There’s really no question that Boston is a city overflowing with history, and what better time to explore that history than Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, if you’re looking for a way to see the sights and learn everything that you could possibly want to know about the locations involved in the American Revolution, Boston by Foot may have the perfect tour for you. This is because Boston by Foot is offering a tour entitled the Road to Revolution from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. every Saturday and 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. every Monday, Friday, and Sunday throughout the summer. This tour will allow you to walk the Freedom trail, visit the locations where a number of significant historical events took place, and learn about events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Ride, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Road to Revolution, which is $17 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 13 (there is a $2 discount per ticket if you order your tickets online), please visit the Boston by Foot website.
Chances are, you’re probably familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s famous line “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In fact, if you’re really not a fan of taxes (and let’s face it, who is), you may be familiar with some of the other great quotes that tax-haters have said over the years (like Will Rogers’ not-quite-as-famous line “the only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”) However, in the end, it doesn’t really matter how many great quotes you know or how much you loathe the prospect of giving up your hard-earned cash, you still have to pay the piper in the end. And, as you have probably already realized, today marks the day where just about everyone has to pay up because it’s the last day you can file your taxes. Fortunately, just because you have to file today doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t still have some fun this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to have some fun and get your mind off of the tax man (or tax woman as the case may be), there’s no better way than to hear the stories of the men and women who fought to get us taxation WITH representation in the first place.
If this sounds like an interesting way to spend part of your weekend, then you should definitely head over to the Pilgrim Church on Coolidge Ave in Lexington, MA. This is because the Pilgrim Church is hosting the 10th anniversary performance of “In Their Own Words” on Sunday from 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. This performance will give you the opportunity to learn about the beginning of the American Revolution through the words of the people who actually lived it as a group of talented actors read from the diaries, depositions, letters, and sermons of the active participants in and the witnesses of the events that began the revolution. For more information on “In Their Own Words” and/or to order tickets for the event, please visit the Lexington Historical Society’s website.
A photograph of a famous poster depicting the Boston Massacre.The Old State House as it appears today.
Chances are, if you know anything about American History, you’ve probably heard of the Boston Tea Party. In fact, if you went to school anywhere in the United States, you probably had the story of a group of grown men dressed as Native Americans throwing tea overboard drilled into your head over and over again. However, even if you are familiar with the famous tea-related event that played a significant role in the years leading up to American Revolution, you may not be familiar with one of the other events that actually increased tensions between Great Britain and the colonies long before the tea went into the sea. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What event could he possibly be talking about?
Well, I’m talking about the Boston Massacre, and if you have no idea what the Boston Massacre is, you’re not alone. It is definitely one of the events in American History that is not widely taught in our schools. Fortunately, if you are interested in learning about the Boston Massacre and you are in the Boston area on Saturday (March 8, 2014), there is a group at the Old State House that will teach you everything that you could possibly want to know about this unfortunate incident and what actually happened on March 5, 1770. This is because the Old State House with the assistance of a dedicated team of re-enactors will be reenacting not only the incident in which five innocent civilians were killed and six civilians injured by British Soldiers, but also the trial that followed the massacre. For more information on the reenactment of the trial, which is scheduled for 11:30 A.M. and 2:00 P.M., and the reenactment of the Boston Massacre, which is scheduled for 7:00 P.M., please visit the Bostonian Society website.
If a reenactment of the Boston Massacre doesn’t really sound like your kind of thing, but you really would like to immerse yourself in some history, you may want to check out the USS Constitution Museum’s Best of the Best 2014 Ship Model Show. This exhibit, which is sponsored by the USS Constitution Museum and the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild, will give you and your family the opportunity to see over 100 model ships that are painstakingly handcrafted to show every detail of the actual ship. In fact, you will not only be able to see models of ships from a number of different time periods, but also be able to meet the people that built the models, see how each of the models are actually created and restored, and even purchase your own model ship kit. For more information on the Best of the Best 2014 Ship Model Show, which runs every day from now until March 22, 2014, please visit the USS Constitution Museum’s Exhibit page.
