Category Archives: what to know

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the Bunker Hill Monument & Museum with Kids

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One of the last stops of the Boston Freedom Trail is the Bunker Hill Monument.  For two years I could see the spire of the monument light up at night from my apartment window, but somehow whenever we went on the Freedom Trail or took visiting friends or family we always got distracted from the Freedom Trail about the time we went near Mike’s Pastries and never finished the second half.

When my parents came to town to visit I was determined that we were going to do the full trail so that I would finally see both the USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument.

The Bunker Hill Monument was created to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was the first fight between the British and the New Englanders during the American Revolutionary War (battle fought on June 17, 1775)  From my perspective it’s a huge, tall, monument with 294 very narrow stairs leading to the top.

We climbed the 20 flights on a blisteringly hot day.  Somehow, and I’m not really sure how, my husband managed the climb well ahead of us, with toddler on his shoulders.  I’m kind of glad I didn’t see it because those stair are narrow and I’m sure seeing my boy on his shoulders would have scared me to death.  The other three of us made it about 50 stairs and had to take a break, then we would walk 40 stairs and a break, then 35 stairs … anyway, eventually we made it to the top sweaty, exhausted, and empowered.  The view was fantastic and it was totally worth it… though I could not control my legs or get them to stop shaking for about an hour.

Things to Note:

1.  Price
Both the Bunker Hill Monument and Bunker Hill Museum are free.

2.  Stroller Access
You can easily bring a stroller into the Bunker Hill Museum, but there didn’t seem to be any handicap access and certainly no elevators leading to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument.  If you want to enjoy the view from up there you’re going to have to hike a lot of stairs and either leave your stroller bound tots at the bottom while you do it or carry them to the top with you.

3.  The Stairs
There are so many stairs leading to the top of the monument and they are narrow and winding.  If you’ve got kids with you you’re going to want to keep a close eye on them and if they are too big to be carried but too little to walk all the way up you should probably not attempt to bring them.  The stairwell as well as the stairs are narrow and not a great place for little ones to play.

4.  The View
The view from the top was fantastic, but the windows to enjoy the view were tiny and dirty… and even when you get to the top there is not a ton of room.  Don’t plan on getting there and hanging out or having a picnic or anything.  It’s more like a get to the top, check out how awesome Boston is, rest for a minute, and then start the decent.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★☆

Four stars, it’s hard to complain about free. This place will give you a serious work out and it’s not for the faint of heart.  Not super toddler friendly though you can easily bring up older children and, if you’re feeling strong, you can carry up a baby.  On the off chance that you don’t want to walk to the top you can still enjoy the view from the hill.  There is lots of green grass to run around on and the area surrounding it is beautiful.  Plus right across from the monument is Bunker Hill Museum, which has air conditioning, water and an elevator.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Bunker Hill Monument & Museum
Boston National Historical Park Monument Square
Charlestown, MA

Phone: 617-242-5641 (Group tours 617-.242-5689)
Website: www.nps.gov/bost or https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/freedom-trail/bunker-hill-monumnet.shtml

Museum: September – June, daily 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. July – August, daily 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monument: September-June, daily 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. July – August, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II with Kids

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In addition to visiting the Plimouth Plantation I would highly recommend continuing the adventure by visiting Plymouth Rock (Free… though… not as impressive as I was expecting) and the Mayflower II.

Plymouth Rock is a fairly small rock, I feel like my toddler could have climbed it, surrounded by a monument and a bunch of fences.  It about a thirty second tour and then you’ve seen it and there is not much else to be done.

On the other hand Plymouth Rock is located on the same beach as the Mayflower II, which is worth a tour.  The Mayflower II is a replica of the original ship (Mayflower).  It was also built in England and sailed to Plymouth.  The ship was tiny!  The original ship had 130 passengers and we learned that the pilgrims all had to stay below decks (100 or so of them) along with all the animals they brought (goats, chickens & dogs.) They ended up landing at Plymouth in December (brrr) and then dying off due to exposure.  Only two people died while sailing over, and half of all the passengers and crew members died after they landed. Yikes!  All in all they ended up trapped on the ship and below decks for 7 months, though sailing there only took 2 months… the rest of the hardship was finding somewhere to live and building shelters.

I learned (probably relearned since I’m sure my history teachers covered it along the way at some point) this from the actors on the boat telling their stories, which were fantastic.  The sleeping space looked awful and tiny, and I am shocked only two people died on the way over… I would have suspected a lot more murders with them being confined to that tiny space.

