The Beaver                                                                                                    I'm a Boston lady of 1773

When you get invited to a tea party, you generally think of dressing up a bit and sitting at a prettily laid table while sipping tea from fine china cups. But this summer, my granddaughter, Theresa and I went to a very different kind of tea party.

The Boston Tea Party!

Theresa had read a book on her summer reading list about the original tea party so her mother thought it would be fun if Grammy could take her to Boston to the Tea Party Museum. So, off we went. Although the original Boston Tea Party took place at night, this day was sunny and beautiful for a trip into this lovely old city. There are two replicas of the original merchant ships that sat in Boston Harbor loaded with tea while the Sons of Liberty and the British governor argued about the new tax levied on the tea. The Beaver and the Eleanor sit at the pier and the whole tour is a very fun reenactment.

Every visitor is given a role to play, and the name of one of the original tea party goers. Some of them have speaking parts and join in the assembly where Sam Adams does his rabble rousing best to fire up resentment against the tax and a refusal to let the tea be brought ashore. Then, with feathers stuck in our caps or hair, we troop onto one of the two ships and toss tea into the harbor. The kids got a huge kick out of that part and Theresa hauled her bale back aboard to re-toss several times.

Let's have a Tea Party!                                                                       Stearing the ship

The rest of the tour was instructive about how the Boston Tea Party led to the insurrection, with a short presentation on a wide 3-D screen of the first shots fired at Lexington Mass. What a fantastic way to learn about a little bit about  how this great country got its birth. Abigail’s Tea House is a great little place to enjoy a snack when you finish the tour. If you live near Boston, do go. If you don’t, why not plan a trip to this wonderful little city? The Boston Tea Party Museum is only just one of many places to see and things to do in Boston. Lots of history and lots of other great stuff, too.

The Captain's Cabin aboard the Eleanor was well appointed to show his wealth and success.