One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm

Those words, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, have been memorized by countless people learning about the revolutionary era of the United States. The poem refers to hanging a lantern (or lanterns) in the belfry of the Old North Church is Boston as a signal that the British were coming, and that Paul Revere was to alert the neighboring villages.

The Old North Church still stands in Boston today, and is the city’s oldest surviving church structure, as well as a National Historic Landmark. It’s 191 foot tall steeple makes it the tallest steeple in the city, and a recognizable part of the Boston skyline (in center of photo above). The church is on the city’s Freedom Trail, a two and a half mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 historic sites.

The church is more properly known as Christ Church in the City of Boston, and is associated with the Episcopalian Church. It is an active church, and services have been held there regularly since it was built in 1723, save for a brief closure during the American Revolution.

You can tour the Old North Church at its location at 193 Salem Street. It is open daily, 9 am – 6 pm (summer hours), and although there is no admission charge, voluntary donations are welcome. I took time for a walk through when I was in Boston a few days ago, and found that it filled me with a tremendous sense of history. It’s said that the box pews, the brass chandeliers, and the first clock are all original — that’s over 250 years ago!

Sunday services are held at 9 am and 11 am, and visitors are welcome to attend.

Photo credit: wikimedia (skyline) and flickr (church steeple)

Post from: The Boston Traveler

One of the non-witchy highlights of a visit to Salem is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables.

The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association was created to assist immigrant families who were settling in Salem. Philanthropist and preservationist Caroline Emmerton purchased “the Old Turner Mansion” in 1908, and eventually restored the mansion to its original splendor — and its seven gables. The building became known as The House of the Seven Gables, after Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same name.

Additional structures were eventually acquired, all dating back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th century, and were moved to the site, creating The House of the Seven Gables campus. It is listed as a historic district on The National Register of Historic Places. The Association continues to focus on education, preservation, and community service

The House of the Seven Gables is located at 115 Derby Street in Salem (map it).  Parking is free while visiting.  You may also want to consider public transportation.

I’ve only been to The House of the Seven Gables during the spring time, when it looks much like it does in the photo above, with beautiful gardens and landscaping.   Like much of Salem, The House of the Seven Gables offers special Halloween events, and I can imagine, however, how spooky it must look in the dark and dreariness of Halloween.

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Where else but Salem would Halloween become a month long event?

The city that has made a cottage industry of witchcraft pulls no punches this Halloween, as it launches its month of Haunted Happenings. It’s a combination of an autumn event, celebrating the changing leaves and cooler weather, with the spirit of Halloween, complete with accompanying ghosts, goblins, witches and folklore.

The Halloween events are all found in historic downtown Salem, and it’s easy to walk from one venue to the next. You can choose from museums, attractions, haunted houses, and a variety of tours, or decide to wander the streets enjoying the dramatic reenactments, psychic fairs, and shopping. Events have been designed to appeal to all age groups. There admission fees for entry to some of the events, others are free.

Here is a partial list of attractions: Salem Witch Museum, House of Seven Gables, Salem Trolley, Witch Dungeon, Witch History Museum, and the Pirate History Museum

And if a tour is more to your liking: Candlelit Ghostly Tours, Cemetery 101: Grave Matters (this sounded like one I’d enjoy), Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour, 1692 Salem Village Trolley Tour, Salem Spirits Trolley Tour, Witchcraft Walk, and Spirit of Salem Seance.

That’s just a few of the things you can do in Salem this month, so be sure to check out the full schedule of events. There’s likely to be something to appeal to your spirited side.

Salem is located 16 miles north of Boston on the Atlantic coast. It is easily accessible by public transportation. In fact, this is the busy season for Salem, and traffic can be a nightmare, so public transportation is a very good idea.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Wattled cranes only have an estimated 8,000 members left worldwide, and the zoo is attempting to help reverse the troubling trend and preserve the population by producing a hatchling in captivity. Kotze and Pepe could care less, however, leading to a very interesting and funny article at the Boston Globe about the predicament.

Watch the video after the jump for a brief overview, featuring Franklin Park curator Frank Beall, who must be a little frustrated by now, and then read “It’s Not Happening at the Zoo.” I was fascinated to learn that cranes can reach six feet in height, a really freaky prospect since that isn’t much taller than me.

FYI: Franklin Park’s new wattled crane exhibit opened on Memorial Day, and it’s currently available to visitors during normal business hours, between Serengeti Crossing and the Giraffe Savannah at the zoo (One Franklin Park Road, Boston, 617-541-5466).

Post from: The Boston Traveler

You want fascinating? Boston’s got it — in the form of the ever popular Museum of Science, a Boston landmark and member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that is home to the Charles Hayden Planetarium, the Mugar Omni IMAX Theater, and dozens of animals. The museum is situated steps from the Boston-East Cambridge border, right at the Science Park stop on the Green Line subway.

With a stated mission “to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society,” the museum hosts a number of intriguing interactive exhibits each year, ranging from IMAX movies to displays of live insects and animals to instructional sessions on diverse science-related topics. It even offers a series of virtual exhibits available to everyone, free of charge and around the clock, conveniently via their computer.

