5 historic things to do in Lexington and Concord all year

While most people start flooding the area of Lexington and Concord in the Spring, our unit actually originally took us there at the beginning of January. While most of the buildings were closed like the visitors’ center that closes November through March or even some of the historic houses that you can tour, we still were able to use the Park and other locations as a way to reinforce our study of the short heard round the world and the start of the American Revolution.

While we plan to go back on Patriot’s Day in April, we found that kids can be exposed to a variety of sights and learning opportunities at any time in the calendar year!

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Table of Contents

• This is a part of our Reading Comes Alive hands-on learning series.
• It is also a part of our American Revolutionary War Unit

Sections include:

• What to see in Lexington and Concord, MA
• Teaching and Learning objectives for the Start of the American Revolution
• Great books about the Early Revolutionary War
• Virtual Learning Opportunities relating to Lexington and Concord
• Other War of Independence Learning Resources

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Lexington & Concord Field Trip Guide

Lexington Battle Green

All around the Battle Green there are places to visit, things to see, and placards to read. We spent time sitting at the benches and running around on the grass just to burn energy. Plus, it was an extremely cold day!

The statue sits at the tip of the field, closest to town center. The Belfry is atop a hill across the street. And across the street on the other side is a battle statue beside the Tavern. Around the edges of the battle green, you’ll find information and a monument marking the re-buried soldiers who lost their lives during the battle.

Lexington Chamber of Commerce

Across the street from the Battle Green is a small white building that is the Chamber of Commerce and a gift shop. Inside, there is a lovely figurine display with a map key of who’s who and what’s what. It really helped my oldest picture the battle because she could see buildings that were there and just envision it in general. We spent a lot of time looking at the map and display even though it was a small piece of our visit.

Minuteman National Park 

This is simply a really great place to go on walks and hikes in any weather. All around the park there are signs with information as well as markers for buildings that are no longer there like the house at Fiske Hill.

You will also find small obelisks with the engraving showing where the battle road was.

Again, during part of the year the NPS visitor center is closed, but the park is still accessible and a wonderful resource. It definitely opens up discussion about guerrilla warfare and the impact of trees on the war.

Paul Revere Capture Site

There’s a small parking lot off of highway 2A with a semi-circle monument area that recounts Revere’s Ride as well as Dawes. It even gives information about a man they ran into in the night and how the three how them handled the British soldiers.

North Bridge  

The location of the first shot of the American revolution, they have rebuilt a replica bridge at the location and also have a visitor’s center, though closed in off-season.

It’s a peaceful location that realy just helps put some of the Revolution into perspective.

Other locations

There are numerous other locations and even in the winter time, you’re free to walk around them, but you won’t be able to enter inside. So the visitor’s centers for Minuteman National Park and the Bridge are both seasonally closed, but the parks themselves are not. Also many of the houses, taverns, etc. that are historic locations are closed during the winter months, but they’re still fascinating to look at, research, and at least drive by! To see how some are all alone in the woods or even  out in the open gives a sense of perspective that kids can’t get from a story or textbook.