Salisbury was our home base for our Massachusetts time, and this was primarily because a lot of RV parks close up shop for the season around mid-October. So, after Columbus Day weekend, it’s not as easy to find a place to camp. Salisbury was a little further north than we had originally planned, but it worked out fine.
First on our list of places to visit was Gloucester, which I had been pronouncing completely wrong (FYI – sounds like Glosster, not Glowchester). A coastal city on Cape Ann, Gloucester has a rich fishing heritage. This is where the movie The Perfect Storm was filmed (in part), and where the story depicted in the movie began. Well, much of the story took place at sea, but the men who died in the storm were from Gloucester. Their fishing vessel, the Andrea Gail, along with all six crew members, was lost at sea during a tremendous storm in 1991. The movie, released in 1993, was based on the book by the same name.
Our first stop was Maritime Gloucester, a museum dedicated to maritime heritage, where we learned about Gloucester’s history and a bit about the shipwrecks that have occurred in the area. We also saw a replica of the Andrea Gail.
We later made a stop to take a look at the Fisherman’s Memorial, a statue (Man at the Wheel) and a list of those who have been claimed by the sea. It’s such an interesting history, and I’m glad we took the side trip to check it out.
We were in Massachusetts during Halloween time, so we did some early trick-or-treating with the girls (the Friday before), and went into Salem that Saturday. We were meeting my best girl from high school, Bridgette, and she had warned us about parking and traffic in Salem during the Halloween season. I have to admit I didn’t think it would be a big deal. The girls and I had been to Salem before to learn about the witch trials and visit the memorial. I thought that since it wasn’t so big of a place, it couldn’t be that bad. I was very wrong. So very wrong.
People are very serious about Halloween in Salem. After finally finding a parking spot (seriously, after about an hour), we met up with my friend and took in the sights. There were some great costumes in the crowd. After some people watching and dinner, we settled in for an outdoor movie, Hocus Pocus. It was great seeing an old friend and catching up, and it was an experience seeing the crowds that descended on the town for Halloween!
We couldn’t visit Massachusetts without going into Boston. I wasn’t excited about the idea of driving into the city, dealing with traffic, or the cost of parking. Also, our truck is pretty massive, and while Ray is a pro at getting into tight parking spots, I thought it would be better to take public transit into town. We drove to a commuter lot outside of the city and took the T Line in. It worked out perfectly.
Our main objective was to do the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile path that goes through downtown Boston and past 16 historically significant sites. Since the girls are focusing on studies in American History this year, this fit right in with our curriculum. We saw Boston Common, the MA State House, several historical churches, the graves of Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere, Paul Revere’s house, and lots of other places.
Not on the Freedom Trail, but equally interesting to me, was Cheers. Formerly the Bull and Finch Pub, this is where the show Cheers was filmed. We ate lunch in the restaurant and visited the set. This was pretty cool for me, because I grew up watching Cheers. I loved Woody.
It just so happens that we have been studying the Pilgrims, and being so close to Plymouth Rock, we had to take the trip out to see Plymouth Harbor and the place where the Pilgrims first stepped onto what is now American soil.
We saw the rock, and then we went on to Plimoth Plantation (It was originally spelled Plimoth). At the plantation, we saw a re-creation of the Wampanoag Homesite. The Wampanoags were Native peoples who befriended the Pilgrims. We also saw a re-creation of a 17th Century English Village, with actors dressed in Pilgrim attire, who remained in character. I think our visit to Massachusetts couldn’t have come at a better time, as we had just finished the Pilgrim unit, and we are just a few weeks from Thanksgiving. The visit was educational and fun.
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