After weeks of hot and humid weather, we were very lucky to have a wonderfully sunny 80 degree day with very low humidity. Our group numbered 74 and we departed Warren on schedule. After a brief rest stop, we met our local guides and assembled on the Lexington Green just steps away from where the first shot of the American Revolution was fired. We talked of the local militia and the British Regulars and those who died that early morning in 1775. It was easy to imagine the men led by Captain John Parker standing their ground against the most powerful military machine in the world at the time.

We walked around the common, stopping at monuments, at Buckman Tavern, and at the Visitor’s Center before crossing over to stand before the Minuteman Statue of Captain John Parker. We learned that the Lexington Green is on the United States National Register of Historic Places and that the memorial to those who died was dedicated in 1799, the first memorial of its type in the United States. Our guide pointed out the several buildings that were here in 1775 and that have survived to this day.

After about an hour, we boarded our coaches and moved to the Minuteman National Historic Park, managed by the National Park Service. Here we saw part of the battle road where minutemen took shots at the British Army as they retreated to Cambridge. We also enjoyed a short film about the battle. We next headed for Concord where we spent a few minutes at the famous Concord Bridge, a beautiful spot. We passed Louisa May Alcott’s home which inspired her novel Little Women. Our guide also pointed out the homes of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He told us that there were many literary figures that had lived in this area and promised to guide us on a future literary tour. I had forgotten that Walden Pond was nearby.

At last it was 12:30 and we moved to the Colonial Inn in Concord where we were seated in two private dining rooms and were served delicious meals of Chicken Piccata or Grilled Salmon. The Colonial Inn saw fighting right in front on that momentous morning in 1775 and served as a hospital for the wounded.

Our server, Arthur, spoke to us of the events of that day in the Colonial Inn and told of the ghosts that populate many of the rooms of the Inn. He was a guest on Ghost Hunters and shared several of his personal experiences with us. Everybody enjoyed his stories.   After lunch we took an hour to shop in the downtown area and moved over to the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum to see the special exhibition of early maps from its library. We didn’t spend much time here, but everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.

Concord’s downtown shopping area was busy and had its share of interesting shops. I loved the florist shop and the book store. The bookstore was quite large and had sections dedicated to many different topics. I spent time in the cookbook section and the historical fiction area and bought an interesting book on Banh Mi – Vietnamese Sandwiches. We were back in Warren by 6:00 PM and all agreed that they had enjoyed yet another mystery trip from Adventure Tours of Warren.