1. Gropius House
City: Lincoln, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (781) 259-8098
Address: 68 Baker Bridge Rd.
Description: German-born Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus design movement, moved to America to teach at Harvard. Built in 1938, his modest family home in Lincoln became a living laboratory for his then-revolutionary ideas of home design. The home is integrated with its wooded surroundings combining traditional New England materials like brick, clapboard, and fieldstone with industrial design elements like plate glass and chrome. The furniture throughout is original, much of it designed by Marcel Breuer. Guides, well informed in architecture, take small groups on a tour of the house on the hour. Open June through Oct 15, Wed through Sun 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oct 16 through May, Sat and Sun 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2. Minute Man National Historic Park
City: Lincoln, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (978) 369-6993
Address: 250 N. Great Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Minute Man National Historic Park is located in the towns of Lincoln, Concord, and Lexington. The Minute Man Visitor Center should be your first stop, where you can pick up a free map, check the day’s schedule of events, and consider taking a ranger-led tour. Don’t miss the 25-minute multimedia presentation The Road to Revolution, which brings to life the events that took place in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. From the visitor center, walk some or part of the Battle Road, which follows the path the British soldiers took on their march from Boston to Lexington and Concord. Along the way, about 1⁄2 mile from the visitor center, is the site where Paul Revere was captured by a British patrol (and then questioned and released). Continue along the Battle Road by foot or by car along Route 2A to Concord and the Old North Bridge. It was here that more than 400 colonial soldiers gathered and for the first time were able to oust the British in what would become the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. Be sure to walk across the Old North Bridge (it is a replica) to visit the 1875 Minute Man statue sculpted by Concord native Daniel Chester French. At the base are inscribed the stirring words from the first stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn”: “By the rude bridge that arched the flood, / Their flag to April breeze unfurled, / Here once the embattled farmers stood, / And fired the shot heard ’round the world.”
3. Decordova Sculpture Park And Museum
City: Lincoln, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (781) 259-8355
Address: 51 Sandy Pond Rd.
Description: Art and nature—the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum offers visitors the best of both worlds: a museum of contemporary art and a showstopping sculpture garden. Light pours in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the museum’s galleries, which feature rotating exhibits of international-caliber artists as well as a growing permanent collection. The highlight of the museum campus is the Sculpture Park, where the easy looping walking path through the grounds and woods of the property provides a soft-edge setting for some 60 large-scale contemporary works. Rest on one of the benches and contemplate the scene or bring a blanket—picnicking is encouraged. Bring a camera, too—there are lots of fun photo ops among the sculptures. Closed Mon (except some holidays).
4. Drumlin Farm (Massachusetts Audubon Headquarters)
City: Lincoln, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (781) 259-2200
Address: 208 S. Great Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Drumlin Farm is the headquarters of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, a working farm and a wildlife sanctuary. In the farmyard there are several barns where you can visit the sheep, pigs, chickens, and cows. Drop-in seasonal farm activities include maple sugaring in the winter and sheep shearing in the spring. The skunks, owls, hawks, and foxes that live at the sanctuary are here because they have been injured or orphaned and can’t return to the wild. Easy hiking trails through woods and cultivated fields are a wonderful way for families to explore nature together. End your visit with a hayride, available in the spring, summer, and fall. The gift shop stocks everything avian including feeders, binoculars, and high-end nature-themed gift items. And be sure to stop by the farm stand for Drumlin-grown vegetables, berries, eggs, and wool products. Drumlin Farm summer camp programs for preschoolers through early teens get high marks for the variety of hands-on nature activities and enthusiastic staff. Closed Mon (except some holidays).