After we walked around the Mayflower II we decided to take a short walk up the city hill to the local cemetery.  Along the way we were able to see some of the original house and the cemetery was where the first pilgrims were buried.   We ended our tour with a quick run through the grist mill and then we all needed some time off our feet, trying to see the Plimouth/Plymouth Plantation, Mayflower II and Grist Mill all in one day is a fairly exhausting endeavor…

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There are free and paid areas to park, and you can ask where they are when you buy your tickets.  When we went to see the Mayflower II we ended up parking by the Grist Mill and walking a 1/2 mile or so to the ship.  We were happy to do it because the trail was really scenic and we were able to drop by Plymouth Rock along the way.

2) Pricing
There are a bunch of options for pricing depending on how many of the Plymouth attractions you want to see.  They range in scope from about $20 – $30/Person.  You can find out more here: http://www.plimoth.org/plan-your-visit/hours-prices

3) Stroller Friendliness
This part of the Plymouth experience was not very stroller friendly.  We took our stroller on the 1/2 mile walk from our car to the Mayflower II, but from there on you will need to either have someone stay behind with your stroller/young child or you will need to give your stroller to the people at the desk to keep an eye on and carry your child onto the ship.

4) Child Friendliness
Again this part of the tour was not super baby/toddler friendly.  Seeing a lot of the ship requires you to be able to move up and down some fairly steep/narrow stairways and your child/children will likely need a fair amount of help to do it safely.

5) The Experience
The Mayflower II is populated with actors portraying people that actually traveled on the Mayflower.  They spend the time going about their daily business, talk in accents, and answer questions as if they were actually there.  I thought it was a really fun way to learn more about the Mayflower and what conditions on board were like.  I also really liked talking to the woman on the ship and finding out that her parents sent her away on the ship to find a husband… and mostly to get rid of her.  It was both horrible and fascinating learning about that kind of culture.

Summary and Rating ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  This was a fairly expensive history lesson, but one of the best and most engaging I’ve had.  Being about the see people dressed from the time period and interacting with them was a blast.  I loved being able to direct this history lesson and learn more about the things that I though were interesting in the form of personal conversation, rather than reading similar things from a information card.  Again the Mayflower II allows children, and mine really enjoyed being able to touch things and walk around, but they are going to need a fair amount of supervision while on the boat.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Plimouth Grist Mill
6 Spring Lane
Plymouth, MA 02360

Plimouth Plantation’s Mayflower II
State Pier (across from 74 Water Street)
Plymouth, MA 02360

Phone: 508.746.1622
Website: https://www.plimoth.org/

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting Mount Auburn Cemetery with Kids

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Mount Auburn Cemetery was the first Rural Cemetery in the United States and it has been designated as a national landmark.  It also seems to be one of those places that shows up frequently on the “Must See/Things to Do in Boston” lists.

We decided to check it out and see what all the hype was about.  We went in early May, it was still jacket weather but the flowers were out and the greenery was gorgeous.

This cemetery is huge and it’s a very green a peaceful place to be.  Flowers and attractive bushes are everywhere and there are plenty of paths to walk along and interesting headstones to see.  As far as bringing kids along I thought it was great.  There was lots of space for them to move about, lots to explore and we weren’t getting in anyone’s way as we toured the area.  The chapel was gorgeous and we loved being able to walk around and enjoy so many amazing flowers.

We were also surprised to see some velociraptors there. We stumble unto a herd of 3, then realized they were calling to the rest of the herd a few paces over. Turns out there were around 10 of the beasties… alright they might just have been wild turkeys, but those suckers were giant, and the way they moved and called to each other… well they seem to be direct descendants!  We had to keep the kids from getting to close because I was sure they would end up getting their eyes plucked out or something. In any case, there is also a lot of wild life to be seen in the area.  We saw a flock of wild turkeys, chipmunks, bunnies, squirrels and the like.

Things to Note:

1) Parking/Admission
Free.  This area is really large and you can park just about anywhere along the trails, stopping when you find something you’re interested in exploring more.

2) Stroller Friendliness
There are paths that go every which way through the cemetery and if you wanted to bring a stroller you would be able to get around easily with it, but if you’re bring a toddler with you it might be easier just to let them run free and follow them through the headstones without trying to drag a stroller up and down the hilly paths.

3) Kid Friendliness
Totally kid friendly.  It mostly a nature walk that you can do at your own pace and you don’t have to worry about running into other people, though I believe Mount Auburn also offers a guided tour of the cemetery if you are interested.

4) Wildlife
We were able to spot a lot of interesting creatures while walking around the park, most notably a decent sized flock of wild turkeys, along with bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels and birds.

5) Plant Life
The greenery everywhere is amazing.  There are so many flowers, flowering bushes, trees, sweeping weeping willows, scenic ponds etc. that you can’t help but to enjoy nature as you explore the area.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★★

Five Stars.  I thought this place was beautiful and it was so nice to have so much green spaces after living in the city.  I loved that my son could explore and I could enjoy the quiet piece of the area as we walked around together.  If you’re looking for a nice outing, near the city, with free parking that you can do last minute this might be just the ticket.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Mount Auburn Cemetery
580 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Phone: 617-547-7105
Website: http://mountauburn.org/

Hours: Gates open: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm;
Saturday 8:30 am – 12:00 pm for business, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm for information

Fantastic, Little Known, Cambridge Parks – 5 Things to Know About Dana Park (Includes a Petting Zoo and Drum Circle!)

