Just west of Boston, one enters the Merrimack Valley, the site of three important events in the history of this country.

In the forests, fields, museums and attractions of the Concord/Lexington area - where the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, you will experience firsthand life in pre-revolutionary times and the events which led to our struggle with the British.

In the great city of Lowell, you will see where the industrial revolution was birthed in the massive factories and office buildings. The mills, restored historical sites and working factories, are an astounding glimpse of American ingenuity and forward thinking. The museums offer a precise lesson in how our country became a world power in such a short time. Visit the New England Quilt Museum to see how folk art, fine art and manufacturing have managed to coexist for centuries.

The area is also home to a long line of great writers, thinkers and philosophers from Henry David Thoreau to Jack Kerouac, all of whom are honored in exhibits and museums in the area. Stroll around Walden Woods, the center of which is the pond on which Thoreau mused on the future of our nation and the struggle between nature and progress. Walden is a great example of the way this country works having been saved from developers in recent times by a coalition of artists, scientists, writers and conservationists lead by Don Henley of The Eagles. Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and Ralph Waldo Emerson are also honored with tributes and preserved points of interest.

The Merrimack Valley represents the best of why we fought to victory in revolutionary times.