"Concord has really played a remarkable role in the history of our nation," said Carol Haines, director of public relations for the Concord Museum, "and when we have visitors from around the country and the world, they get that heightened sense of the past. But even with that history on every corner, Concord is a real town with real residents and real 21st-century issues."
Over the course of just a few hours, folks can stand on the North Bridge , the site of the beginning of the American Revolution , and next to Walden Pond, the beginning of the ecology movement. In between they can squeeze in a cappuccino or two, a couple of guided tours, some serious shopping, and visits to the homes of some of 19th-century America's great literary minds, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott.
And they won't see a replica of the North Bridge, or a facsimile of Walden Pond; they'll get an eyeful of the real things. The bridge is still in the same place, even though it has been rebuilt a few times since the day in 1776 when it was the site where Emerson wrote so eloquently of "the shot heard round the world."
That beats singing animatronic bears any day, don't you think?
A few years ago I spent several days entertaining visitors from Arizona, and we did the whole New England Experience thing: Boston, Harvard Square, coastal Maine, and more. Months later, what were they still raving about? The perfect spring afternoon we spent kayaking down the Concord River and under the North Bridge.
Now that's a thrill ride.
It's also easy to do under most conditions. The Concord isn't usually fast flowing , so with a little quick training, even most novices can handle it.
The South Bridge Boat House offers canoe and kayak rentals ranging from $12.45 an hour to $66 a day, depending on the day of the week and the size of the canoe or kayak. The North Bridge is only a mile and a half downstream.
Should you prefer to use your own kayak or canoe, head toward Carlisle on Route 126 out of Concord center, and just before you cross the Concord River there is a path on your left that provides easy river access for most vehicles.
