New England and Canada Cruise, Part 3: Boston, Massachusetts

This is my third post about our New England and Canada cruise aboard the Enchanted Princess. I recommend reading the first and second posts from the trip before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received complimentary admission tickets for some of the places we visited during our trip. Other places are free for everyone; we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. 

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Boston, Massachusetts

Steve, Trevor, and I have been to Boston twice (most recently in 2023) so we'd already seen many of the major attractions. But there were two we missed previously that we were eager to see during our short time in Massachusetts' capital city. They're conveniently located next to each other at Columbia Point. 

The first was the Commonwealth Museum. 

We've been to some spectacular state museums across the US and we were hoping Massachusetts' would be similar. As it turns out, the Commonwealth Museum has good exhibits, but it is very, very small. The museum is housed in a large building, but only a tiny part of the facility is actually the museum. The rest is the Massachusetts Archives. Not only is the museum quite small, but when we arrived there were students just starting a guided field trip. They filled half of the space, so we moved around as they did to try not to be in their way. That made it difficult to enjoy the exhibits. 

  

There are a few hands-on activities that are fun. 

Can you name the three states, besides Massachusetts, that are Commonwealths? 

The most impressive part of the Commonwealth Museum is the Treasures Gallery. It is home to one of 14 original copies of both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Also on display are the Charter of Massachusetts Bay, the Charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Follow the link to see the Treasures Gallery, as no photography is allowed.

So would I recommend a visit to the Commonwealth Museum? Yes, for three reasons. 1) Despite being small, the exhibits are interesting and informative. 2) It's free. 3) It's located right next to an outstanding museum that you absolutely should not miss. That museum? The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 

The building itself is reason enough to visit. It was designed by I.M. Pei and is considered among Pei's most significant projects. It's beautiful, inside and out. 

It features stunning views of the ocean and of the Boston skyline. 

  

As wonderful as the building is, the true treasure is inside. The first exhibit at the Presidential Library is about Young Jack. Apparently, his early efforts in school were... inconsistent. 

He went on to graduate cum laude from Harvard, then published an expanded version of his senior thesis as a full-length book (affiliate link). I had no idea that he was a young author. 

JFK served in the Navy in WWII. He received a Purple Heart for the back injury he sustained when a Japanese destroyed crashed into his patrol torpedo boat. If you don't know the story of JFK's heroism during that event, it's well-worth a read.  

How many other presidents do you think have a Purple Heart? Click here for the answer!

The next portion of the Library is all about the 1960 election. 

Newsracks are featured throughout the Library, showing the headlines from different newspapers across the US that correspond with each portion of the exhibit. It's really clever. 

  

Trevor and I spent a long time studying the diagram of the seating arrangement in this exhibit about a state dinner. It was fascinating who was seated where. 

President Kennedy has an Emmy medallion and and Jackie received a Trustees Award at the Emmys. No other First Ladies have an Emmy, but two other former presidents do. Can you name them? 

  

The JFK Library is packed with interesting memorabilia from his short time in office. When you reach November 1963 chronologically, you enter a dark hallway filled with small screens showing news broadcasts reporting the shooting and death of the President. It is very powerful and a respectful way of documenting the tragic events. 

The next portion of the Library is all about the legacy of JFK. I was giddy when I spotted that NASA logo. 

Yep! That's a moon rock! Add it to the list of 8 Places to Find Moon Rocks. 

That's a piece of the Berlin Wall. 

I absolutely loved the JFK Presidential Library. Of the four Presidential Libraries we've visited, it's my favorite. But we weren't done quite yet. There was a temporary exhibit about Presidential Pets. 

I remember seeing these at the Clinton Presidential Library. They're on loan for this exhibit. 

I wonder if our bunnies would enjoy a White House hidey house. Probably. 

We had such a good time at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum!

We returned to the ship at dinnertime after a fantastic day in Boston. 

The next city we visited was great too. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.

New England and Canada Cruise, Part 2: Newport, Rhode Island

This is my second post about our New England and Canada cruise aboard the Enchanted Princess. I recommend reading the first post from the trip before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received admission tickets for some of the places we visited during our trip. Other places are free for everyone; we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. 

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Newport, Rhode Island

When Steve, Trevor, and I took our 5-state, 15-day New England trip in 2023, I really wanted to include Newport, Rhode Island on the itinerary. The city is absolutely packed with interesting things to see and do. Unfortunately, it just didn't fit into the schedule then. So I was thrilled that we were able to visit Newport during this trip! I scheduled as many activities as I could fit during our limited time in port. 

