Minute Man National Historical Park

We loved our 5 mile walk along the Minuteman Trail. We started at the east end — by Fiske Hill, and walked west all the way to Meriam’s Corner. It’s a beautiful hard packed path that I navigated with a fair amount of ease in my wheelchair. I use the FreeWheel wheelchair attachment which was helpful as the path has some loose stones and sand. I needed some help at one board walk where the lip from the edge of the boardwalk to the path was a few inches. Many parts of the path are by the road, and Hanscom Air Force Base is right next door, so you don’t feel like you are in wilderness, but it’s still a lovely wooded area. You pass many historic houses along the way that the National Park Service maintain. We went into Hartwell Tavern — it’s open and you can see the first floor. I’d love to come back at different seasons; what a lovely place.
After we got to Meriam’s Corner, we continued on the sidewalk into Concord where we got lunch. We then walked back to Meriam’s Corner, and we were tired after over 7 miles of exercise! We asked a (super nice!) family to give us a ride from the Meriam’s Corner parking lot back to our car at the parking lot by The Bluff.

A great historic park that focuses on the events of April 19, 1775 which was the day that the American Revolution started. The park in its entirety spans several miles (about 5 miles or so total) from east to west with the west end being the town of Concord, MA and the east end being the town of Lexington, MA. The proper way to see this park is to start at one end of the «Battle Road» and make your way to the other end while stopping at various points along the way. The park is set up like this because of the manner in which events unfolded on April 19, 1775.
A quick background on the events from a history buff: Basically the British set out from Boston to seize a weapons arsenal that they had been tipped off was being stockpiled in Concord by the rebels. When they reached Lexington along the way a brief skirmish broke out on the Lexington Green that resulted in British soldiers firing upon rebel soldiers and killing a few. Word quickly spread to rebels in Concord of what had happened in Lexington and when the British reached Concord they faced heavy resistance from rebel soldiers at the Old North Bridge. Even though the official first shots of the American Revolution had happened at Lexington, it was in Concord that the rebels engaged in their first true fight against the British. The British retreated from Concord and headed back towards Boston down the same road they had came. On their way back they faced a lot of brief attacks from angry rebels and colonists along the Battle Road. This is why the park is set up along an entire stretch of road and the cool thing is that a lot areas along the park are right on that original road that the British would have used. The opening battle of the American Revolution wasn’t one big battle in one spot but several small skirmishes spread out over several miles.
The park has a visitor center at both ends. Be sure to get a map. The nice thing is that there are free parking lots along the Battle Road to park in at the major sites. The park includes several historic homes that were standing the day all of this happened. However, several are only open on certain days so if you want to go inside the homes do your research on operating days and times.

Great place to walk and spend the day with your family. The battle road section has a fantastic walking train following along with the road. The North Bridge section is where you can feel the history around you.

Make sure you go to the visitor’s center and watch the video. It was awesome. And free. The walk is awesome! There are historical markers along the walk which makes the it even better! A must-​see for any history buff, or person who loves to walk. Wear comfortable shoes.

Great place to hike, walk or bike. The best part is you can learn a little something along my the way. The park has a bunch of houses tucked away along the length of the trail. Some have tours during the warmer months. Other areas have scenic overlooks and historical significance signage. They have a great visitors center and plenty of parking all along the park/​trail. If you want to see and learn where and how this country started — this is a must see.

Came here with my family on an autumn weekend. This hike /​tour was incredible. History and natural beauty in one. Would highly recommend this park for all families. In fact, I would make this mandatory for all MA and NH schoolchildren to make a field trip to this intensely important site in the national history of the United States.

