Discover Concord

Find out what's going on around town this summer!

Menotomy was a village of about 400 farmers, millers, tavern keepers, and their families in 1775. The Battle of Menotomy was one of the bloodiest of the American Revolution.

They were the sons of Death and hell followed with them as they rushed from Sudbury to Concord, Massachusetts, in the lightening dawn of April 19, 1775. Beside them, armed with muskets, swords, pitchforks, and improvised weapons, came two companies of Sudbury minutemen and militia, and behind them (as legend says), on a white horse, a messenger galloped west towards Worcester carrying the alarm “Up! Up! The Regulars are as far as Concord!”

The wines, spirits, and craft beers at Vintages all have one thing in common; they are carefully curated and often made by smaller production (or family-run) makers who care deeply about the quality of their product.

Concord is preparing to honor the 250th anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution on April 19, 2025. Knowing that the eyes of the nation – indeed, the world – will be on Concord and the neighboring towns where these historical battles took place in 1775, planning is well underway.

What was the Provincial Congress? In 1630, when colonists from England settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a charter allowed the settlers to run the colony as they saw fit. Therefore, there was a bottom-up government in addition to a top-down government. 

Few places in the United States offer a wealth of history, literature, anthropological clues, and examples of early American architecture along a one-mile stroll. Concord’s American Mile invites you to enjoy the great outdoors while learning about the town’s fascinating history. Begin your adventure at Monument Square and head east along Lexington Road.

“Is it true that Emerson is going to take a gun?” asked Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. “Then I shall not go, somebody will be shot.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson was no marksman, but in July 1858, he bought a “rifle & gun” (a two-barreled rifle-shotgun combination) for twenty-five dollars, prompting his friend Henry David Thoreau to quip, “The story on the Mill Dam is that he has taken a gun which throws shot from one end and ball from the other.”¹

Summer is here!  Warmer days and beautiful flowers call us outside to enjoy the fresh air. And Concord’s restaurants are responding with inviting terraces, refreshing cocktails, and delicious foods to entice us to gather around the table al fresco style! 

Colonists in North America may have separated from Great Britain in the 1700s, but American forces have served alongside British allies many times in the centuries since. A strong bond of friendship remains firmly in place between the two nations. So, when Great Britain announced the coronation of King Charles III, many across New England went looking for a way to share in the royal celebrations.  

The picturesque town of Concord, Massachusetts, is renowned for its rich history, from the Revolutionary and Civil War eras to its prominent role in American literature. Few may know that Concord played a role in the history of bicycling, a form of transportation that has had a profound impact on society and culture. 

Explore Concord's rivers and waterways with photographer Dave Witherbee.

One day I happened upon what I now know is a “kaleidoscope” of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). In other words, a swarm of those wonderful, brilliant butterflies enjoying a puddle. Yes, butterflies do “puddle,” or gather in large numbers to feed. And for that matter, Monarchs also “roost.”

Thirteen-year-old Tasun quietly slipped away from her father Tahattawan’s clan counsel to sit on the rocky prominence called Egg Rock at the confluence of the rivers to consider how her world was changing. 

Completely unaware of the existence of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, Julie Nass and her daughters had developed a deep affection for Little Women, reading the book multiple times and watching all the movie adaptations as a family on their small Wisconsin dairy farm. The Little Women musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2005, was youngest daughter Hannah’s favorite. 

The test of a true classic is its longevity and influence. Louisa May Alcott could never have imagined that Little Women, the novel for girls she didn’t want to write, would have such an impact. 

From the heights of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the bards surely look down upon their Concord with pride. The little hamlet, where the nation’s spark of independence was lit on April 19, 1775, brought forth a second uprising in the mid-nineteenth century. With the publication of “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1836, Concord launched a revolution of philosophy and literature that made Concord the center of political, literary, and social zeitgeist for over a century. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in Concord for most of his life and probably explored almost every inch of it on foot. As he once said, “I go through Concord as through a park.” Today, we can follow in the footsteps of the “Sage of Concord.” 

In this installment, we introduce Kevin Kusiolek and Jennifer M. Johnston, two artists whose work is truly inspirational.

Find out what's happening in the realms of theater and visual arts this summer.

There are 812 acres of working farmland surrounding Concord, and summertime provides a bumper crop of fresh fruit and vegetables. These working farm stands use every acre of farmland to provide healthy options for every meal! It is worth a visit to these ‘grocery stores of summer’ where the harvest can go from your grocery tote to dinner plate without needing more than a splash of oil and vinegar. 

Henry David Thoreau’s younger sister, Sophia Elizabeth Thoreau (1819–1876), was a botanist, artist, editor, and abolitionist who worked as a teacher and managed the family’s pencil business. She significantly shaped her brother’s legacy to an extent that modern scholars argue was under-acknowledged by Thoreau’s early biographers. 

How can a place so crowded and noisy also be a place of such peace and solace? Hundreds of thousands visit Walden Pond each year, overflowing the parking lots to discover the pond and woods made famous by Henry David Thoreau.  

Test your knowledge with Concord trivia!