Where we stayed: Winter Island Park: This campground is on an island with a marina, an old fort, and very near downtown Salem. It was a great place to be able to explore the shore but also easily get into Salem. It’s a little over a mile to downtown Salem, so you can ride your bike or walk if you wanted. If you go, be sure to follow the directions from the campground and NOT your GPS. There are narrow roads that you wouldn’t want to get stuck on with your RV! Scussett Beach State Park: This campground is right before the bridge to Cape Cod and is bordered by the beach on one side and the canal on the other. It’s a great place for hanging out at the beach, fishing from the pier by the visitor office, or walking or biking the canal path. We were able to pick our site since there was hardly anyone there, so we had a site with some trees and a big grassy area across from us. One of the trees was great for climbing (that’s why Lily wanted the site)! What we did: Salem: The campground was part of the trolley ride that went around town, so we caught the trolley at the campground and learned all about Salem while on the trolley. We were able to get off at different stops and explore. We went to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and visited the Customs House. Unfortunately the Friendship ship was not in port because it was under repair. We also explored the pier area a bit to learn about the history of the items that were brought in from different parts of the world. We hadn't thought about it being October when we were there. There were lots of people dressed up. According to the locals, October is a crazy month to be in town! Cape Cod: We explored Cape Cod by first stopping at the national seashore visitor center, watching the two of the movies and exploring the exhibits. We then drove to Provincetown, exploring areas along the way, and walked around town. There is an awesome library in town! We were just going to take a picture of the outside, but a lady walking by told us we had to go inside to the kids section and see the ship. It was a half sized replica of the Rose Dorothea schooner that won a 42 mile race despite losing a mast in the final leg of the race. They had lots of kids puzzles and toys, so a perfect break for the kids. Lance wasn’t very excited to go into a library but then we couldn’t get him to leave! Plymouth: We visited the Plimoth Plantation and went aboard the replica of the Mayflower II. The plantation is a living museum so people play the parts of the pilgrims and Native Americans. They talk to you as if it is was 1620 (?) so you need to ask them questions about how they lived and what they did. The houses are also replicas of the time period so you really get a sense of what it was like. We also joined a ranger talk about the women of the Mayflower. We learned that there was 19 when they first arrived, after the first month of winter there was only 6 then by the end of winter only 3 were left. We also were able to walk down the first street in America (Lyden St) This is where the pilgrims built their first houses. Boston: We went to the Children’s Museum for a few hours (ASTC member). We realized we should have gone to the Science museum instead (also ASTC) because our kids have outgrown children’s museums. They did have fun making bubbles, dodge balls with lights, and rock wall climbing. We then went to the USS Constitution. We walked through the visitor center then bordered the ship to check it out. While on the ship, we listened to a sailor talk about the battle against British frigate ship Guerriere. This is where it got its name “ironsides” because of the Live Oak that was the inner hull of the ship and was so hard the cannon balls would bounce off. We didn’t get to do much of the Freedom Trail because we ran out of time. We did read and see the Bunker Hill monument. We definitely could have used more time in Boston. Trick or treating! The Massachusetts Beach Buggy Association was at the campground for the weekend. There were kids that Lily and Lance made friends with while riding bikes. They invited us to participate in their pumpkin carving and trick or treating that night. The kids had lots of fun playing with the other kids. If you want to join a fun group, look them up. They clean up beaches and campgrounds as part of their activities. They were a lot of fun and very welcoming! Dinner and swimming: We had met a family in Gettysburg and talked to them about our trip. They were visiting the East Coast with their daughter (after visiting Europe for 4 months) and are thinking of RVing in a couple years. They were in Plymouth the same time we were, so one night we met them at their hotel for dinner and swimming. The kids love having someone else to play with and we loved having adults to talk to!
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AuthorKim: I've seen very little of the US and can't wait to see it all with my family. This is a crazy adventure that I never thought I would have the guts to do! Archives
April 2017
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