I LOVED this park. I had forgotten a good amount of my elementary school American History and this was a great refresher. The Visitor Center in Lincoln has a nice video presentation on the events that led to the Revolutionary War starting in Lexington and Concord. It had a big interactive map, a tavern set up and a big video screen, it was very creative! It felt like a mini version of an educational show at Disney World. After that my husband and I biked to the North Bridge, but many people were walking the path too. I believe it was a little over 5 miles. The route goes along the Battle Road with many information boards along the way describing the action, the lifestyles of the townspeople, or the differences in today’s landscape compared to 1775. It was very easy to visualize this part of the war. It was also a really pleasant ride. You do have to ride on some roads and sidewalks to get from the end of the first section to the North Bridge, but there are signs and it’s a cute little town. You also ride by some famous homes, including two lived in by Louisa May Alcott, who wrote Little Women.

Great National park. Start with the Visitor center and the film presentation, and go from there. We also got to hear about who the minutemen were and saw a demonstration of the firing of a musket at the Hartwell tavern. Wish we had more time to see all the things along battle road.

Da wir in Boston schon fast alle Sehenswürdigkeiten besucht hatten, ging es auf dem Rückweg nach Framingham noch in den Minute Man National Historical Park.
Dieser Park befindet sich in Concord und erinnert an den Beginn der Schlacht im Zusammenhang des amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieges. Der National Historical Park wird unter der Zuständigkeit des National Park Service geleitet und umfasst 970 Hektar rund um die Städte Lexington, Lincoln, und Concord.
Wir haben uns zunächst im Visitor Center informiert, wo man schon mal einen guten Einblick gewinnen kann. Neben der Ausstellung findet man hier auch einen Souveniershop und ein kleines Kino.
Folgendes kann man unter anderem besichtigen:
Die Concord North Bridge, wo am 19. April 1775 die Miliz Männer auf britische Truppen feuerten. Dies war die zweite Schlacht des Tages, nach dem kurzen Kampf im Morgengrauen auf der Lexington Common.
Man kann den 8 km langen «Battle Road Trail» zwischen Lexington und Concord abwandern. Dieser schlängelt sich durch Felder und Wälder und zeigt historische Plätze.
Das Park Besucherzentrum auf einem Hügel mit Blick auf die North Bridge. Hier kann man einen spannenden 25-​minütigen Film über die damaligen Ereignisse anschauen.
Die Minute Man Statue neben der Nordbrücke ist auch sehenswert.
Den Obelisk neben der Nordbrücke sollte man sich nicht entgehen lassen.
Ein wirklich sehenswerter Park, wo man hautnah die Geschichte der USA erleben kann. Eine nette Abwechslung und schöné Landpartie.

Absolutely gorgeous park in the fall. The video at the visitor’s center is fantastic — never seen anything like it. The tiny gift shop there also has some pretty cool items, such as replica colonial money and posters. Then you can walk the trail or drive a few minutes to the Hartwell Tavern, where they have regularly scheduled musket demonstrations and talks at the tavern. You can walk along Battle Road, which is the old highway that was actually marched by the British Regulars on their way to seize the colonists’ gunpowder stores. Very very pretty park. I wish I had a dog to bring here.

I have driven up and down Old Bedford Road many times, to and from Lexington, and passed the historic Hartwell Tavern.
Yesterday, I finally toured and learned about this famous, former-​revolutionary battleground. First, we stepped into the Hartwell Tavern house. There was a very nice and informative lady in Colonial garb who told us about life in the 1770s. She was able to answer all of our curiosity questions beautifully.
There was a tour already in progress in the tavern part of the Hartwell house. We quietly crashed the tour and after the group left we had the man in Colonial garb to ourselves and had an excellent talk about past history and current events. Very cool. 85% of the house is original from the 18^th century.
The land is HUGE (6 miles around). Along your walk you come across buildings and structures representative of Colonial times. There are plaques with historical information. Occasionally there is a tall metal box with a button on it. Push the button and you’ll hear a narrator tell a story and then quotes from an historical figure told by an actor. Very cool.
I will definitely be back.

