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Concord is a town in Massachusetts. One of the first battles of the American Revolution was fought here at the Old North Bridge. Henry David Thoreau penned Walden here. The home town of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott.

Church

Get in

By car, from Interstate 95 take Exit 29-B -- Route 2 West.

MBTA Commuter Rail has stops [1] in Concord center and West Concord. The Concord stop is closer to the tourist attractions than the West Concord stop. $6.25 one way from Boston North Station.

Get around

Traveling by car is easiest, but many of the tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other. Liberty Ride is a seasonal trolley between Lexington and Concord that serves many of the tourist attractions.

  • Concord Bike Tours, 978-697-1897. A great way for the active traveler to tour historic Concord and its pristine conservation lands.

See

North Bridge Visitor Center: Daily 11AM-3PM thru Mar. Daily 9AM-5PM Apr-Oct.
Minute Man Visitor Center Daily 9AM-5PM. Apr-Oct. Daily 9AM-4PM Oct-Nov.
Hartwell Tavern: Daily 9:30AM-5:30PM. June-Oct.
The Wayside: open by guided tour, Jun-Oct. Th 2PM & 4PM; F,Sa,Su at 11AM, 1:30PM, 3PM & 4:30PM. Nathaniel Hawthorne's home.
  • Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, +1 978 318-3233. Bedford St. Visit Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau. The largest of the municipal cemeteries of the town of Concord; not related to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
A tomb at Sleepy Hollow - looks just like in the movies!
  • Concord Museum, Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Rd, recording: +1 978-369-9609 or Phone: +1 978-369-9763, [2]. $8 adults, $7 seniors and students, $5 under 16. Emerson, Thoreau and more.
  • The Olde Manse, 269 Monument St, +1 978 369-3909. Mid Apr-Oct. $8/$5 under 16. Built in 1770 by the Reverend William Emerson. Later residents include his grandson Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathanial Hawthorne. Period furnishings and family memorabilia from the Emerson, Ripley and Hawthorne families. The grounds border on the Concord River, its neighbors include the Old North Bridge. Owned by Trustees of Reservations.
  • Walden Pond State Reservation, 915 Walden St, +1 978 369-3254. (Rte. 126). 8AM-sunset. Walk, swim or fish where Thoreau did. See a replica of the Thoreau cabin. Parking lot closes if it reaches capacity. Parking $5.
  • Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. A twelve-mile long river wetlands conservation area, in two major parcels, stretching from the towns of Billerica (downstream) to Wayland (upstream), along the Concord and Sudbury rivers. Considered by some ornithologists among the best inland bird observatories in the state. The original 250-acre Concord parcel that started the sanctuary has long been known as the "Great Meadows," and was donated by Concord resident Samuel Hoar in 1944. There are several trails for daytime wildlife observation and walks, with trail-side observation blinds and an observation tower. The Dike Trail, a 1.7 mile loop circles one of the marsh pools. In winter, as snow permits: walking, snowshowing and cross-country skiing. Access by car: travel from Concord center east on Route 62 toward Bedford. After about one mile, turn left onto Monsen Road. Continue to the refuge entrance road to the left. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge.
  • Orchard House. Former home of the Alcott family and the setting of Little Women. Open for tours at varying times depending on season.
  • Concord School of Philosophy. Founded by Bronson Alcott.
  • Wright Tavern
  • First Parish in Concord
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson House
  • Concord Free Public Library, 129 Main Street, +1 978 318-3300. Houses a priceless collection of oil paintings, marble sculpture and original Transcendental Movement manuscripts.
  • Estabrook Woods
  • Hapgood Wright Town Forest
  • Concord Center A classic and historic New England town center, with small storefront shops.
Center

Do

  • The Concord Scout House, 74 Walden Street, in the town center. A community hall and home to local boy scouts and girl scouts. The Scout House is a regional center for New England folk dance known as "contra dance." Several groups conduct contra dance and square dance evenings to live music at the hall. Two weekly series, year-round: Monday evenings [3]; and Thursday nights, [4] the most popular night. For both series, there's a different band and dance caller each week.
  • Friends of the Performings Arts in Concord (FOPAC), 51 Walden Street, Tel: +1 978 369-7911, [5]. At the FOPAC hall a diverse assortment of concerts and plays can be seen year round. The resident groups are The Concord Players, the Concord Band, and the Concord Orchestra.
  • Go to Concord-Carlisle Regional High School sporting event or play [6].

Buy

The Grasshopper Shop of Concord

Eat

  • Main Streets Market and Cafe, 42 Main Street, +1 978 369-9948. Open Daily: Breakfast, 6:30AM-11AM; Lunch, 11AM-5PM; Dinner, Tu-Th 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 5PM-11PM.. Entertainment many evenings (no cover charge).
  • Michael's Restaurant. Greek
  • Vincenzo's.
  • Chang An, Sudbury Road (just past railroad crossing), +1 978 369-5288. Upscale Chinese food
  • Rossini's.

Bakeries

  • Nashoba Brook Bakery, 152 Commonwealth Av, +1 978 318-1999. M-F 6:30AM-5:30PM, Sa,Su 8AM-5PM.. Homegrown yeast and slow-rise breads.

Drink

Sleep

  • Mill Brook Inn, 69 Walden Street, +1 978 369-5515. Lovingly restored and updated, the house was built in 1758 and added onto in 1828, after being moved to its current location. Steps away from downtown Concord.

Go next

For more history it's Lexington or Boston. North Shore towns have the closest beaches. The White Mountains are great for hiking, fall foliage viewing or skiing.

Routes through Concord
FitchburgActon  W  E  LincolnBoston
FitchburgActon  W  E  LincolnBoston
BerlinActon  W  E  BedfordDanvers
HarvardActon  N  S  END
RindgeActon  W  E  END
FitchburgActon  NW  SE  LincolnBoston


This city travel guide to Concord is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.