Travel books love to include tips on how to experience a place “like a local.” But if you’re lucky enough to be a local, how often do you actually experience the fun that’s right in front of you?
When family or friends come from out of town, we show them the North Bridge, Author’s Ridge, and Walden Pond. We take them to our favorite restaurants and shops, and maybe go canoeing on the river. But why wait for visitors? Even if you’re a townie, Concord’s Visitor Center might surprise you with some of the experiences you can enjoy here.
Maybe you think of the Visitor Center at 58 Main Street as “where the bathrooms are”—and that’s true. But take a minute to step in the other door. You can find free maps of Minute Man National Park, area hiking and bike trails, information about Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and more. You can get books, post cards, fridge magnets, a nice cold box of water (no single-use plastic bottles here!), and of course, a pocket-size bottle of hand sanitizer. There are “I came, I saw, I Concord” T-shirts, and even tricorn hats (of course you know a kid that wants a tricorn hat).
The Visitor Center is staffed with trained guides 10:00-4:00 daily. Beth Williams joined the Concord Recreation Department last year as Tourism Manager, and she’s available year-round to answer questions and arrange private tours.
Regular walking tours run daily at 1:00 (in November, tours will run on Saturday and Sunday). If you’ve been around Concord for a while, you could probably give a tour yourself, but Beth Williams has cooked up some tours that might give you (or your out-of-town guests) a new perspective on the town.
• There’s a Little Women tour that highlights Louisa May Alcott and the real-life Concord family that inspired her best-selling novel.
• There’s a 90-minute bicycle tour exploring sites connected to Concord’s African-American history, including the Robbins House, John Jack’s grave, and houses that were stops on the Underground Railroad.
• There’s a Three Cemeteries walking tour, including the colonial-era Old Hill Burying Ground and South Burying Ground as well as scenic, wooded Sleepy Hollow with the graves of Concord’s literary giants.
• The Visitor Center also has information on custom tours on a range of living history topics through private companies in town – just ask.
We asked the Visitor Center staff to tell us about the small pleasures that make Concord special for them, and here are some of their replies:
• John Jack’s gravestone in the Old Hill Burying Ground. His eulogy by Daniel Bliss, Jr., is a powerful statement against slavery written before the American Revolution.
• The railroad tracks on the far side of Walden Pond. It’s hard to imagine that there was a fairground there in the late 1800s.
• Favorite foodie tips: Concord Provisions for the Country Kitchen Thanksgiving Sandwich; “Pick 3” special at the Cheese Shop (enjoyed on a bench in Monument Square); Chang An for Mai Tais and the buffet (the buffet will be back someday); the outdoor tables overlooking the brook at Nashoba Bakery; anything from Sally Ann’s Bakery.
• Special Collections downstairs at the Main Library (not currently open to the public, but they are happy to assist you at specialcollections@concordlibrary.org).
• Here’s a real hidden gem: The bench at the top of Annursnac Hill. It’s the highest point in Concord and when it’s clear, you can see almost to Boston.
What are your favorite Concord experiences? Stop by the Visitor Center anytime between 10:00 and 4:00 and share them with the staffer at the desk. Maybe you’ll meet some out-of-towners who want to hear about them, too.
All photos ©Concord Visitor Center
