Beyond Boston

I didn’t have set plans for this #soulSabbatical. The general idea was to work my way down the West Coast, head to New England in the fall and do my best to spend late autumn/early winter in New York City. I was so glad that it worked out for me to spend so much time with family in San Diego, Chicago, Michigan, and Buffalo before working my way to friends that feel like family.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts: Norman Rockwell

My dad graciously drove me from Buffalo to Lee, Massachusetts where Andrea and our dear friend Betty met us for an adventure en route to Boston. Betty and my dad were in the same PHD program at MSU, and she was my favorite friend and babysitter for as long as I can remember. She sewed matching outfits for me and my American Girl dolls, she baked massive slabs of gingerbread and we built and decorated crazy houses, we made ridiculous paper mache piggy banks and we baked, giggled, schemed and had a marvelous time. She fostered my love of crafting, art, music, and adventure. She didn’t have a tv, husband, or kids but her life was full of friends, fun and amazing travel. Her life was fascinating to me. Betty is my OG Spoiled Spinster-spiration, living life to the fullest and on her own terms for our entire 30+ years of friendship. Betty also lives near Boston, and she, Andrea, and even Andrea’s mom got close through my visits. Dad handed me off to two of my favorite old friends, and just like that, three spoiled spinsters went waltzing over to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum. It felt like the set up to a joke, the three of us going to see a collection of photos of small town Americans living the traditional American dream. None of us were building the lives this man dedicated his career to capturing, but we were every bit as happy adventuring together as the bright eyed families in his photos.

I wasn’t really a Rockwell fan entering the museum, but my appreciation and fascination had grown exponentially by the time I exited. The museum is beautifully done, the collection is lovely, the visiting fantasy exhibit was very interesting, and seeing his studio was a really special experience. We had so much fun walking down to the main street he depicted so often, and loved checking out the charm of the sweet village. We’re told it is an exceptional place to see the foliage, but we were probably 2 weeks too early. If you do go in autumn, save some time for a little hike around the lake, the photos were spectacular.

We’re just not the “picture perfect” “yay traditional life” “stick to the Top Ten List” kinds of people. When I was planning our autumnal road trips, I thought back on some excellent day trips from Boston that I wanted to share. These were all wonderful last summer, but would be even better in Autumn if you wanted to consider them with a leaf peeping trip. Andrea and I have been talking about these field trips for years, and we finally made it happen last summer when I crashed her staycation. Looking at the collection of albums, it dawned on me how morbid and weird we might be considered with from our choices. Maybe it’s all the true crime documentaries we binged in quarantine, but we spent particularly large percentage of our time in cemeteries and haunted places. It probably didn’t help that I started the road trip with a stop at the Ohio State Reformatory. I saw the billboard on the highway, and have seen Shawshank Redemption entirely too many times to resist.

Fall River, Massachusetts: Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast

First on our list was the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m regularly surprised by how many people do not know the infamous tale of Lizzie Borden. She was thought to have hacked her father and step-mother to death with a tiny hatchet, but was acquitted. People have been speculating on her story since 1892. It’s been the subject of dozens of books, movies, and I even saw a ballet of the Lizzie Borden story several years ago. The house was turned into a bed and breakfast and is considered one of the most haunted places in America. Ghost hunters and daredevils come from all over the world to tour the home/museum and to see the scene for themselves .Tours are done very COVID responsibly, guides are knowledgeable and engaging, and you leave with enough information to keep you mulling over the details.

Some fun facts from our tour:

• A Ouija Board was stolen from the parlor Mr. Borden was murdered in. It was later returned anonymously through the mail  with just a note saying “make it stop.” 

• The first ever crime scene photos were taken in London with Jack the Ripper, the Borden Murders were the first photographed crime scene photos in America.

• There were unfortunate deaths at the house before the Bordens even moved in. Its first owner suffered from sever Postpartum Depression and threw her children down the well before killing herself, the father is thought to have committed suicide later out of grief. Their ghosts are also said to haunt the home.

• The new owners of the property are looking to add axe throwing and escape games to their activity list. A little on the nose, but ok.

• Our tour guide once spent the night on the third floor and her sheets started lifting from the bed on their own, and her bluetooth speaker continued to play her music with the added accompaniment of children’s laughter. 

So it’s a hard pass for me on an overnight, but I definitely recommend the tour. We also made a little field trip to the family cemetery at Oak Grove, and drove by Maplecroft, the mansion Lizzie and her sister moved to after the trial. It’s a creepy excursion, but fascinating and well worth the time.

Salem, Massachusetts: Puts a spell on you

Salem has been on my wishlist for ages. We didn’t even make it to all of the attractions, but roaming the historic streets, hunting Hocus Pocus sites, and enjoying this witchy little town was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. It’s much easier to visit in summer than say… October. I’d like to go back for Halloween and the Halloween Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel someday, but be prepared for obscenely long lines of traffic, no parking, and general mayhem and madness. There is a ferry, train, and buses here from the city if you don’t have your own transportation.

Pop into The Witch House, wave to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables, and visit the Salem Witch Trial Memorial, Salem Witch Museum, or the Witch Dungeon Museum, which puts on live re-enactments of the trial before tours of the dungeons. Take a stroll by Tabitha/the Bewitched sculpture. Grab a sweet treat at Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie or Maria’s Sweet Somethings outside City Hall, the venue for the halloween party where the parents are spellbound by Bette Midler’s “I Put a Spell on You.” Max and Dani’s house is right on the water, and the entire neighborhood is enchanting. The Ropes Mansion stood in for Allison’s house, and the gardens are gorgeous and worth a visit, even if you didn’t watch Hocus Pocus. If you’re really ambitious, you can visit the cemetery, high school, and pioneer village which stood in for Binx’s house.

We had a ball in the enchanting apothecary Haus Witch, trying on vintage inspired dresses at Modern Millie, tempting our black thumbs at Oak & Moss, and stocking up on epic gifts at Roost & Company. There is a dark and sad history here, but the magic is real. It’s picturesque, full of fun for everyone, and I would never say no to Salem.

Concord, Massachusetts: Literally Literary Heaven

A field trip to Concord is a must for lovers of literature. We stopped at Ralph Waldo Emerson’s beloved Walden Pond on our way. You’ll wind past historical homes and churches, lush old growth trees, and arrive at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. It JUST reopened for timed tickets to tour the home Little Women was written in. If you head down the road to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, you’ll find Authors Ridge. These are the final resting places of Alcott, Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathanial Hawthorn, and fans leave pens and pencils on their graves as tokens of affection. I don’t know why I hung out in a haunted house and two cemeteries on vacation…. but I have no regrets or qualms about suggesting you do the same. It was a WONDERFUL day.

Across the street from the firehouse is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s house and a gorgeous community garden. Be sure to walk around and enjoy the beautiful bounty cultivated by the Concord residents. It’s only fair that this book loving community have amazing local bookstores. The Concord Bookstore felt like something out of a movie, and Barrow Bookstore looked like something from a fairy tale. Don’t leave without a delicious dinner at The Colonial Inn. Their patio is perfection, they make my favorite clam chowder in New England, and their lobster roll is spectacular.

Boston is beautiful, and there is plenty to see and do within the city limits. But if you have the time and inclination, my favorite experiences have been beyond the borders and in neighboring towns. There is nothing better than Autumn in New England, I’m really not sure what you’re waiting for.