Adams National Historical Park was not on our schedule for the first day off the ship.  However, when we got to the car at Saugus Iron Works, I looked at my notes for the sites we wanted to visit in the area.  We had planned on stopping with Saugus and heading to Adams the next day, Sunday, July 21.  Adams is a place we wanted to spend lots of time and do it all.

Unfortunately, my notes said that the Adams Visitors Center would be closed on Sunday, July 21.  We didn’t know what that meant, but we assumed that the entire site would be closed on that day.  After all, how can they have tours of the historic buildings if the Visitors Center is closed?  We looked at each other, looked at the clock, looked at Google Maps and decided to go for it.

We finished at Saugus Iron Works at 3 p.m.  It would take over an hour to drive all the way through Boston to get to the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy.  We could make it, but what would we be able to see?  Rather than being disappointed with a possible closed park on Sunday, we decided to go for it.

We arrived at the Adams National Historical Park Visitors Center about 4:10.  The rangers welcomed us and told us about tours.  No more tours were being offered for the day, but we could sign up online for tours the next day.  Next day?  So they weren’t closed?  The rangers said no, only the Visitors Center was going to be closed.  They would move operations to the Carriage House on the Adams property and continue to give tours.  It would have been nice if that information had been included on the website.

Tom and I decided to make the most of it while we were there.  We watched the end of the very good movie on the four generations of Adams that lived at the Old House at Peace field.  The movie was narrated by Tom Hanks.  It highlighted the lives of John and Abigail Adams, John Quincy and Louisa Adams, Charles and Abigail Adams, and Henry Adams.  We came into the movie about halfway through and were sorry that we couldn’t see the rest of it.  One of the rangers gave us a DVD of the movie to take with us and we appreciated his gift.

I got the stamp, my seventh of the day.  We spent a little time in the bookstore and then headed out to Quincy.  Everything along the main drag of Quincy has to do with the Adams.  We walked through the park that had statues of Abigail Adams, John Adams, and John Hancock.  We saw the church that John and Abigail Adams helped establish.

Then we climbed in the car to drive to the grounds of Peace field.  John and Abigail bought the farm after returning from Europe in 1783.  John would continue to serve the new United States as the first Vice President and the second President.  After his time as President, he retired to Peace field permanently.  Their grandchildren called the house “The Old House at Peace field,” which is what it is called today.

John Quincy Adams and his wife lived in the house and planted the trees that still grace the grounds.  HIs son Charles Francis Adams lived in the house and put in a formal flower garden as Peace field transitioned from farm to a country estate.  By 1927, Brooks Adams, the son of Charles, was the last to live in the house.  He donated the house and furnishings to the United States, dedicating it to the men and women who developed the United States.

We were not able to tour the house, but we walked around the grounds and admired the gardens.  Then we headed south to the birthplaces of John and John Quincy Adams.  These two buildings are the oldest presidential birthplaces in the United States.  John Adams was born and grew up in the first house.  When he and Abigail married, they moved to the farmhouse next door.  John Quincy was born in this house.  Although the farmhouse is in the middle of the city now, at the time it was surrounded by acres of farmland.

Again, we were not able to go in the houses, but we walked around the grounds and tried to imagine them surrounded by farmland.  Tom and I have always been great admirers of the Adams family.  I have always felt an affinity for Abigail Adams, who had to manage the farm and family by herself for much of her marriage.  Tom has always felt an affinity for John Quincy Adams who was a college professor before becoming the sixth President.  We were happy with what we had seen and didn’t feel like we needed to return to tour the houses the following day.

Visiting seven National Park sites in one day was exhausting and we were worn out after visiting Adams National Historical Park.  We checked in to our hotel and then went in search of dinner.  We ended up eating at a place called “Hot Doogy.”  Hot Doogy takes hot dogs to the next level.  It took 30 minutes to get our hot dogs after ordering, but they were delicious.  A good ending to a wonderful and productive day.