Goldbud Lane: New England

Had a wonderful time in New England for the first time this summer!

Day 1, flew into Boston, Mass and grabbed a bite to eat at this famed sandwhich shop famous for their Rumanian Pastrami.

Post lunch, we checked out the Freedom Trail. Wish I would've worn better walking shoes for this, as it was 2.5 miles long from start to finish. It's definitely a "must-do" daytime activity in Boston though.

While we didn't get to each of the landmarks, we made it to over half of them! Will definitely have to go back and finish the trail one day. Also, this was a fun, free activity. While some of the stops had fees, or donation requests, for entry, most did not.

The Granary Burial grounds had the graves of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, amongst many famed others.

The site of the first United States Public School was especially neat for me and my fellow teacher friend.

When our feet needed a little rest, we took a Swan Ride in the beautiful Public Garden pond before heading home. These boats have been in operation since 1877, how cool!

On Day 2 we checked out Old Silver Beach in Cape Cod. This was definitely different from our Florida Gulf Coast beaches but I loved the jetties adorned coastal views. Another great beach spot in the area is Coast Guard Beach; there was actually a shark attack there that day!

* One thing I was ill-prepared for were the beach parking fees. Be sure to have $20 cash on hand to park at these public beaches.

Day 3 we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

The ferry dropped us off at Vineyard Haven where we grabbed a bite to eat at the cutest Little House Cafe.

After lunch, we took an Uber ride to the village of Oaks Bluffs where we walked along the famed Gingerbread Houses.

We had scoped this out online before hand, but I was super surprised at how many unique homes there actually were! These 300+ cottages were made in the late 1800s by a large Methodist congregation. They are each ornately crafted and many are embellished with cute, one-of-a-kind names, as well as friendly homeowners who will wave from their rockers as you pass by their covered porch.

Definitely have cash on hand when you venture to Oaks Bluffs. We went to 4 different cash-only ice cream shops before having to find an ATM. The ice cream at Mad Martha's was well worth it though.

We were able to leave Oaks Bluffs via ferry before waiting in a long line for the trolley back to the car. Be sure to allot plenty of time when traveling to and fro the island.

Day 4 was a definitely bucket list of mine as we explored Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, and the Mayflower II- for free at that! We were happily surprised that we just so planned this day on the Highland Street Foundation's "Free Fun Friday" accord.

Before I recount, here's the deal on the spelling grounds:

Museum guests often question the unusual spelling of Plymouth in Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth is an old-fashioned spelling used by Governor William Bradford in his history of the colony, Of Plymouth Plantation. This spelling was adopted to differentiate the Museum from the modern town of Plymouth.

Our first stop was the amazing Wampanoag Homesite with Native Americans in historically accurate dress. They had ancient games set up, real fish roasting over a fire, were shaving trees into boats and stitching deer skin into coats- purely awesome. The people were also very knowledgeable and interactive towards guests' questions. They even had wild berries growing (which, of course, I had to try), cornfields, and vegetable gardens.

Next we traveled through time to the 17th Century Plimoth Plantation. Each of these timber-homes were filled with authentic artifacts and role players. I learned so much just listening to them talk about day to day life from chores to religious beliefs to their thoughts on King James.

Next we took a drive to the Mayflower II to see how the voyage was like for it's passengers (some of which, were my documented ancestors).

A few yards away was the famed "Plymouth Rock" to finish off an unforgettable day in America's Hometown.

Day 5 we took a drive to the town of Newport, Rhode Island and scoured out the massive mansions along Bellevue Road. We toured Marble House first followed by the infamous Breakers.