Take A Scenic Walk Through Concord’s Nature And History
Walden Pond, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, North Bridge
Walden Pond is on Walden St., about a mile and a half from ConcordCenter. Visitors can hike on several trails (wear sturdy, comfortable shoes or boots), swim at the public beach, and visit the spot where Thoreau lived and wrote from 1845-1847. Pick up a trail map at the Walden Pond Visitor Center at 915 Walden St.
On your way into town from Walden Pond, stop by the Town Visitor Center at 58 main St., and pick up a map of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The cemetery entrance is on Bedford St. about 1/3 mile from the center of town Sleepy Hollow was designed to preserve the beauty of the natural landscape, and offers many scenic paths to explore. You can pay your respects to literary greats on Authors’ Ridge, including Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, and Emerson. On Upland Avenue, don’t miss the magnificent Daniel Chester French sculpture that adorns the Melvin Memorial, a monument to three Concord brothers who died while serving in the Civil War.
The Old North Bridge is a leisurely stroll down the hill from the National Park Visitor Center at 174 Liberty St. (Visitor Center open seasonally). The bridge itself is a reconstruction of the one where the Minute Men held their ground and repelled the attack of the Redcoats in 1775. While you’re there, you can explore the National Park grounds on both sides of the river, where the rival armies stood. Highlights include the Minute Man statue by sculptor Daniel Chester French, dedicated in 1875, and the stone obelisk erected in 1836.
