Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Jill
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After all our stays in different spots over the last week, we are finally making our way to Massachusets. We are staying about an hour’s drive (with traffic) outside of Boston. We will be here for the week to check out all the history here. Touring Boston is our main focus of this trip but we may do some other cities as well if we have time.
Campground
So, we spent the first day getting set up, things cleaned, etc. The park is ok, it’s got lots of beautiful pine trees. The spaces are a bit tight if you have someone next to you. We got lucky and no one was on one of our sides. It does get a little dreary with all the pines but the shade is nice to keep the camper cool. This is our first campsite that you had to pay for hot water in the showers. twenty-five cents for six minutes of hot water. I don’t mind that, humans are huge water wasters. Especially hot water. The one thing I didn’t like about their showers is all of your things, clothes, towels had to be stored outside the shower on the wall. I am a pretty private person and I am not a big fan of having to undress and then go into the shower and vice versa. They do offer firepits at most campsites. It is pretty quiet and it worked great for us going into Boston.
The next day we went into Boston for lunch however finding parking was ridiculous and extremely expensive for what we could find. We ended up driving around checking things out and then finding a brewery (Dorchester brewing) that had their own parking and served food. The beer was pretty good. After that, we checked out Sam Adams brewery which unfortunately did not offer tours due to COVID. We also checked out Turtle Swamp Brewery which had good beer as well. Tomorrow we will do some sightseeing.
Freedom Trail
There are 16 stops on the Freedom Trail tour. You can do a self-guided tour (this is what we did) or pay for a tour. However, most of the tours you pay for don’t stop at all the sights. It is a bit of walking so just be prepared. We brought plenty of water with us, it was supposed to be in the ’90s. On our first day, we made it to almost all of them. We did 14 of the 16 but the heat got to be a lot and the last two were the longer walks. We decided to stop for the day after we stopped for a refreshment and snack and bathroom break. What we decided was to come back the next morning and start from the end and finish up the last two. Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution ship.
Union House Oyster Bar
On our walk back to the car we stopped in at Union House Oyster Bar. We got lucky and there were two seats at the bar where they shuck the oysters. What a great time we had chatting with the two guys doing the shucking. Of course, we had to try the oysters and they were fantastic!! We also had the colonial ale beer which is brewed by Sam Adams exclusively for this bar. You can’t buy it anywhere else so if you find yourself in Boston and you like good beer stop in and have a pint and some oysters. You won’t be disappointed.
Sunday we got up and headed into Boston and finished the Freedom Trail. Bunker Hill had a beautiful view of the area. My favorite stop was the USS Constitution. We got lucky they just opened tours back up. Going aboard and walking the ship was really neat. It is still a functioning ship and sails to this day. She is the oldest ship in the world floating. She does special events for the navy today but she is most famous for her part in the War of 1812.
Holocaust Memorial
Another great stop was the Holocaust memorial. It’s not really a standard memorial but six glass pillars that you walk through. There are millions of numbers etched into the glass representing the numbers that were tattooed on the arms of those in the camps. I highly recommend stopping here it is very sobering. It is important not to forget the past and this memorial is done so well. It lights up at night so you can tour it at any time.
Conclusion
There is a lot of history in Boston. If you are only in Boston for a few days and not sure what to do, I recommend the Freedom Trail and Holocaust Memorial. It is a great way to see a lot of history, get some exercise and enjoy the city. I don’t recommend a car downtown and driving around, it’s best to not have one or park it and walk. It is less stressful and you really get to enjoy the city on foot. Or at least we really enjoyed it more on foot.
We visited a few other areas in the city and around our area but these were the highlights of our week. As always enjoy the photos.
Cheers,
Jill