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Dana park is a great little park and over the summer they have events going on all the time to make the park even more fun.  It’s got a nice green spaces, two different playgrounds – one for kids above 4 years old and one for kids younger than 4, a sand pit with an small water spout in it that makes it irresistible to sand lovers, a basket ball court, and a splash pad.  If you’re looking for a park that has it all this makes for a great destination.

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There may be street parking available, but there is not a dedicated parking lot for this park.

2) Splash Pad
This is a great intermediate age splash pad. The splash pad isn’t huge, but there are a few different levels of fountains making it fun for both toddlers and older children.

3) Sand Water Feature
My son loves playing in the sand here more than he likes just about anything else at the park.  There is a tiny little water spout that pours into the sand with a button that is easy for little hands to push.  Also the sand box is always loaded with community toys so my son has a blast filling up the little buckets with water and walking them around to pour them elsewhere in the sand.

4) Summer Fun
During the summer there are constantly new great events going on in this park.  There is a weekly craft day in the morning.  Each week there is also a drum circle where someone brings a bunch of African drums, sets them up in a big circle and leads any children who are interested through a mini drum lesson.  We also enjoyed a free petting zoo and carnival this past summer.

5) Day Care
It seems like there are often day care children using this park in the morning during the summer and they tend to be older children using the bigger 4+ part of the playground.  We didn’t find them to be overwhelming, but then again we were using the part of the playground for the very young.  In any case all the day care children disappear around lunch time so if you’re concerned about crowd control consider planning your visit a little later in the morning.

Summary & Rating ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  We have a ton of fun at this park, and it is obviously one of the more popular parks to attend during the summer.  It can sometimes be hard to find all the awesome events happening at the park over the summer but if you show up your bound to have a good time regardless.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Dana Park
Corporal McTernan and Lawrence Streets
Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone: 617.349.4640
Website: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/parks/parksinfo/Parks/danapark

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting Castle Island

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Because Boston is so far north a lot of the beaches have freezing cold water, even during the hottest summer months.  The water temperature doesn’t really matter if you just want some sandy space to layout in, but ice cold water is a lot less fun when you have young children who want to play in it, yet can hardly stand to keep their toes in the water.  Not that I blame them… we went to Revere Beach in late June and the water was so cold it was taking my breath away at calf deep.

We finally found a beach that works really well for both adults and children.  Castle Island (it’s no longer an actual island) is perfect!  There is free parking, a long winding beach, delicious food (see my post about Sullivan’s), a cool fort to walk around, lots of green space, a playground, and because the water here is in a bay, by mid summer the water is warm enough to actually get into.

We came enjoyed the fort and playground and ended up playing in the little beach near the playground.  It was shallow, warm and my son and I loved it!

Things to Note:

1) Transportation
Parking is free.  Castle Island is not super close to the “T” but there are bus lines that go to it. Also once you get there parking runs right along the ocean or if you end up parking in the lot it’s a short walking (minutes) to the fort or playground.

2) Water
The water here is in a big bay and tends to be a fair amount warmer that most of the other beaches in the area.  However like most of the other beaches around here the shells and rocks right at the shoreline are super rough and if you actually want to get into the water you and your kids will probably want water shoes.  I feel like I have fairly tough feet and I can hardly make it to swimming level.  Also there are pretty much no waves here, which is great for kids but lame for body surfing or boogie boarding.

3) Food
The only vendor really close to the water is Sullivan’s.  They sell classic American fair, hamburgers, hotdogs and the like at a fair price and they are delicious!  Also they are not open during the winter.

4) Fort
Fort Independence is a great big pentagon shaped fort with an awesome walking path around it.  It’s open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day for both guided and self guided tours. Note that guided tours are only available on the weekends.

5) Bathrooms
Yes, there are bathrooms on Castle Island with running water and flushing toilets.  The first few times I went all I saw were port-a-potties and I was not impressed.  Then I realized the actual bathroom are close the playground and they are much nicer and cleaner.

Summary and Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars.  I think this is a great beach and it’s half way between a commercial and a rural beach.  Castle Island is a state park, but you still have the benefit of being close to the city and having a food option near you.  I love that the water is a little bit warmer here and that there are so many things to do in addition to going to the beach (which is my main drive)  the park is a blast and walking around the fort is really interesting with a great view.  Also you can’t complain about free parking!

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Castle Island
Castle Island
Boston, MA 02127

Phone: 617-727-5290
Website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/castle-island-pleasure-bay-m-street-and-carson-beach.html