Newport is a very walkable town. All of the places we visited on Sunday, September 14 were on a 3.5 mile loop. There was interesting stuff to see the whole way. We started with a short walk to Touro Synagogue National Historic Site. 

Touro is the oldest surviving synagogue in the United States. In 1982, it was honored with a postage stamp (affiliate link). 

  

From there, we went to the Newport Windmill Tower, also called the Old Stone Mill. This former windmill was built in the mid-1600's. 

  

Then it was on to Cliff Walk. 

  

Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mile public path developed during the Gilded Age. It was designated a National Recreation Trail in 1976. 

It features ocean views on one side and mansions on the other... although for the portion of Cliff Walk that we did, those mansions are entirely blocked from view by hedges. To be fair, I wouldn't want hundreds of people walking by my house every day from sunrise to sunset, gawking and taking photos. (At least I don't think I'd want that. If someone wants to invite me to stay in their Newport mansion, I'll let you know how I feel about all the tourists / commoners walking by.)  

I would have loved to have walked more of Cliff Walk, especially by The Breakers, but that's an activity for a future visit to Newport. During this visit, I wanted to maximize the time we'd have at our next two destinations, starting with the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

It's located at the former Newport Casino, a social club for the wealthy during Newport's Gilded Age. 

The International Tennis Hall of Fame includes a museum, 13 grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility with three courts, three outdoor hard courts, one green clay court, a court tennis facility, and a theater.

 

  

We started our visit at the museum, which starts upstairs. I love a themed carpet. 

As it turns out, I also love artwork with dangling painted tennis balls. 

The museum starts with artifacts from the biggest names in tennis, past and present. Then it transitions into the history of tennis. 

  

  

I didn't expect to see something from Jackie Robinson at a tennis museum. It was a fun callback to the Hall of Fame we'd visited five days earlier!

Tennis fashion has changed a bit over the years. 

This interactive game was a really fun way to learn more about tennis and test your knowledge.  

  

You may be wondering why the Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport. It's because what is now the US Open began in Newport in 1881 as the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships.

I loved this colorful display. 

And Steve loved watching tennis via VR. 

This collection of tennis ball containers would make a fun puzzle. (Brief timeout while I research tennis-themed puzzles to see if it exists... nope. But this wooden puzzle would be fun for tennis fans. This racquet design is really pretty, but with all that solid white it would be a real challenge.) 

Oooh, an Olympic medal! Quite a generous gift from Monica Seles. 

If you can't read the print, that tennis ball on the right was hit almost 26,000 times to achieve the Guinness World Record for the Longest Rally in 2008. 

As far as I can tell, they don't sell tennis balls in big cans anymore. 

The last part of the museum is the actual Hall of Fame. 

I don't follow tennis, but I was surprised how many names I recognized. 

The museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is outstanding. But there's more to see! 

You can watch games being played on any of their outdoor or indoor courts. 

See that net at the left of the photo? That's one of the viewing windows for court tennis (watch the video on that page). Court tennis is a fascinating game and different in many ways from modern tennis. 

This is what you see when you look in. Note the shape of the net, the asymmetric court, and the lack of side lines. Court tennis is played off the walls, like racquetball. It was a lot of fun to watch. 

After a wonderful visit to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, we walked a few blocks to learn about an entirely different sport. 

As we passed by St. Mary's Church, I took a quick picture. John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary’s on September 12, 1953. The photo was too quick - it doesn't capture the beauty of the church. Check it out here instead. 

Next stop, the Sailing Museum and National Sailing Hall of Fame. We LOVED it!

When you arrive, put on a wristband then head to one of the touchscreens. Answer some questions to determine your ideal sailboat; the wristband will record your results from this activity and the many others in the museum. Fun!

Name and decorate your boat. Mine was Lucky Dream. Each item I earned from completing activities went into a digital locker. 

The Sailing Museum has a fantastic mix of still exhibits and hands-on activities. There is plenty to read and just as much to do. We enjoyed both. Some kids visiting the museum just did the activities, some over and over. They were having a fantastic time. I love a museum that is entertaining to people of all ages!

  

I did not expect to see an Olympic medal or an Emmy at the museum, but there they are!

  

I love stamps. 

And I love the Sailing Museum! We learned so much and had a lot of fun. 

We'd barely scratched the surface of things to do in Newport, but it was time to head back to the ship. We made a quick trip through Bowen's Wharf on the way. 

  

We loved our time in Newport and hope to return someday to see the rest of what it has to offer. If you have the chance to visit, definitely do!