Boston National Historical Park
One could say that the United States would not be the United States, but still a Colony of England if it were not for the city and people of Boston in the 1700s. The hardy men and women who settled in Boston grew into generations of independent revolutionaries who sought the best for themselves and their children. From the Boston Tea Party, a protest of a tax on tea, to the creation of a new nation, Boston’s role in the fight for independence from England was formidable. Today, visitors are drawn to one of our nation’s top attractions, the city of Boston and the Boston National Historical Park. Covering several districts, the park tells the story of the founding fathers as they lived, worked, and fought in Boston.
Many of these places are connected by a 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, which leads visitors across the several districts that encompass the park. There are 16 sites on the tour: State House, Park Street Church, Granary burial Ground, King’s Chapel and Burial Ground, Benjamin Franklin Statue/1st Public School Marker, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, and Old North Church. There is Copp’s Hill Burial Ground, the U.S.S. Constitution (world’s oldest commissioned warship, and the Bunker Hill Monument (where the first battle of the Revolutionary War took place).
The Boston National Historic Park Visitor Center located at 15 State Street is open year round. Most of the attractions are open daily; some have closures on specific days or during particular seasons. Park Rangers lad the free 90-minute walking tour through the Freedom Trail. Tours are first come, first serve. Maps and brochures are available for self-guided tours.
Cape Cod National Seashore
Sandy beaches, salt marshes, freshwater kettleponds, cranberry bogs and over 40 miles of pristine beaches make up the Cape Cod National Seashore. En route to Virginia from England, the Pilgrims of the Mayflower hit rough waters and landed instead on Cape Cod in 1620. Though they eventually settled in Plymouth, it was on Cape Cod that they drafted the Mayflower Compact, the first European act of self-government in the New World. Centuries later, in 1903, Guglielmo Marconi’s made the first transatlantic wireless transmission between England and America from the South Wellfleet tower on Cape Cod. The area where the tower once stood is now part of the Cape Code National Seashore.
There are six swim beaches, nature trails, and scenic lookouts throughout the Cape Cod National Seashore. Two historic lighthouses within Cape Cod National Seashore, Highland Light and Nauset Light, have been relocated from their original spots on the eroding edges of the Cape. There are two visitor centers, Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown and the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. Both offer exhibits and information about the natural and cultural history of Cape Cod.
There are several small towns and villages along the Cape Cod National Seashore. In Provincetown, at the end of the Cape, visitors find the tall granite Pilgrim Monument and the Pilgrim Plaque marking the spot where the Pilgrims landed. Herring Cove Beach and Race Point Beach are two of the more popular Cape beaches. The Old Harbor Lifesaving Station is a museum filled with artifacts of this sea rescue station.
The Salt Pond Visitor Center is open daily year round. The Province Lands Visitor Center is open daily from May through October.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1917. A graduate of Harvard, Jack Kennedy joined the navy during WWII as a Lieutenant. Following the war, Kennedy went into politics, being elected as a congressman, and then serving as a senator from Massachusetts. He defeated Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, becoming the youngest man elected president and the first Roman Catholic to serve that office. On November 21, 1963, President Kennedy was shot while his motorcade drove past cheering crowds in downtown Dallas, Texas. His sudden and tragic death affected Americans with grief and sadness.
In 1979, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated to display the legacy of the assassinated president. Kennedy’s legacy has been one of the most prolific. In less than three years in office, he faced many challenges. Nuclear politics, the cold war, Vietnam, racial segregation, civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the space program, were the events of the time that shaped the Kennedy presidency. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum opens the past to those in the present with exhibits that bring the events of the presidency to life.
Visitors can experience the Kennedy presidency in three theaters. The late president narrates the library’s introductory film. Multimedia exhibits and recreations of the period allow visitors to enter the Kennedy’s personal world and experience the JFK presidency. The grounds of the library and museum are set on over 9 acres of park and gardens. In the warmer months, JFK’s sailboat Victura is displayed on museum grounds at Boston Harbor. The tour culminates in a pavilion with a panoramic view of the ocean and sky.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library sponsors education programs and free public forums, covering historical, political and cultural topics. In addition to permanent exhibits, there are special and traveling exhibits featured throughout the year.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is open daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.