Search Results for: Boston

New York State Capitol Building
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New York State Capitol Building

ByJennRecord

Albany, New York, located just two hours north of famed New York City, was established by the Dutch in the early 1660s. I recently did some research for family centered activities in the area, as my family drives past Albany a few times a year on our way to visit close friends in Utica, New York. On a recent trip, we stopped to explore the New York State Capitol building, at the top of the State Street hill. The “current” Albany State Capitol took over 20 years to build, post Civil War. The building has gone through many phases of of restoration, as recently as the early 2000s.

Tours of the Capitol are offered four times a day during the week and twice on Saturday. Tours are free, but reservations are highly recommended (go here), as they are usually limited to 25 people and quickly fill up. Tours are very different during the week, when everything is in session and the entire building is bustling with elected officials. If you prefer a calmer experience, the weekend tour is a safer bet, but you’ll miss the chance to possible see elected governmental officials.

New Bedford Whaling Museum
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New Bedford Whaling Museum

ByJennRecord

New Bedford, the sixth largest city in Massachusetts located about an hour south of Boston, is known as the whaling capital of the world. At the height of the whaling industry in the mid 1850s, New Bedford employed over 10,000 sailors on over 300 ships. There’s no better place to learn about the history of the whaling industry than the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Housed in a building originally built as a bank in 1803, the space was converted into a museum in 1903.  My family recently spent the weekend in New Bedford (you can read about all of our adventures here) and visiting the Whaling Museum was one of our trip highlights. Admission tickets to the museum are valid for two consecutive days, so you can take your time exploring. 

New Bedford, Massachusetts
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New Bedford, Massachusetts

ByJennRecord

New Bedford, a small city located in the southeastern part of Massachusetts (about an hour from Boston), is known as the whaling capital of the world, due to the protected deep water harbor of Buzzard’s Bay and ideal transportation routes. Indeed, New Bedford has a rich history in whaling, fishing, and commerce. At its peak in the mid 1850s, New Bedford employed over 300 ships and 10,000 fisherman.

My family recently took a weekend trip to visit the New Bedford area and were pleasantly surprised by the variety of family friendly activities, even in the “off” winter season. I started my research at DestinationNewBedford.org and found lots of helpful advice.  I printed copies of the Kids Scavenger Hunt for my kids to complete while we were in town, although you can find copies at many local attractions.

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Holiday Gift Guide 2017

ByJennRecord

This might seem odd: a family travel blogger posting a holiday gift guide? Absolutely!  I have been offering advice and my personal experiences to so many people recently, I thought I would share with everyone.

I am a huge proponent of giving experiences for the holidays instead of material possessions.  

The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown, RI
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The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown, RI

ByJennRecord

I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts, right between Boston and Cape Cod and my parents and sister’s family still live there. Now living in southwestern Connecticut with my family, we’re always looking for places off Interstate 95 to meet for the day. Westerly, Rhode Island is exactly halfway between our home towns and we’ve found fun things to do in Westerly- look for a post soon on Westerly through the seasons.

However, this past week we wanted to try something new. I had bookmarked my friend Sarah’s CTinStyle blog post on The Farmer’s Daughter, a garden center, in nearby South Kingstown, Rhode Island last year. I remember Sarah describing the beautiful displays, impressive selection, and attention to detail. I checked The Farmer’s Daughter’s website, and when I saw the promise of lots of family centered fun, it was a done deal.

Salem, Massachusetts
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Salem, Massachusetts

ByJennRecord

Salem Village, now known as the town of Danvers, dates back to 1626 when Puritans came to the area from England, seeking religious freedom. The town of Salem, where most of the now famous, and infamous, sites are located is on the North Shore of Massachusetts, about 30 minutes north of Boston, and has a beautiful harbor downtown. It’s most well known for it’s involvement in one of America’s darkest period, the witch hysteria of 1692.

I grew up visiting Salem each October and I have been wanting to recreate some of those memories with my own children. However, I wanted to wait until they were old enough not to be too scared. This year seemed like the perfect time and I started planning back in June. The fall is the most popular time of year to visit Salem (yay for Halloween!) and I wanted to visit early in September. I started my research on Salem.org. This website is the perfect planner: it’s well organized, has frequent updates of events, and plenty of suggestions of places to stay, eat, and explore. I used this website to research every stop we made.