Concord, Massachusetts
The North Bridge
The rebuilt wooden bridge where militia were first ordered to fire on British soldiers, with the Minute Man statue on one bank and an obelisk on the other.
Written for ages 3–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
On the morning of April 19, 1775, about four hundred minute men and militia stood on the hill above this bridge. Fewer than a hundred British soldiers guarded it. When the militia saw smoke rising from town, they thought their homes were burning, and marched down toward the bridge. The British pulled back across the river and fired, and two militiamen were killed. Their major shouted "Fire!", and two British soldiers fell. They are buried a few steps from here, by the stone wall. Sixty-two years later, Ralph Waldo Emerson called it the shot heard round the world.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about an hour and a half at the park.
- Parking
- Free, with no entrance fee. The closest lot is at 280 Monument Street; the North Bridge Visitor Center is at 174 Liberty Street. The park warns that GPS can be wrong here, so follow the brown signs. Grounds open sunrise to sunset.
- Underfoot
- A short walk from the Monument Street lot to the bridge. The Park Service lists the bridge area as wheelchair accessible. The visitor center is a separate stop on Liberty Street.
- Stroller
- A stroller works on some of it.
- Bathrooms
- Bathrooms, but only in season.
21 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
4 things to spot, 3 ways to find your bearings and 3 things to work out.
Every game includes this one
The North Bridge
Get to the North Bridge and stand right in the middle of it.
A few of the others
The Stone By The Wall
Find the small grave stone tucked in beside the stone wall, and read it.
Stand Where They Stood
Find the tall pointed stone monument, then stand on the same bank of the river the British soldiers were on.
The Shot Heard Round The World
Find the poem carved into the statue's stone base. Read the last line out loud.
A Farmer And A Soldier
Look at the statue by the bridge. He's holding a gun. Find the farm tool beside him, and work out what his other job was.
Everybody On The Bridge
One photo of the whole crew on the bridge, with the river behind you.
Behind You
Without turning around, say what's behind you. Then turn around and check.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Concord
Walden Pond
Concord
A 102-foot-deep pond a glacier left behind, a path all the way around it, and the spot where Thoreau built his one-room house and lived for two years.
Great Meadows Refuge — Concord Unit
Concord
Two big man-made pools with a dike trail between them, a lookout tower by the parking lot, and a refuge bird list of over 220 species. No dogs allowed.
Play this at The North Bridge
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.