Colonial Christmas Concord, Massachusetts

We will travel to where the very first battle of the American Revolutionary War started, Concord, MA! This is where the shot heard around the world was fired. Also, the home of some literary greats; Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others. We will drive through the New England countryside to the Hampton Inn in Waltham, MA, for a 3-night stay. We will depart Manassas at 6:15 a.m. and Woodbridge at 7:00 a.m.

Day One:

Bring a book or listening material for our day- long scenic drive through New England with comfort stops along the way, to our home for three nights in Waltham, MA Dinner (included) TBA

Day Two:

After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our tour of Concord at The Old North Bridge, where the “shot heard around the world” was fired that started the Revolutionary War. On display here is Daniel Chester French’s famous Minuteman Statue. Next, it’s on to Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott lived and wrote “Little Women”. On display you will find Louisa’s personal writing desk as well as Victorian era Christmas decorations, such as table trees in the dining room and cheerful garland on the stair bannisters and mantles. After having time for lunch on your own on Concord’s main street, you will take a drive to Brookfield, where an early evening of fun and festivity awaits you. On arrival at the Salem Cross Inn, you enjoy a 20-minute horse-drawn wagon ride on the ground before enjoying a prime rib dinner cooked in the inn’s original fireplace. (Stuffed boneless chicken also available). Yes, you can see the roast turning in the iron cauldron over the fire. For dessert, it’s deep-dish apple pie with fresh whipped cream. Later, you take a ten-mile drive to Old Sturbridge Village, where you experience Christmas by Candlelight. All 47 of the Villages’ historic colonial buildings are open in the evening and lit by candlelight. The evening will end with a 30-minute Choir concert in the visitor theater here, featuring traditional colonial Christmas carols.

Day Three:

After breakfast at the hotel, we are off to tour Lexington, including the historic Buck Tavern and a special private tour of the Hancock Clarke Home, where Paul Revere met with Samuel Adams and John Hancock before he began his famous ride to warn the colonists of the British advance toward Concord in April of 1775. Later, you have lunch and shopping time on your own before seeing “A Christmas Carol”. A yearly tradition, this special abridged version uses Charles Dickens’s own script, which he wrote when he performed in the original 19th-century production. See this Christmas classic the way Dickens himself envisioned it! Dinner is included at Concord’s Colonial Inn, where Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and other Concord writers used to meet. Enjoy the period Christmas decorations and Victorian décor here as you feast on a delicious buffet.

Day Four:

Today, after breakfast at your hotel, you depart with wonderful memories of Concord. We will make a luncheon stop at a Cracker Barrel ($20 gift card). Rest stops and a fast-food stop will also be made on our way home. Return time is approximately 8:30 pm