As always, there was a lot of speculation about who, what, where, and why for this mystery trip.  Some asked if we were going to New Hampshire; others wondered about Rhode Island; but this time, nobody guessed that our destination was the Hall of Fame at Patriot’s Place in Foxboro, MA.  It's located next to Gillette Stadium.  The legend on the sign revealed, “We are all Patriots,” and I guess it’s true because many of our passengers were die-hard fans and were thrilled at this visit.

After almost a month of heavy snowfall, the day finally came.  It was bitter cold (10 degrees below zero F), but the sun was shining and we were finally getting out of the house for real.  We had 75 passengers and our experience started with a view of Gillette Stadium covered with snow and ice.  We quickly went inside and took the elevator to the third floor where our Patriot experience started with a 17-minute film outlining the history of the team.  Afterward, we visited the grand hall where we saw trophies, jerseys, and other Patriots memorabilia. 

We progressed down to the second floor Hall of Fame where fans got to pose for photos with images of their favorite players; we got to try on a model of the Super Bowl ring; and we ogled the Super Bowl trophies each weighing seven pounds of solid silver.  In this part of the museum we got to test our skills at jumping; got into a huddle with players; and we tried out other interactive exhibits.  We even sat on a Boston Duck used for the Patriot’s victory parade in Boston.

Everybody had a ball and then went down to the Hall of Fame store where we had the chance to purchase hats, t-shirts, and other Patriots memorabilia.  A good time was had by all.  Our next stop was Luciano’s Ristorante just down route one.  This venerable Italian restaurant rolled out the red carpet for our group.  We had a lovely private room and a menu that won’t soon be forgotten.  The food and service were outstanding.