Castle Island

On a fine winter’s day in New England, my family and I took a day trip into Boston to explore Castle Island. However, Castle Island was joined to the Massachusetts mainland in 1928 and is no longer an island. The peninsula it’s part of is now also connected to a walking path around the adjacent Pleasure Bay. Before the Revolutionary War, Castle Island was home to a series of forts, including Castle William, that were manned by the British. When the British realized that the Continental Army was a threat during the Revolutionary War, they evacuated the fort, burning it as they left. The fort was rebuilt, renamed Fort Adams, used as a prison until 1805, and then was manned during the War of 1812.

In 1834, the fort was again reconstructed and at the end of construction, again renamed – to Fort Independence, its current name. During the Civil War, Fort Independence was garrisoned and used to train infantry and artillery. Following the war, the fort was rarely used and the government eventually turned it over to the state of Massachusetts, who turned it into a park to be enjoyed by the people.

Walking around the bay - beach, skyline, and Harbor Islands

By the time we arrived, it was around midafternoon, but sunny and warm for New England in the middle of winter. We first walked around the fort; there wasn’t much signage and no tours going on, but we saw some cannons. Fun fact – the only time the cannons have been fired not as a test or training exercise was in 1776 at the end of the Siege of Boston by the British. Unfortunately for them, the Americans were out of range, and one of the cannons exploded . . . wounding seven British soldiers. Fun fact number two – Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Fort Independence in 1827 and may have based “The Cask of Amontillado” on a duel that occurred at the fort.

After examining the exterior of the fort, we went for a walk around the bay. The whole loop is around 1.8 miles in length, and very flat. While you walk, you get views of the Harbor Islands out towards Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and of the Boston skyline, including the John Hancock Tower and Prudential Building (no Citgo sign though). Logan Airport is just north of Castle Island, so you also have airplanes flying right overhead every few minutes. It’s kind of fun to try and identify the airlines by the bottom of their planes. There’s also a beach area, but shockingly enough, no one was sunbathing or enjoying the frigid waters.

Fort Independence, Faneuil Hall, and the Children's Museum

Following our lap around the bay, we drove into South Boston intending to have dinner in Chinatown. We parked outside of downtown and walked in, because the number one tip for driving in Boston is – don’t. There was still some time before dinner, so we decided to walk over to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. On our way, we passed by the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, the Children’s Museum, and the Hood Milk bottle. It was getting dark when we got to Quincy Market, so we got to enjoy the lights and Christmas tree that were up. From there, we made our way to the Common, saw more lights, and headed over to Chinatown for dinner. I had chicken curry; it was delicious.