Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Sturbridge Village is a representation of a New England farmstead as it would have appeared in 1840. All the buildings are original to the period, although some have been moved in from other locations. Personnel are in authentic costumes and speak and work just as they would have in 1840. Admission is not overly expensive (much less than Williamsburg, Va., for example) and there are no additional charges for exhibits.

Two of our favorite exhibits were the farm kitchen, and the barn, where Bob got to turn the grindstone, just as he did for his grandfather MANY years ago.

Mystic River Seaport - Mystic, Connecticut

This site was once a major shipbuilding and whaling port. It has been restored to appear much as it did in the 19th century. Some of my favorite exhibits are; the rope walk, where long cables were made; the planetarium; the "Charles W. Morgan", an old-time whaling ship that has been restored, and the "Joseph Conrad" which was featured in National Geographic Magazine as an around-the-world adventure. It also has been restored to pristine condition and is now used as a school ship for Sea Scouts.

The town of Mystic itself is worth seeing. Many of the houses crowd along the river front, with their front doors to the river. Most were built by sea captains who had made their fortunes in either the China tea trade or on whaling voyages.

U S S Constitution (Old Ironsides) Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts

This wooden sailing ship is not only the oldest ship in the U S Navy, she is the oldest active duty ship in the world.
She got her nickname of "Old Ironsides" when sailors saw shot from British warships bounce off her New England oak hull
Recently, after a thorough renovation from keel to topmasts, she made a short voyage under her own power, thus re-qualifying for her "active duty" classification.