Friday, February 24, 2012

Hit the Road: Boston Aquarium and Concord.

THE BOSTON AQUARIUM


The Boston Aquarium during Winter Break here in New England was crazy. - Crazy!  We gathered our family of six and headed into Boston, with snacks, movies, and drinks for the road.  We used our NAV to get us down to the Aquarium and parked three blocks away near Faneiul Hall and Quincy Market. 

The Food:  We took our family into Quincy Market, an inside food concession stand and walked the long hallway of food stand after stand.  I had my eye on the Indian food, but we decided on sandwiches and hot dogs, figuring it would be easier with for everyone.  We stopped here before the Aquarium and after for lunch and then dessert and a snack for the road.  It's a fun way to start or stop a little road trip into Boston.  Most of them take debit and credit cards too.

The Sights and Sounds:  The Boston Aquarium had a painfully long ticket line, that was tented for the harsh NE weather.  Fortunately, Mr. C purchased our tickets online. Unfortunately, we still had to wait in a line called the "express line", as you still had to have a printed ticket upon entering the aquarium.  It was packed with people, not much room to move around, and very noisy.  Despite the people, we still managed to get into each of the viewing areas.  The only section we had a difficult time viewing with this many people was the area where you could touch the sting rays.  When we finally did get-in, the boys were determined to "splash" the water, making the others around us frustrated - all well :(  

The Final Word:  I thought that despite the high volumes of people, we still had a good time.  There was a small play area called "curious george" for the boy's age that helped control them when they didn't want to move.  There were moments of chaos (ie Mr. T throwing himself on the floor and refusing to move), but mainly it was fun adventure.  

My Favorite:  The seal exhibit right outside the entrance to the aquarium - so enjoyable!


CONCORD, MINUTE MAN NATIONAL PARK



The Minute Man National Park was an unexpected stop on our way back from the Boston Aquarium.  It is easy to get to, right off of Highway 2.  We chose to stop here specifically to let the everyone run around without the constraints of that the aquarium gave us.  This way they could get their energy out for the last leg of our trip to home.  

Sights and Sounds:  Unlike Boston, it was quiet!  Heavenly quiet, peaceful, with lots of space to let children run.  There was no snow on the ground and the visitors center was closed.  We didn't mind this!  Next time we can take more time to soak in the significance of the park.  The Minute Man statue and bridge were a neat source of fun and history for our kids ( really for Mr. C so he could give us a little history lesson on the way).

The Final Word:  Love it for it's openness, history, and will be back to visit the Visitor's Center.  A great thing to see on your next road trip or New England Vacation!

Have you been?

What did you think of these sights?
What do you do when your destination is more crowded than you'd like?

3 comments:

Lene said...

I love the little peaks of the places you've visited.

We really struggle with Ham is some place is too crowded. He can't handle all that extra stimulation. There are times that we just pack it in and try another day.

Lene said...

Peeks....not peaks. UGH

donna said...

Thanks for posting about all the cool places your family visits.. : )