruise with Mahi
Mahi Cruises (groupon for 4 for $48). There were only three other
couples on the boat which made it nice since our kids were a little
LOUD. It was a fun 1.5 hour outing but since summer hasn't really
started in Boston, it was a bit chilly! For those who didn't
see it, Greg posted this picture to Facebook with the caption
“Drinking margaritas on a sunset cruise out in the bay..”
So
funny because we really did have to bundle up in JUNE!
We
also checked out Salem's 1630 Pioneer Village. This is a replica
village that was built in 1930 to mark the tercentennial of
Massachusetts.
It was originally used for a play but when that ended
locals decided that it was worth keeping and it became America's
first living history museum. We arrived for the 1:30 tour and were
the only ones so we got a private tour and were able to ask all the
questions we could. Mainly it was a show of the living quarters and
how they changed in the first years of establishing the colony. It
was interesting and worth the $14 we paid for the three of us.
Our
last day in Salem, we took the Trolley tour. We were hesitant about
doing this and didn't want to hear about witches all day but we were
pleasantly surprised. It picked up at the campground where we stayed
and took us on an hour long tour of Salem. We were able to get off
and on as we pleased and the timing for hopping on the next trolley
worked out perfectly for us. We were able to see some of the areas
and hear their history,
when we would not have otherwise.
(This fountain area is a map of Salem. Too cute!)
(home of Judge Jonathan Corwin where those accused of witchcraft would first be questioned)
And
then based on what we heard on the trolley, we got off for the final
time at Salem Willows which is an old Midway area long past its
heyday.
Our tour guide
had recommended the popcorn, saltwater taffy and the $2 Chop Suey
sandwich. The popcorn was very good, the taffy okay and according to
Greg, the Chop Suey sandwich was like “warm snot with bean sprouts
in it”. YUM! But all in all, the area was fun and lively with some great
views and areas to hang out.
Afterwards we walked back to the
campground, stopping by this “neighborhood pool” to
sit and watch the tide
come back in.
We didn't really do much relating to witches while in Salem except for our drive by the Corwin home while on the Trolley and watching a video about it at the National Park Visitors Center. We had read a book together about the witch trials before arriving and while it is truly a scary and sad time in American history, we felt that was enough.
Boston
was fun to visit as well. And what made it even better was
that we knew
someone who lives there and could give us a few tips and sometimes a
place to park (a really big deal).
Pascal
is a childhood friend of Greg's that we have been able to keep in
touch with over the years. After college he moved to Boston and
still lives there with his wife and two
children. Visiting with
friends is always fun and we were able to spend a few evenings and a Sunday afternoon with them.
(Jacob and Melanie had so much fun sharing Minecraft information)
Pascal
and his daughter gave us a bike tour of the Brookline
area. It was a
beautiful area and they live in a great spot. I could totally see
myself living there except for one major thing: SNOW!.
(view of the Charles River)
Downtown, we took a Freedom Trail Tour through the Histrionic Society.
I didn't love this due to the large crowd size and
inability to hear the guide. I really wished
that we would have gone on a tour through the National Park. We
ended up leaving the tour a little early and checking things out on
our own. There were a few historical areas not included on their
tour that we did by ourselves and then we also revisited some of the
places that we stopped at on the tour to get more information about
them. Here are a few of the highlights:
Old Granary Burying Grounds where John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams are buried:
The Old State House. The Boston Massacre happened in front of it
Faneuil Hall, an old market building. Town meetings were held on the second floor and here Samuel Adams would protest against the taxes imposed on the colonists.
Paul Revere's Home:
By the way, did you know that Paul Revere was only one of three midnight riders? The other two were William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. Revere is not even the one who made it to Concord to deliver the message that the British were coming! That was Prescott. And Dawes' midnight ride story is even more adventurous than Revere's! Revere became a well-known name thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when he wrote "Paul Revere's Ride" in 1861.
We
also went to famous Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox and Minnesota
Twins. It was a fun first time experience for the kids.
Jordan even
made it onto the Jumbotron!
And
while out on a walk to dinner
one evening, we stopped
by the birthplace of John F. Kennedy. (It was closed, so no inside
tour).
During
our stay, we would also check out two other National Parks. The
first was Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord. We had
lunch at the North Bridge which was the site of the “shot heard
round the world”
And
Saugus Iron Works
National Historic Site, which is the site of the first plant for cast
and wrought iron in the New World.
It operated from 1646
until 1668. We took a guided tour and were able to see the
waterwheels in action as they compressed the bellows to the blast
furnace
and operated the 500 pound hammer head in the forge.
The
buildings are all reproductions at the original site but interestingly they were
able to locate that site after finding the original slag pile/hill that still remains.
In
the past 14
days, we have earned 5
Junior Ranger Badges! I am so proud of them (and me ha ha) and we have had so much fun. While I
know they don't understand it all, they are learning so much and I am
so proud when they can answer the questions that the Rangers think
might stump them!
This was another awesome place in our adventures and definitely worth revisiting!
Next stop is Narragansett, Rhode Island.
