Concord Museum

A wealth of artifacts bringing alive both the military and literary history of Concord [1] are on display at the Concord Museum (200 Lexington Rd., 978/369-9763, www.concordmuseum.org [2], 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 1–4 p.m. Sun. Jan.–Mar.; 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 12–5 p.m. Sun. Apr.–Dec., $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, $5 children 6–17, free children under 6), a small museum with an enviable collection.

Among the highlights are the simple bed, writing desk, and snowshoes that Thoreau used at Walden; the red-carpeted study of Ralph Waldo Emerson; and one of the two extant signal lanterns that warned Paul Revere of British attack—a simple iron lamp whose plainness belies its place in history.

Unlike Thoreau, who died in poverty, his compatriot Ralph Waldo Emerson was recognized as the preeminent philosopher of his time, traveling around the world to deliver his essays.