WIDE AWAKE IN

SLEEPY HOLLOW

In which we discover many things, including the science behind grape juice, the incredible outcome of sibling rivalry, and a man who had "legs like God's tongs".

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Alcott, Thoreau, Emerson and Hawthorne are perhaps some of the most well known names in American Literature. But how about Sanborn, French, Bull, and Peabody?

Who? 

Yet, all these people's lives touched inextricably as they influenced each other and the very course of American history as we know it - or don't know it yet! 

Join us for this 90 minute walk through one of New England's most picturesque cemeteries as we uncover the fascinating connections between our famous authors and the surprising legacy they left behind.

This tour is appropriate for all ages and interest levels. The loop is just over a mile on level, paved ground with one moderately steep, but brief incline to the top of Authors Ridge. Mostly wheelchair accessible.

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AVAILABILITY: year round

PRICE:$25 per person.

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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THE RUDE BRIDGE TOUR

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In which we learn of "the rude bridge that arched the flood, 

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, 

Here once the embattled farmers stood 

And fired the shot heard round the world."  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Based on the magnificently researched book, "The Minutemen And Their World" by Robert. A Gross, this 90 minute guided walk through one of America's most historically significant places will delight and enthrall with fascinating and unusual stories surrounding the conflict of 1775.

We'll of course begin our tour as proud Tories and Loyalists, fighting for King and Country while we retrace the Redcoats' final steps from their long march from Boston. We'll learn about the gruesome death of a comrade,  a fiery patriot minister and a .... prophetic bloody finger! 

As we cross to the other side of the Concord River, there we'll feel the first twinges of becoming colonial sympathizers. We'll get to know the colonists, the farmers and everyday people through their own words and the relics they've left behind.

Our trail ends at the impressive Buttrick House, now the North Bridge Visitor Center, where we can take in gorgeous views of the North Bridge, the formal gardens, a small exhibit of original Revolutionary artifacts and the well-stocked bookstore. 

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This tour is appropriate for all ages and interest levels. The loop is just under a mile on level, crushed gravel with a gentle incline to the Visitor Center. Wheelchair accessible.

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AVAILABILITY: year round

PRICE:$25 per person.

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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THE REAL LITTLE WOMEN

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Behind the scenes and beyond the book in Louisa May Alcott's Concord

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 If you fell in love with Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth, just wait till you meet their real life inspirations: Lou, Anna, May, and Lizzie!
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Little Women may be one of the most famous and beloved novels of all time, but even if you haven’t seen the movies or read the book, the world of Louisa May Alcott and her family will fascinate and enthrall during this winter walking tour of charming Concord, MA

From her unusual childhood, to the first publishing of Little Women, to the eventual masses of adoring fans, go behind the scenes with L.M. Alcott while she navigates her every day world of family, frustrations, love, humor, and loss. Through stories, letters, and journal entires of those who knew her best, discover the "real" #LittleWomen that inspired the book that has delighted generations!

This is a 1.5 mile walking tour with one steep hill and lasts about 75 minutes. Can be customized as a chauffeured driving tour - inquire for pricing.

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AVAILABILITY: Year round

PRICE: $25 per person

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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TWO REVOLUTIONS

In which you, the brave and mighty visitor, 

conquer all that is Concord. 

Whether you're agog with Alcott and hot for Hawthorne, or can't get enough of the excitement and drama of the American War for Independence, this walking tour will satisfy your historical yearnings!

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Beginning in charming Monument Square, discover how Concord came to be, and who lived here before it was called Concord. We'll explore our early history, combined with more recent, and more famous, monuments and markers. 

From there we'll march to the Old North Bridge - site of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. Understand the events leading up to the dramatic moments and tragic deaths on the bridge, and how they ultimately shaped our nation as we know it today. 

A quick stop on the grounds of the Old Manse, once home to Ralph Waldo Emerson and later, Nathaniel Hawthorne, for an overview of Concord's second revolution: the intellectual renaissance of the 19th c. that gave rise to American literature and the development of our voice as a country. 

Our tour will conclude with a saunter to picturesque Author's Ridge, the final resting place of Concord's beloved literary giants, Thoreau, Alcott, Emerson, and Hawthorne. Tissues recommended. 

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Come along and join us for this awesome walking tour so you too can say,

"I came, I saw, I Concord!" 

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AVAILABILITY: year round

PRICE:$25 per person.

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NO REMEDY FOR LOVE

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Five days after meeting the vivacious and beautiful Ellen Sewall, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, "There is no remedy for love but to love more."

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But three years later, Ellen would marry a minister named Joseph Osgood, and Thoreau would remain single the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Hawthorne would get romantically entangled with two sisters, Ralph Waldo Emerson would suffer one of many tragic losses in his long life, and Louisa May Alcott would "paddle her own canoe" while coming to resent the romanticism she had created in her famed Little Women.

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In this enchanting walk through Sleepy Hollow we'll explore the loves, rejections, entanglements, and scandals of some of Concord's most famous residents, plus a few you've never met before. 

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While this tour is appropriate for all ages, please be aware that there will be mentions of sex, sexual relationships, alcoholism, and oh yeah, spoiler alert: everyone dies. 

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AVAILABILITY: Year round

PRICE: $25 per person

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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BLACK HISTORY MATTERS

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When you hear the words "Walden Pond" you probably think of Henry David Thoreau and his cabin in the woods. If you've been here, you might also think of the many hiking trails and sandy little coves surrounding the clear water of the pond where thousands of people enjoy swimming and walking each season. 

What you might not think about is the community of formerly enslaved people who once lived near Walden too. Not because it was the beautiful, tranquil scene we flock to today, but because it was considered an infertile, out of the way, undesirable piece of land to Concord's white population. 

As Elise Lemire writes in her excellent book Black Walden, as many as fifteen formerly enslaved people "made a life for themselves in Walden Woods, enough that Henry David Thoreau could describe their community as a "small village." '

Join us for our newest tour that explores and includes the black experience in Concord side by side with the history you already know. 

A portion of tour proceeds will be donated to 

The Robbins House, the only museum dedicated to Concord's African American History. 

You can learn more about Concord's African American history and donate directly by visiting www.robbinshouse.org

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AVAILABILITY: Year round

PRICE: $25 per person

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

HALFWAY TO CONCORD

In 1737, Benjamin Frankling would publish the Drinkers Dictionary, which would include over 200 terms for drunkeness including "He's dizzy as a goose", "He's lost his rudder", and our favorite, "He's halfway to Concord". 

But you don't have to be seeing two moons or in the sudds to enjoy this walking tour of the history of drinking in Concord! Come along with us as we explore 400 years of tippling without breaking a sweat. We'll learn about what people drank and how much, some really awful punishments for drunkeness, how the American Revolution began not on a battlefield but in taverns, and who among Concord's most famous author's indulged and who abstained. 

From Puritans to Prohibition, let's delve into early America's complicated relationship with spirits, and the places we drink them! 

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AVAILABILITY: Year round

PRICE: $25 per person

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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GRAVE ADDICTION

People have been living and dying in what is now Concord for thousands of years. In this atmospheric tour of two cemeteries we'll explore the history of the graves themselves. From iconography to burial customs, you'll love learning the sometimes humorous and sometimes chilling stories behind these stones.

Tour route: about one mile on a combination of uneven, hilly ground, and some paved walkways. Proper footwear strongly recommended. Not wheelchair accessible.

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AVAILABILITY: Year round

PRICE: $25 per person

MINIMUM GROUP SIZE: 2 people

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