Concord Museum

Frommer's Review

Just when you're (understandably) suspecting that everything interesting in this area started on April 18, 1775, and ended the next day, this superb museum sets you straight. It's a great place to start your visit to the town.

The History Galleries explore the question "Why Concord?" Artifacts, murals, films, maps, documents, and other exhibits illustrate the town's changing roles. It has been a Native American settlement, Revolutionary War battleground, 19th-century intellectual center, and focal point of the 20th-century historic preservation movement. Items on display include silver from colonial churches, a fascinating collection of embroidery samplers, 19th-century clocks (Concord was a center of clock making), and rooms furnished with period furniture and textiles. Explanatory text places the objects in context. One of the lanterns immortalized by Longfellow in "Paul Revere's Ride" ("one if by land, two if by sea") is on display. You'll also see the contents of Ralph Waldo Emerson's study, arranged the way it was at his death in 1882, and a large collection of Henry David Thoreau's belongings.

Pick up a family activity pack as you enter; kids can use the games and reproduction artifacts (including a quill pen and powder horn) to get a hands-on feel for life in the past. The museum also offers changing exhibits in the New Wing, special events such as story hour and "tea and tour" (call for reservations), and an outstanding gift shop.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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