The Bashful Adventurer goes to Orchard House in Concord, MA to see all things Louisa May Alcott. But it’s another Alcott sister, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker (AKA “Amy” in Little Women) who turns out to have a big presence there.
Category: Massachusetts
Founding Fathers in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston
Are you wondering whether the Granary Burying Ground in Boston is a graveyard worth visiting? In Boston on a business trip, I skip out during a lunch break to find Boston Common, which happens to be the closest historic site near my particular venue. Boston Common, with 50 acres and walkways along with green space,…
The Best ‘No Soliciting’ Sign Ever
Seen in Salem Found on an entry to a house built in Salem around 1710 by Jonathan Archer, cordwainer, is the best ‘no soliciting’ sign ever—unless you are selling thin mints, do not knock! For the curious, cordwainers made shoes. Archer, who lived from 1671 to 1746, is buried at the Old Burying Point in…
Seeing Salem in a Single Day
How to Make the Most of Limited Time in Witch City An extemporaneous trip to Salem, MA gives us an adventure to look forward to—quickly—but it also means that we are too late to book a hotel in Salem itself. No matter, we will make the most of the time that we do have. This…
Where to Brush by the Revolution
I haven’t visited any places specifically to learn about the War of Independence, but I have stumbled upon little reminders at a few places. Seeing little bits of the past brings history alive for me. I know I learned about the Revolutionary War in school, but now it’s so much easier to remember what I…
There Really Is a House of the Seven Gables
Surprises at the Salem, Mass. Building that Hawthorne Made Famous It has been a long time since I have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, but I am still excited to learn that he based his book on his cousin’s gabled house in Salem, Mass., and that the house today is open to…
New England History for Truth-Seeking Tourists
Of Pilgrims, Progress, Power I begin reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower with the hope that the ending is going to be a slightly different one. I resist picking up this work for a long time because I know it isn’t going to end well for the indigenous people. Still, I am curious to see how much…
Hyannis Holiday Convenience
A Road Trip to Cape Cod On a road trip to Hyannis, Mass., we almost pass our motel by —despite admonitions from our global positioning system—because it looks just a bit like a car dealership. We know we are in the right place when we enter the lobby and right there on the wall is…
Is a Cape Cod Whale Watch Worthwhile?
The first time I sign up for whale watching, on a trip to San Diego, I somehow manage to book myself on a pretty small boat on what I consider to be a pretty choppy ocean, or maybe it only seems that way because I am in the early weeks of pregnancy. So with those…
Postmarked Hyannis
Post Office Tourism in the Land of Kennedy Remember the days when post offices had unique designs? When they weren’t generically and homogeneously crafted buildings designed, if only aspirationally, for some sort of efficiency? Remember when going to the post office and buying a stamp and sending a letter was fun? When the entire event…