Boston Freedom Trail - The Historic Attraction in a Nut Shell

Boston the largest city in Massachusetts is a beautiful place with so many things to do that it is really bizarre to ask yourself what to do in Boston? You have plenty of choices and you can do things according to your choice and budget. Boston is well endowed with historic spots, hangout areas, museums and events that keep this place always full of life.

Being the oldest city of American Boston is fully rich in culture and heritage. The rich historical spots have made this city the most awaited place for historic lovers. So just join the free trail to enjoy the royal history and get a glimpse of sixteen historic sites. It is advisable to start the trail in the morning. The Freedom Trail is distinguishable by red bricks and begins from the Boston Common a beautiful park area and ends up at Bunker Hill monument.

The Boston common is the oldest park of the country. It is almost 50 acres in size and offers fun and recreation to thousand of visitors. It is the starting point of the Emerald Necklace a string of 7 miles local parks. Along your journey you will enjoy the majestic historic spots such as the Massachusetts States House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel, King's Chapel Burying Ground, the Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, the Old North Church and many more. Here I will describe few of them and increase your desire to suck the nectar of Boston's history.

The Massachusetts states house - It is an outstanding museum decorated with marble stones reflects the rich culture of Massachusetts. It is one of the important spot for the leadership and I hope your visit to this historic place will be enjoyable, informative and memorable.

The park street church - It is an attractive church from inside as well as outside. It is nice to see lots of students flocking. The preaching from the Bible is great here and it is a place worth to see.

Granary Burying Ground - It is the third oldest burying ground of Boston and contains graves of many famous people. The ground is so beautifully decorated with fine trees that it definitely imparts peace to the necropolis.

The other historic places are equally attractive so do not miss them out. If you combine your free trail with museum visit that will awesome.

The museums of Boston are really super like and most of them provide free entry on some specific day. The Boston Public Library was the first large free municipal library in America. In addition to its 6.1 million books, the library boasts over 1.2 million rare books and manuscripts, a wealth of maps, musical scores and prints. It offers free passes to cardholders, which provide access to the Museum of Science and New England Aquarium on first-come first-served bases. The Museum of Fine Arts provides free access from 5pm - 9pm and the Harvard University Art Museums allows free entry on Saturday from 10am -12am.

Apart from free trail there are myriads of cool things to do in Boston and everyone's enjoyment is assured here. So it is no wonder that Boston is on peak.

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The Iditarod Trail - Dog Sledding's Toughest Race

If you thought your commute to work in the winter weather was tough going, spare a thought for the mushers and their dogs who compete in the world's longest dog sledding competition.

Every year, more than 50 teams take place in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, enduring blizzards, whiteouts and temperatures as low as minus 73 degrees Celsius.

Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race

The course covers 1,688 kilometres and winds from Anchorage to Nome, lasting nine to fifteen days. The world's best mushers and their canines travel from all snowy corners of the world to show their dog sledding prowess in the gruelling competition. In Alaskan communities, to be a winner of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race brings celebrity status when warm hugs and mugs of tea, as well as several cold beers, are spread around in celebration.

Last year, 2011, the fastest ever finish was recorded by John Baker with a winning time of eight days, 19 hours and 39 seconds. It's not surprising when he started mushing aged only one! This year saw the youngest person in history to win the race. The 25-year-old Alaskan musher, Dallas Seavey, took first position with a winning time of just over nine days. Born into a family with a great passion for dog sledding, he was brought up with a great respect for the sport - his grandfather was one of the original competitors when it started in the 1970s.

History

Centuries before the arrival of the Europeans, dog sledding was the only means of transportation for the native people Athabaskana and Inupiaq. They used trails that crisscrossed Alaska, some of which make up today's Iditarod Trail.

Between the 1880s and 1920s, when the gold rush reached Nome in Alaska, the trail was being used at its peak, transporting miners and minerals. During winter months, when the normal transportation of steamship became inadequate, those out to seek their fortune turned to the Iditarod Trail, the mushers and their faithful packs of huskies to get them across the hinterland.

The Arrival of the Metal Dog

In the 1960s, snowmobiles overtook dog sledding as the main method of transportation in Alaska and Canada. The machines, often referred to as 'metal dogs', brought the ancient way of sledding to near extinction in rural areas.

The Start of the Race

The race began in 1973 as a way to revive the culture and ensure that it remains a focal point of modern day communities. Initially the race was only 90 kilometres long but, with much persuasion and help from mushers, the race got underway as the 1,688-kilometre trail in 1973.

Philippa Westwood is Marketing Manager at Windows on the Wild, a specialist of wildlife watching tours and dog sledding holidays. Destinations include Canada, Lapland and Sweden where dog sledding holidays can take you on adventurous experiences across the world.

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