Massachusetts Articles on GoNOMAD

**Bob Woodruff brings his oxen to the West Tisbury Fair on Martha's Vineyard every year. Photo by Tim Lehnert**

Boston With Kids: A Real Family-Friendly Destination

Sure, there's lots of history here. The Freedom Trail, the historic battles, the Old North Church, Paul Revere's ride... but what else can you find in Boston? Blue men, enormous swans, and a green monster. How about whales, seals, and robots? It's all here.

Here are a few tips for the whole family, for those with kids under 12 and for the difficult tweeners and teens.

Boston lies near the Stellwagen bank, feeding ground for several species of whales. Summer is a great time to view them. The New England Aquarium has a high-speed boat with full concessions and on-board naturalists and educators. The older ones might gripe a bit, but as soon as the first whale swims up to the boat, that will stop... Read more

Learning to Fly at Northampton Airport

The sky was a shade lighter than sapphire with hardly a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day for a scenic flight. The heat created just a touch of turbulence that left me with a hint of nausea. But other than that, a great flight lesson.

Before take-off Ben Foster, my flight instructor, and I performed a routine check-up on the plane for safety. As we walked around, Foster, a college student with boyish features, skimmed his hand along the wing.

**GoNOMAD's Kylie Jellie with her flight instructor, Ben Foster in a Piper Warrior at Northampton Airport**

“What we look for are any dents or scratches that would indicate that the plane has been damaged. If there is evidence on the outside, it’s linked to the inside,” he said.

My nerves were stimulated as soon as I stepped into the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat. The instructor sat beside me with his own set of controls.

I was overwhelmed by the different gauges, switches and buttons. Foster went through the checklist thoroughly. He touched on what every button and switch and gauge did, but my excitement left me mystified.

“Ready for take off?” he asked.

I looked at him with wide eyes and nodded... Read more

Stepping Back in Time: A Visit to Historic Deerfield

As I turn onto Old Main Street in Deerfield, Massachusetts, the mile-long strip of road on which the Historic Deerfield Museum is located, it feels as if I've stepped back in time. Centuries-old restored houses share yards with private family homes, the architecture so traditionally beautiful that it would be hard to tell the difference, save for the minivans in some of the driveways.

**An example of colonial clothing at Historic Deerfield, Massachcusetts**

It is as if the place has been in a bubble for hundreds of years, waiting patiently to be rediscovered and explored. And in a way, this is not far from the truth.

Historic Deerfield is a museum consisting of eleven house museums, and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, where visitors can get a firsthand look at what life was like in colonial America by viewing the clothing and textiles, the tools, the weaponry, the furniture, and, of course, the buildings... Read more

Biking Cape Cod: On the Trail of Henry David Thoreau

Henry Thoreau is perhaps this country’s best known pedestrian. He walked everywhere, preferring a hike to a ride in a rail car or horse-drawn carriage any day. He is famously quoted as saying, “I have traveled greatly in Concord.”

Though Thoreau died at 44, he did see a bit more of the world. He took the train to Quebec, Minnesota, Niagra Falls, and Maine, and hiked around from there. He also became enamored of Cape Cod, first visiting in 1849.

His light-hearted essays on his visits -- his last occurring in 1857 -- were later published as “Cape Cod.” They encapsulate the essence of the Cape’s nature -- and the characters Thoreau met as he walked its 25-mile “bare and bended arm” of sand on four different occastions.

“Cape Cod” is still a fun and fascinating read. In it you can find both the seeds of what the Cape once was, and some of the reasons it is so popular today.

And though he didn’t live to see one, you can get a darned good taste of Henry’s Cape Cod over the handlebars of a bike today... Read more

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