Mini Adventure: The Boston Harbor Islands

Have you ever heard of the Boston Harbor Islands?  I'm ashamed to admit this, but I'd never heard of them until last year and I've lived in Massachusetts my whole life.

John at Fort Warren

On Friday, we enjoyed a mini adventure to a place not so far from us, but seemed like we were transported back in time.  We took the ferry from Quincy (an adventure in itself, being out on the open ocean with so much to see).

Sea Life

Conor enjoyed the boat ride with the wind in his hair.  Our first stop was Georges Island.  This island is home to the Civil War era Fort Warren which acted as defense but also housed Civil War political prisoners.  Conor and John both enjoyed looking for the island's ghost - the Lady in Black.

Fort Warren

We searched high and low for her:

I, of course, loved all the chippy paint:

Chippy paint

And these daisies:

Isn't that blue on the shutters fantastic?  Just really beachy and old fashioned.  

It was fun learning about the fort and seeing all the Civil War memorabilia housed here:

We saw the old bakery, the hospital with its paneled walls and explored all the tunnels and domed ceilings.

Some areas were off limits, but I couldn't resist a closer look at this sign:

Or these doors:

The views from the ramparts were beautiful (even on an overcast day).

We spent hours climbing towers and looking in all the nooks and crannies.

From a look out tower

The boys just loved Georges Island so much.  John was especially excited to document it all with my old camera.  He filled up the SD card with images and videos.

John wanted me to share his video with you all:

Conor & I on the way to Spectacle

After hours and hours of exploring Fort Warren, we decided to hop on another ferry.  We headed to nearby Spectacle Island.

We were all super hungry so stopped for some lunch at the Summer Shack snack bar.  John & Conor enjoyed the hot dogs.  Just be aware that it is a snack bar so there is no corn dogs (which my kids really love from the Summer Shack Restaurant).

Hot Dogs at the Summer Shack Snack Bar

After filling our bellies, we were off to explore the beaches at the rest of the island. Prior to the Big Dig restoration project, Spectacle Island had a very interesting past - it was used for farming, a glue factory, a hospital and a garbage dump.  Seeing the island now, with its beautiful landscape and winding trails you would never know it was a dump.

I absolutely loved the beaches because they were filled with sea glass:

Spectacle Island

Above is just a sampling of some sea glass people had found.  There were large pieces of all different colors.  Check out these beautiful white ones:

Sea Glass

I'd never before seen pottery shards on the beach.  On Spectacle there were some pieces as big as half plates.  Here is just a sampling:

Pottery Shards

I love that little blue and white one.  On our walk around the island we came across a very hungry and very large raccoon having a mid day snack.  John took this photo:

The raccoon

I'm not sure if you can see it down there.  He kind of blends in with the rocks.  Amazing to watch him catching fish.

We walked and walked and walked.  It was such an excellent and fun day.  I highly recommend a trip to the Harbor Islands if your local or coming to Boston for a visit.  There are 12 islands in all and over 1600 acres to explore.  Their slogan of "minutes away, worlds apart" really is true.  I'm even toying with the idea of camping over night on one of the islands with my boys (and I don't camp!).

By the end of our journey we were all very tired and needing a nap...