Hoop Dreams

After last summer's trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, the boys put the Basketball Hall of Fame at the top of their list of places to see next. So when I started looking at what to do for our vacation this summer and found a really good airfare to Boston, our plans were set! Twenty years ago when I was in Connecticut for grad school, R came out to visit me and we drove up to see the Hall of Fame. I remember thinking then that it was underwhelming - outdated exhibits and unfinished displays. So we were hopeful that with all of the interactive things that museums do now to engage visitors, our experience would be much better today!

The Hall of Fame didn't open until 10:00AM, so to make the most of our time, we first went to see the Springfield Armory NHS since it opened at 9:00AM. 

This armory was one of two facilities authorized by the government in 1794 for the development and manufacture of firearms for the military. Springfield Armory produced arms for 174 years, up through the Vietnam War era. The building that was the arsenal now houses the largest collection of historic American military firearms.

Civil War

World War II

Needless to say, the boys were fascinated. We spent more time here than I expected we would. Both R and I thought the site was really well done, presenting the evolution of the firearm in the military context. It was also interesting to learn about the industrialization of the manufacture of the weapons and how that aided the Union during the Civil War. I knew that the more industrialized North had the advantage over the South, but didn't think about how that translated to how the Confederacy was armed - they relied on whatever weapons they could obtain from outside sources, and as a result, had difficulty in supplying troops with ammunition of various calibers.

After the boys received their Jr. Ranger stash (badge, pin, certificate), we drove a short ways over to the...

...where M and J (R, too!) were in basketball heaven! Definitely much improved over the last time we were here!

The Honors Ring

M and J had the most fun with the interactive exhibits...

Pulling down a rebound!

On the first level of the Hall is a full-size court, so you can guess how my ballers spent most of their time here.

The boy has hops!

After being told that there would be a free-throw contest at 1:00PM, we decided to have lunch there (Subway) and leave once they got knocked out of the competition.

Only J made it out of the first round - good job, son!

From Springfield, we drove to Lowell National Historical Park, which tells the story of the city of Lowell and the role of the textile mills here that were integral to the American Industrial Revolution. 

Inside the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, they still run the looms that weave cotton threads into cloth. I wish we could have spent more time here exploring the city/park, taking a canal or trolley tour. I was impressed with how they've revitalized the area by retaining the historic mill buildings and repurposing the space into lofts and studios.

From Lowell, we took small back roads to get to our hotel in Concord - a very pretty drive past lots of old homes, and even the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, the final resting place of Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau!

The boys swam while I did laundry - one of the disadvantages to packing light! Once we had clean clothes for the remainder of the trip, we walked across the parking lot to the Italian restaurant next door for a late dinner. 

Tomorrow's history lesson will cover Lexington and Concord, as well as Salem. Be prepared for a pop quiz!