The current Museum of Science began as the Boston Society of Natural History in 1830 and later became the New England Museum of Natural History in 1864 after a move to Back Bay. Land was purchased at what is now called Science Park in 1948, and three years later the museum reopened at its new address as the Museum of Science.

The museum’s lengthy list of longtime draws includes the aforementioned Charles Hayden Planetarium and Mugar Omni IMAX Theater, the Theater of Electricity, the Science Live! Stage, Mathematica, and the Children’s Discovery Center. Present exhibits are equally impressive, such as Beyond the X-ray, Dinosaurs: Modeling the Mesozoic, Earth: Inside Out, and the Live Animal Exhibit.

Take a quick video tour of the Museum of Science after the jump and visit the museum’s official website to learn more about its offerings and prices.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Newbury Street is an eight-block, mixed-use thoroughfare, lined on both sides by many dozens of retail and restaurant businesses housed in gorgeous, historic, renovated 19th-century brownstones. The intricate architecture alone is enough to make one stop and stare before taking scores of pictures and then moving on to the numerous additional stores and businesses on surrounding streets.

Bound on one side by the Boston Public Garden (Arlington T Station) and by Massachusetts Avenue (Hynes T Station) on the opposite side, Newbury Street has a distinct hierarchy of shops. The closer you get to Mass Avenue, as we call the state-named street for short, the quirkier and less expensive the stores become. As a result, the shopping district can accommodate just about anyone, whether a person has upscale or downscale tastes.

Newbury Street is also home to popular attractions that are historic in their own right, such as the original branch of the music chain Newbury Comics. But keep in mind that during peak times — for instance, the warmer months, when school is out and more people are on vacation — the wide and normally comfortable sidewalks can get very crowded.

I personally only visit the location at downtimes, when I know congestion will be limited. If you enjoy experiencing the sights and sounds of thriving, active neighborhoods, however, then peak time is probably the prime time for you to go.

Take a look at a brief video tour of Newbury Street, courtesy of Travelistic, after the jump and visit the shopping district’s official website to learn more about what it offers.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

One of Boston’s biggest attractions is the Freedom Trail, a pedestrian walk along a red path, primarily constructed of bricks, that links sixteen historic locations in Boston. The trail begins on the Boston Common downtown and ends at Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Monument about 2.5 miles away.

During the journey, participants also encounter the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, the Benjamin Franklin statue, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, the site where the Boston Massacre occurred, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, and the USS Constitution. The last is the United States Navy ship widely called Old Ironsides.

You can take your own electronic tour of the ever-popular Freedom Trail right now by watching the following seven-minute video created by a family who walked it on Easter weekend of this year. The footage isn’t professional quality, but it does give a real sense of the sights encountered as you reach various landmarks. All create an impression of awe that’s not easily transmitted via an artificial medium, which is actually a great motivation to visit Boston and enjoy the trail up close and personal.

Learn more about Boston’s Freedom Trail at the Freedom Trail Foundation, a provider of informative, 90-minute historical tours several times a day during relevant seasons.

NOTE: For your ears’ sake, I suggest turning the volume down low or off on the video. The audio is extremely poor and very unpleasant to hear.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

This photo post extends the love, giving readers an opportunity to experience the beauty of Franklin Park Zoo and its diverse inhabitants from the comfort of their computers.

All photographs are courtesy of Ryan E. Poplin, while the witty (or so I’d like to believe) captions are solely my fault.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Officially called a “demonstration kitchen and cookbook library” on its website, Stir opened last fall. The combination cooking school, culinary bookstore, and eatery aims to educate patrons about the best approaches to cooking techniques and ingredients in order to maximize individuals’ experiences in the kitchen.

To achieve that goal, Lynch and her colleagues offer a number of options to both the general public and private parties. They include regular cooking classes and demonstrations, as well as the ability to make reservations for special functions.

On Mondays, Stir hosts seminars on beer, wine, and spirits. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are set aside for cooking demonstrations. All of the events are led by top teachers in the industry, as are the culinary courses that range in price from $85 to $165 each. The most recent addition to the course calendar is February 23rd’s Classic Bistro Cuisine Chez Stir, which costs $125.

Every one of the other classes held this month is already sold out — such as February 18th’s World of Pinot Noir and February 26th and 27th’s Breads of the World — indicating just how popular Stir’s attractions are. In fact, interested attendees are required to register beforehand with a credit card due to space limitations (the 300-square-foot space has just ten seats).

To be honest, all of this is a little upscale for me. Wine is something I drink when I want to go to sleep, and I’m perfectly happy eating only those foods with names and ingredients I can pronounce correctly without having to guess. There’s definitely no harm in craving fine food, though, and a little instruction from pros beforehand, either by class or by book, can’t possibly hurt.

Read more about Stir and owner Barbara Lynch in Clara Silverstein’s informative Misstropolis article “Barbara Lynch Stirs Up a Gem.”

And, if you’d like to browse the bookstore area of Stir, it’s open Monday through Wednesday from 12pm to 6pm EST and Thursday through Sunday from 12pm to 8pm.

Post from: The Boston Traveler