3-Day Break the Mold Women’s History

*This is a particularly travel-heavy itinerary, so additional stops/days may be added to break up the travel if necessary (Boston attractions).

Day 1 You'll See:

Day 2 You'll See:

Day 3 You'll See:

Get ready for a seriously fun and educational trip around the East Coast, this 3-day 'Break the Mold' itinerary taking your group to all the best Women's History hotspots throughout Boston, Hartford, and Nantucket. 

As mentioned above, your group may want additional Boston stops added to break up the travel times!

Day
1

Boston Women's Heritage Trail

In 1989 a group of Boston Public School teachers, librarians, and their students brainstormed and inaugurated the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, a series of 13 different walks commemorating Boston's most influential women. There are over 200 women remembered on this series of trails, the entire thing working to 'restore women to their rightful place in the history of Boston'. There are several different choices of trails you can take with your group, each option self-guided, such as Back Bay East, Back Bay West, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Downtown, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Ladies Walk, North End, and South End.

Lowell National Historic Park

Welcome to Lowell National Historical Park, the series of the 1800s based textile mills in Lowell (45 minutes from Boston) and the waterways that powered them. This national historic site holds canalside walks and interactive displays that help guests 'Discover the Continuing Revolution'. This 'Continuing Revolution' dealt with immigrant families and early female factory workers in an uncertain new industrial era, and Lowell serves as a living monument to the dynamic human story of this Industrial Revolution. While visiting you can take a walking tour or boat tour, of which there are several options.

Day
2

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

While exploring the gorgeously preserved Victorian Gothic Cottage where Stowe lived for 23 years you will connect the past to the present and discuss the social issues of the 19th century and today. Within the home, her very last home during her lifetime, you will see several rooms with Stowe's personal design choices, the rooms filled with various decorative arts and oil paintings reflecting the time. As you walk through the home you will learn all about Stowe's childhood, travels, marriage, family, and most importantly, her courage. See how Stowe's most famous novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, completely changed the attitude of 'people as property'. You will also learn all about slavery and the role of women and how that resonates today in the forms of racism, mass incarceration, immigration, and equal pay.

Prudence Crandall Museum

Sometimes called the Elisha Payne House, this historic house museum is the site of the first higher education academy for African Amerian young women and girls in New England, founded by Prudence Crandall in 1833. The school only lasted 17 months, unfortunately, as mob violence in late 1834 forced a closure. Today the museum stands to commemorate the teacher, students, particularly Sarah Harris, and supporters of the Canterbury Female Boarding School. During a visit, your group will learn in-depth details about the above history, as well as the legacy of equal education in general through various exhibits presented. Explore Period Rooms, exhibit galleries, the onsite gift shop, the research library, and the garden-filled grounds.

Day
3

Maria Mitchell House

Mitchell was known as a force behind women's rights and women's education of the 19th century through her many feats during her lifetime. 'She believed in learning by doing, and in the capacity of women to achieve what their male counterparts could.' Today you can explore this massive force she had through her home, as well as through other Maria Mitchell buildings including an aquarium, the Loines Observatory, the Vestal Street Observatory, and the Natural Science Museum. The home was first built in 1790, acquired by the Mitchell family in 1818, and turned into a museum in 1903. Inside you will see artifacts from Mitchell's daily life, including various objects such as mugs, opera glasses, and the Dolland telescope. This house has been named 'one of the Top 10 Women's History Sites in the Country' by USA Today.