Haunted Happenings: The Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre

silhouette-of-a-tree-under-a-moody-sky
One of my favorite places to go in Salem, especially during the Halloween season, is the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre. This theatre, which was formerly known as the Griffin Theatre during the off season and the Witch Cottage during Haunted Happenings, not only features a number of comedy acts, children’s programs, plays, and other performances during the year but also features some of the most impressive Halloween fare that you will find anywhere. In fact, the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre’s main attraction during the month of the October, the Witchcraft & Ghost Experience, is a theatrical performance that will dazzle you with special effects and possibly scare the ever living daylights out of you as you learn about the Salem Witch Trials and the legends that have existed in the Salem area for quite some time. Best of all, the Witchcraft & Ghost Experience is only one of the amazing pieces of entertainment that the theatre has to offer, and you may be able to enjoy one of the theatre’s local walking tours, ale tastings, magic shows, trolley tours, or their latest attraction, the Lost Museum as well. For more information on everything that the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre has to offer and/or to purchase tickets for a specific event, please visit the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre website.

Please Note: One of the scariest things about the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre can be the lines on a Saturday. However, you can completely eliminate the unpleasantness of waiting in line to purchase tickets by purchasing your tickets online. In fact, if you would like to avoid lines all together, you can purchase a VIP Pass online that will let you avoid the ticket purchasing line, skip the line to get in, receive a Gallows Hill T-shirt, and get a free drink. If the VIP Pass is a little out of your price range though, you can always head to the theatre on a weekday when the crowds are much less frightening.

Photo via VisualHunt

Civil War Day: The History of a Country Divided

Cannon Fire
If you’ve picked up a newspaper lately, you’ve probably already realized that the United States doesn’t always seem so united. In fact, the two party system that we have in the U.S. has been working pretty hard to divide us since the time of George Washington (George Washington actually warned us to avoid political parties in his Farewell Address back in 1796, but no one really heeded his advice.) However, even though there’s no question that Americans have had their differences from the beginning and we certainly have our differences now, there has probably never been a time where our differences were more apparent than during the American Civil War. This is because the Civil War was the bloodiest conflict to take place on American soil since the country’s founding, and it was the only time in the history of the United States where brother regularly fought brother. As a result, it’s important to understand the history behind the Civil War in order put our differences into context and to ensure that we don’t repeat our past mistakes.

Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to learn more about the history of the United States as it relates to the American Civil War, you need look no further than the National Park Service’s Civil War Day. The National Park Service’s Civil War Day, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 31st, 2016 from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Georges Island, will give you the opportunity to see what life was like during the Civil War. This event, through the performances of a talented group of reenactors, will allow you to meet the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment (the first all-African American regiment of the Union Army and one of the first official African-American military units of the U.S. Armed Forces), listen to the stories of a confederate prisoner, learn what it would be like to dance at an authentic Civil War Ball, and watch a baseball game played using the rules that were in use in 1860. For more information on the National Park Service’s Civil War Day, which is free to attend, please visit the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Calendar.

It is important to note that while there is no fee for the program, there is a fee for the ferry to get to Georges Island. The fee for the ferry is currently $17 for adults and children over the age of 12; $12 for active military, college students, and seniors over the age of 65; $10 for children ages 3 to 12; and there is no fee for children under the age of 3.

Photo credit: dbnunley via VisualHunt / CC BY

Boston Harbor Pirate Ship Cruises


Chances are, you’ve probably heard the song, “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” at some point. In fact, if you’re a true fan of fictional pirates (or just a fan of Disney), you’ve probably seen all of the movies and ridden the ride where the song first appeared at least once. However, have you ever had the chance to actually see what it might be like to be a pirate yourself?

Well, if you haven’t, you’re in luck because Massachusetts Bay Lines is conducting a series of pirate cruises this summer. These cruises, which will take place each day at 12:00 P.M., 2:00 P.M., and 4:00 P.M. from now until the beginning of September, will allow you to sail around Boston Harbor aboard a tall ship manned by the most motley crew that you will probably see in quite a while. This crew will brace the yardarms, hoist the sails, sing shanties, tell you tales of the sea, and, of course, fire the cannon. Best of all, if you can’t make it during the day and would really like to see the harbor at sunset, Massachusetts Bay Lines also offers a pirate sunset cruise daily from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. For more information on the Boston Harbor Pirate Ship Cruises, please visit the Massachusetts Bay Lines website.

