Summer is my favorite season, and there’s no better place to spend the long summer days than Boston!!
We only have a few weeks left to celebrate summer, but that’s plenty of time to plan a fun-filled day trip or weekend getaway!
Boston has more history than almost any other state in the country, and there are so many incredible places to explore.
The North End
Check out the North End and see where Paul Revere lived. Did you know he was married twice and had, like, 18 children???
Even the cobblestones in North Square are significant- they were put in when Queen Elizabeth came for the 200-year anniversary in 1976.
Don’t miss The Mariner’s House or Sacred Heart Church if you’re a Naval history Buff. The church is where the priests would bless the sailors because the water came up that far. And the Mariners House is still so exclusive that only members of the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines can stay there.
The North End is an eclectic mix of history and progress, and you don’t want to miss it!
Salem, Massachusetts
If you like your history with a side of creepy, Salem is a must-see!
You can tour the House of the Seven Gables, where great American novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, used to live.
Salem has changed a great deal since the days of the witch trials, but many of the homes built in the 1700s are still standing AND still occupied! They’ve been modernized, but still have fireplaces in all the rooms, small staircases, slanted floors, and quality workmanship that far surpasses anything you see today.
Salem is a town that’s steeped in history. You can even visit the very place where the revolutionaries planned the war – Red’s is still standing in downtown Salem!
Newburyport
Head north up the coast to Newburyport.
It’s a beautiful old whaling town where you will see the old ship captain’s homes with these little fenced in areas on the roofs known as a “Widow’s Walk.” When these beautiful homes were built, the roof was flat so the walk could be put up there. The stories tell us that when the ships were due back, the captain’s wife would be up there walking and watching for her husband’s ship to return… if it didn’t, then she was a widow.
If you’re a fan of historic homes with charming Widow’s Walk details, you’ve got lots of options. Newburyport has a lot of them but so do the other whaling towns: Gloucester, Rockport, Salem, Provincetown, New Bedford and Fall River – and I recommend seeing them all!
Massachusetts is the birthplace of our country’s history, and you can still feel it everywhere. Boston is a great place to visit on the 4th of July, but we’re proud to celebrate our history every day of the year!
