the woodsy wife – by adriana vanderzanden

When we moved to New England, we knew we wanted to explore America’s vast early history throughout the coast. We’re about 90 minutes north of Boston, so we took a sweet little Saturday trip to see some sights last weekend.

This weekend, we got hit with a big snow storm, so we’re hunkered down at home staying warm. We probably got about 6 inches, and I think Jake shoveled three or four times within 24 hours. It’s Sunday and the sun is shining, but we’re spending the day cleaning and finishing random projects around the house.

I love Paul Revere (for no particular reason) – so I knew I wanted to go to his home and museum first. Funny story – on the drive down, I was doing research on the different places we wanted to go. I read that Revere lived in this house from 1770-1800, and I wasn’t paying close attention so I accidentally told Jake that 1770 was when he was born. After a lot of jokes about his midnight ride at a ripe 4 years of age, I realized he was actually born in 1735, making him 40 at the time. We’re still laughing at that moment a week later haha.

If you only have a day or two in Boston, and you like history, I definitely recommend the Paul Revere House and Museum. It was $6/person to enter, and it was cool to see how the house was built and how people in this time would have decorated. If I remember correctly, I think the house was already 80 years old when Revere bought it, so it was probably built around 1700! The house has four rooms, two living rooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. Pretty small and simple, but the team at the museum does a great job answering any questions you have and giving you all the information they know!

Of course, it’s not a tourist trip without coffee. The cheapest place we could find to park was in a Starbucks parking lot, so after the Revere house we picked up some drinks. The hardest part about navigating Boston for us was the parking situation. Parking in this city is SO expensive, and there’s very limited spots. My best suggestion is to plan where you’re going to park ahead of time, and then plan on walking almost everywhere.

We decided to do the Freedom Trail through Boston, it hits 16 significant historical locations throughout the city and spans about 2.5 miles. We started in the Boston Commons, and ended at the Boston Massacre Site. My favorite stop was the Granary Burying Grounds where Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and the parents of Benjamin Franklin are buried. The Freedom Trail is free to walk, and some of the historical sites are free, as well! So, if you’re on a budget like we were, this is a great way to see all the history, while keeping the spending at a minimum.

Jake says his favorite part of Boston was all the great architecture. As a framer, I always find his little eyes wandering to buildings wherever we go. Between the historical structures and all the ones built since, he had a lot of fun buildings to look at!

There were lots of places to eat along the trail and throughout the city, but we decided on picking up some pizza from a small Irish bar around the corner from the Park Street Church. It was quiet, and a nice break from the cold and the busyness of the city. After that, we hit up a few more stops on the Freedom Trail, and then made our way back to the car.

Overall, we had a great day trip and I’m excited to go back in warmer weather and see a bit more. Parking for the day was around $35, so in total we probably spent about $100 on gas, tolls, parking, food, and coffee. We could have spent less, but Boston is definitely one of the more expensive places we’ve visited!

Until next time,

Adriana