Photo credit: Adam Purves (S3ISOR) via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

Boston: The Road to Revolution

Boston Tea Party Reenactment
There’s really no question that Boston is a city overflowing with history, and what better time to explore that history than Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, if you’re looking for a way to see the sights and learn everything that you could possibly want to know about the locations involved in the American Revolution, Boston by Foot may have the perfect tour for you. This is because Boston by Foot is offering a tour entitled the Road to Revolution from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. every Saturday and 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. every Monday, Friday, and Sunday throughout the summer. This tour will allow you to walk the Freedom trail, visit the locations where a number of significant historical events took place, and learn about events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Ride, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Road to Revolution, which is $17 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 13 (there is a $2 discount per ticket if you order your tickets online), please visit the Boston by Foot website.

Photo credit: Sarah&Boston via Visualhunt / CC BY-SA

Tax Day: Taxation with Representation

American Revolutionary War Memorial in Lexington
Chances are, you’re probably familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s famous line “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”  In fact, if you’re really not a fan of taxes (and let’s face it, who is), you may be familiar with some of the other great quotes that tax-haters have said over the years (like Will Rogers’ not-quite-as-famous line “the only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”)  However, in the end, it doesn’t really matter how many great quotes you know or how much you loathe the prospect of giving up your hard-earned cash, you still have to pay the piper in the end.  And, as you have probably already realized, today marks the day where just about everyone has to pay up because it’s the last day you can file your taxes.  Fortunately, just because you have to file today doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t still have some fun this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to have some fun and get your mind off of the tax man (or tax woman as the case may be), there’s no better way than to hear the stories of the men and women who fought to get us taxation WITH representation in the first place.

If this sounds like an interesting way to spend part of your weekend, then you should definitely head over to the Pilgrim Church on Coolidge Ave in Lexington, MA.  This is because the Pilgrim Church is hosting the 10th anniversary performance of “In Their Own Words” on Sunday from 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.  This performance will give you the opportunity to learn about the beginning of the American Revolution through the words of the people who actually lived it as a group of talented actors read from the diaries, depositions, letters, and sermons of the active participants in and the witnesses of the events that began the revolution.  For more information on “In Their Own Words” and/or to order tickets for the event, please visit the Lexington Historical Society’s website.

Photo credit: denisbin via Visualhunt / CC BY-ND

Works Consulted

“Benjamin Franklin.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. 15 April 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin.html

“Will Rogers.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2016. 15 April 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/will_rogers.html

Boston: The Home of Weird Weather and History

Old State House in the Sunlight
There are very few places on Earth where the weather can go from 55 and sunny to 27 and snowing within 48 hours, but Boston has always been one of them. In fact, it was this kind of weather that made it so hard for the pilgrims that first settled here to survive the long, harsh, and completely bizarre winters of New England. However, Boston is not only known for its strange weather but also for its rich history, and one of the most unfortunate events in Boston history actually occurred exactly 246 years ago tomorrow on March 5, 1770. This tragic event, which is known as the Boston Massacre, played a large role in beginning the American Revolution, but even though it was an infamous event at the time, it has largely been forgotten by textbooks and the average person alike.

Fortunately, if you would like to explore Boston’s history and learn about one of the key catalysts of the American Revolution, you’re in luck because it just so happens that there is a Boston Massacre Commemoration and Reenactment this weekend. This event, which is scheduled to take place from 11:00 A.M. to approximately 8:00 P.M. on the anniversary of the event (tomorrow, March 5, 2016), will allow you and your children to see what the daily lives of the citizens of Boston and British soldiers within Boston would have been like at the time, watch a reenactment of the trial of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, and see a reenactment of the Massacre itself. Best of all, the event is completely free for children 18 and under and is completely free for adults with the exception of the trial (space for the Trial of the Century is limited, and admission to the trial is included in admission to the Old State House.) For more information on the Boston Massacre Commemoration and Reenactment, which will take place in and around the Old State House in Boston, please visit the Bostonian Society’s Old State House Events page.

Photo credit: Kinchan1 via Foter.com / CC BY