“Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. . . . “

In Boston’s North End you’ll find the small wooden home that Paul Revere left on April 18th, 1775 when he began the ride that made him a legend.  He lived here with his wife, five children, and mother, and sold the house around 1800.

The Paul Revere House still stands today at 19 North Square, and is downtown Boston’s oldest building.  The home was opened as a museum in 1908, one of the first historic house museums in the country.  Today it is one of the few buildings remaining from the colonial era.

Although it has been renovated substantially over the years, about 90% of the building is original back to 1680.  This includes two doors, three window frames, and portions of the flooring and rafters.  The heavy beams and large fireplaces were typical interiors of colonial homes.  The upstairs chambers contain furniture believed to have belonged to the Revere family.

The Paul Revere house is located on the Freedom Trail (between the Faneuil Hall stop and the Old North Church stop), and can also be reached via the T (subway).  On the green line get off as Government Center or Haymarket, on the blue line get off at Government Center or Aquarium, and on the orange line get off at State or Haymarket.

Self-guided tours of the home take you through home.  Admission is $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors and college students, and $1 for children 5-17.  Winter hours (November 1st – April 14th) are 9:30 am – 4:15 pm; Summer hours (April 15th – October 31st) are 9:30 am – 5:15 pm.  Closed on Mondays January – March.

Allow half an hour to an hour for a leisurely walk through of the house.  During heavy tourist times, lines can back up.

Photo credit:  wikimedia

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75 Chestnut is a small pub-style restaurant in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston.  While it was once an elegant, high end restaurant, it reinvented itself into a popular, and affordable, neighborhood establishment with a bistro-like interior.

The menu includes pub fare (burgers, soups, salads, and sandwiches) with a bit of an upscale twist, along with some additional dinner entrees.  Prices are reasonable, especially by Boston standards, and you can get a great meal in the $10-20 range.

The restaurant is located at 75 Chestnut Street, and is open Sunday – Thursday 5 pm – midnight, and Friday till 1 am.  Dinner is served until 10 pm, and a bar menu is available until 11 pm.  Brunch is served Saturday 11:30 am – 3 pm, and Sunday 10:30 am – 2:30 pm, offering great brunch specialties in addition to a full menu.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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The site was Rockwell’s home for the last 25 years of his life, and was turned into a museum housing over 700 of his paintings, drawings and studies (the largest collection in the world), along with a huge collection of personal artifacts.

Rockwell is perhaps best known for his 321 Saturday Evening Post covers, with his first in 1916, “Boy with Baby Carriage.”  His inspiring “Rosie the Riveter” and “Four Freedoms” series remain lasting visual tributes to World War II, and his holiday images take us back to a kinder, gentler era.

Although many art critics and historians do not consider Rockwell a “serious” artist, there can be no doubt of his immense public popularity, and he is one of the best-known illustrators in history.  His Americana themes, showcasing the ideas of kindness, tolerance, and freedom, resonated with the public, and viewing his collection is a retrospective of family life over the past century.

The museum is located at 9 Glendale Road, Route 183, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  It is open daily (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day).  Summer hours (May-October, and holidays) are weekdays 10 am – 4 pm; weekends 10 am – 5 pm.  Daily winter and holiday hours are 10 am – 5 pm.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for collect students (with ID), $13.50 for seniors, and youth (18 and under) free with an adult.  Tickets may be purchase onsite, or online.  An audio tour is available for an additional $5 for adults, and $4 for seniors and youth.  Parking is free.

No photography, backpacks, or large packages are permitted inside the museum galleries.

Image credit:  wikimedia (museum); Amazon (Runaway print); Amazon (Doctor & the Doll print)

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With the decline of the US dollar vs. international currencies, now is the perfect time to explore domestic destinations rather than flying overseas.

Spring is the ideal season to visit Boston, because the weather is warming up and many of Boston’s most popular attractions are getting ready for business. There’s a palpable excitement and anticipation in Boston as the Red Sox prepare for opening day at Fenway Park and the Public Gardens comes alive with spring flowers.

I have lived in or around Boston for over a decade, so here are my suggestions on Boston activities that won’t break the bank. Some are specific to spring and summer, but many are open year round.

• Plan a picnic on Boston Common or the Public Gardens. Located in the heart of downtown Boston, Boston Common and the Public Gardens offer a quiet escape from the fast pace of the city. During the summer, Boston Common hosts a number of free outdoor performances and events, so be sure to bring a blanket and some snacks (or pick up a pizza from Upper Crust, which is located nearby on Charles Street). It’s also a great place for jogging and people-watching.
• Make like a student. Word on the street is that during the school year, one in five Bostonians are actually college students. So it’s not surprising that there a ton of low budget entertainment options for the collegiate set. If you still have a college ID, then you’re in luck (I admit it, I still sometimes use my Boston University ID at the movies). If not, then it’s still worth checking the events calendars at big universities like Harvard, MIT, and BU, because many of their concerts, lectures, and other events are open to the public.
• Take a walk. If the weather is mild, then Boston is the perfect walking city. You’ll discover cute little shops and boutiques in the South End, walk past historic brownstones in the Back Bay, or soak up the local flavors in Inman Square. If it’s too chilly to walk, then you can buy a Charlie Card and ride the MBTA’s bus and subway system for a lot less than you’d spend on cabs or a car rental (in fact, I strongly discourage you from renting a car in Boston, because we have such a great public transportation system that it’s not necessary).
• Soak up some culture in a museum. Boston is home to a ton of really great art and history museums. The Institute of Contemporary Art, which just reopened on Boston’s waterfront a year ago, hosts Target Free Thursday Nights every week and free family days on the last Saturday of each month. Citizens Bank sponsors free admission on Wednesday nights from 4-9:45 at the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Boston Children’s Museum is just $1 on Friday evenings.

With a little creativity, you can have a great trip to Boston without spending a ton of money!

Susan Johnston inherited her Yankee frugality from her mother. She writes for several blogs, including the Go Boston Travel Blog.

Photo credit:  flickr

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When the weather gets like this, I start thinking about the fall foliage, and how beautiful nature can be this time of year.

Word is that this year’s foliage New England foliage should be spectacular.  The warm days and cool evenings are perfect conditions for dramatic color and foliage.

If you’re interested in planning a driving tour to see the foliage, check out the Massachusetts Office of Travel Tourism site for a listing of New England foliage events.  There’s also a foliage timetable map, along with suggested scenic drives.  The website is updated twice a week with “leaf” reports.

There’s also a Fall Foliage Hotline at:  (800) 227-MASS.

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Hindsight tells us that, despite the rampant hysteria running through the community at the time, none of these people (mostly women) were witches.  Fear does crazy things to people.

Salem, rather than denying it, or trying to distance itself from its less tolerant era, has embraced the trials, and has turned witchcraft into a sort of cottage industry.

You can visit the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch Dungeon Museum, the Witch House, or the Salem Witch Village.

While this is not my particular cup of tea, having skipped all of the witch-themed attractions on my last visit to Salem, other people have commented that it was kind of fun to do ““ once.

Just walking around and soaking in the local color and ambiance was good enough for me.

You decide for yourself.

Photo credit: flickr

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