Things to do in Lexington and Concord
The Minute Man National Historical Park stretches across five miles of the original battle road between Lexington and Concord, and is a genuinely interesting place to spend a morning. Rangers lead tours throughout the year. Check out the “Special Events and Programs” page on their website for updates pegged to this year’s 250th celebrations. Over in Concord, literary buffs should visit Orchard House, the former home of Louisa May Alcott, whose time living there inspired Little Women, and was also used as a filming location for Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film adaption. You can still see the small desk that Mr. Alcott built into Louisa’s bedroom wall, where she is believed to have written the novel. A short walk from there, you’ll find the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where numerous notable Concordians are interred: the Alcott family; Ephraim Wales Bull, who first cultivated the Concord grape; Nathaniel Hawthorne, and numerous politicians, activists, and thinkers. Round out your literary morning with a visit to the Concord Bookshop on Main Street, the type of well-curated indie shop that will inspire you to leave with an armful of books you didn’t know you needed.
For a glimpse of this area’s contemporary soul, drive over to neighboring Lincoln to visit the deCordova Sculpture Park, a massive outdoor art center (comparable to upstate New York’s Storm King Art Center). Thirty-five acres of rolling hillsides hold rotating large-scale sculptures from artists working today, with views that feel worlds away from Boston’s suburban sprawl.
If that sounds like too much sightseeing, don’t lose hope—this is also a fantastic area to escape the city and appreciate the great outdoors, all within minutes from Boston. The Minuteman Bikeway is one of Massachusetts’ best multi-use trails, running eleven miles from central Cambridge out to Bedford. For a dip, there’s nowhere better than Walden Pond, which is set to reopen this summer after an overhaul of its bathhouse and facilities last year. On warmer days, especially on weekends, it can get extremely busy and parking can be a challenge—but the nearby trails of Hapgood Wright Forest offer shade and quietude just a few minutes away.
