Lean Into History

Reinvolve yourself in the American Revolution. Minute Man National Historical Park is the best place to go for maximum fife-and-drum drama because it includes both the Old North Bridge and the town green where the "shot heard round the world" was fired on April 19, 1775. Additionally, every year on Patriots Day, the entire event is brought to life in a grand reenactment.

Bring Out the Middle Schooler in You. Go exploring along dirt roads to a time when blacksmiths still practice their profession, meals are prepared over an open fire, and indoor plumbing has not yet been invented, much like countless New England youngsters before you. The living history museums Plimoth Patuxet Museums (originally Plimoth Plantation) and Old Sturbridge Village, which span the 1600s to the 1800s, serve as wonderful playgrounds for history-loving adults as well as amazing schools for children.

Accept Plymouth Rock as it is. This famous boulder in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is partially submerged in the ground and resembles an enormous beanbag chair, draws far fewer oohs and aahs than the 180-ton, 106-foot-long Mayflower II, a recently renovated replica of the Pilgrims' ship that serves as a testament to the craftsmanship of shipbuilders both past and present.

• Location: Massachusetts