You MUST watch the free 30-​minute «video» at the visitor center before you do whatever else you plan to do at the park (walk the lovely, well-​maintained trails, see the historic houses, etc.). I put «video» in quotes because it’s so much more than just a video: it’s an experience, with various displays and montages, 2 video screens, a map that lights up in red and blue to show the locations of the patriots and the british at the different points in time, a model of the old north church with lights in the steeple to demonstrate «one if by land, two if by sea,» and all sorts of other really cool things that make the narrative so much more than just a video. If this were a private operation, they’d charge you $ 10-​$ 15, easy, for that experience. But it’s the national park service, and it’s free, and it’s terrific. Very informative, and much easier to learn and remember this way!
The Battle Road trail is also, separately, a terrific place to run or walk. It’s a 5-​mile trail, mostly smooth, fairly flat, wide enough for 2 – 3 people to run/​walk abreast, with a nice mix of woods, fields, tunnels, boardwalk over the swampy areas, etc. Simply lovely. If you’re out to do a long run, you can park at one end and get in 10 pleasant miles on an out-​and-​back. There also are some areas where you can do a loop, in particular near the visitor center.
Bathrooms on the trail are very limited — as far as I know, only at the visitor center and seasonally near the Meriam’s Corner parking lot.

The visitors center is really well done and the trails are well maintained. A great place to go walking and check out some history. It is nice that you can drive to the other sites if you can’t walk it all

A Unilocal review of a national park? Eh, why not?
I mean, how can I say bad things about a place like this? It’s steeped in American history, and that’s always a good thing.
Seriously, I did appreciate this visit very much. I visited in November, so it was off-​season. I’m sure it’s much better in spring and summer months.
If you asked me what the best part was, for me it is the Old North Bridge end in Concord where «The Shot Heard Round The World» happened, and the location of the Old Manse. You can really sense the history there, and it is situated close to the center of town in Concord as a bonus if you want to do some eating and shopping after.
All history buffs should visit once.

Great spot — very scenic, and in the middle of the sights in Lexington and Concord. We didn’t spend much time here, but it looks nicely run and it’s a very picturesque area, so a great spot to take pictures and hang out with history!

A must do for all the patriots in us. The experience is short of spiritual as well as educational. The grounds are breathtaking, and the history and stories behind the mortar, the rocks, every tree and structure still standing leaves you with a newfound respect for our countries humble beginnings. Magical and beautiful, come for the history or for a bike ride or a hike in solemn unspoiled historical nature setting.

Awesome! A must see!
The visitor’s center is a great source of information, exhibits, maps, and a fantastic informational show that you must see. Also, did I mention all of this is FREE? A total gem and perfect for any age.

This entire area is really just magical. All of it. This park is really beautiful and a great place to walk around — they have a visitors center, and you can just soak up all of the history in this special place.

This place is really special. Definitely watch the multimedia presentation/​video (approx. 30 min, runs every half hour, see
) at the Minute Man Visitor Center at 250 North Great Road, Lincoln MA.
I can’t wait to bike the trail!

This is my second visit to the Minute Man NHP and it was just as good this time. This year is the 50^th anniversary of the park’s dedication. I loved the visitor’s center. The setting getting to the house was awesome. The parking lot was across the street and it was a nice ¼ mile walk across the bridge, to the monument and up to the visitor’s center. The gardens and grounds are beautifully maintained and often uncrowded.
The park contains many of the original buildings from the days beginning the Revolutionary War. The bridge is a recontruction, but built similar to how it was. The visitor’s center contains a plank from the original North bridge.
One thing I discovered this time that I did not on my earlier visit was the Wayside, which is a home where Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne used to live. There is a path in the side yard leading to a woods and up a small hill where a plaque in the rock states Hawthorne used to walk for inspiration. Definitely spend some time and check out this piece of American history.

whether you’re walking, biking or driving from one lot to another over the 6 mile stretch, there is plenty to see. I chose to drive since it’s unpredictable day of thunder in the afternoon.
By pure coincidence, I stumbled across a musket demonstration at Harwell Tavern. The fellows wore Colonial attire while they explained and demonstrated. I must say — that was pretty cool!
Not crowded and the locals biking are friendly. Most importantly, parking is free at this park!
There is a disconnect from the main stretch to the North Bridge. It started to pour 20 mins into my visit at this section so I didn’t get to explore the Old Manse.