Discover Concord

Your holiday guide to the best shops in 16 categories.

It's the holidays! Don't miss these holiday events, many of which have been enjoyed for generations.

If a stranger approached you at the British Museum in London or the Louvre in Paris, asked your nationality, and on hearing “American,” burst out in an enthusiastic rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” would you be wary or alarmed, curious or pleased? Concord’s John Muresianu has been offering such spontaneous musical greetings to Concord’s international visitors for sixteen years, to near-universal acclaim—including a recent flattering profile on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition.

Like fruitcake, “The Little Drummer Boy” may not be everyone’s favorite, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. Everyone knows its refrain, “Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum,” but fewer know that its composer was a longtime Concord resident. Katherine Kennicott Davis lived right off Lowell Road near the mill brook, quietly making her mark as a composer and music educator.

We asked seven of  Discover Concord’s writers and historians to imagine a holiday shopping list with a twist: If you could give a gift to one person from Concord’s past, whom would you choose and what would you give? Their answers range from the practical to the poignant to the wonderfully unexpected.

Meet Anastasia Sierra and Andrea Manning, two of the extraordinary artists you'll find at Umbrella Arts.

Make this winter a season of discovery. Inspired by Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area’s Galleries and Collections itinerary, these museums, libraries, and galleries invite you to explore fascinating exhibitions, remarkable works of art, and unexpected connections to the past. Choose a familiar favorite or venture somewhere new— you may be surprised by the treasures waiting just beyond your doorstep. Check each site’s winter hours and current exhibitions before heading out.

Whether you love music, visual arts, or theater, Concord has winter events that you're sure to love.

Missing from archives and the historical record, this little-known tale was told to Barrow Bookstore by Winnie-the-Pooh and friends when the beloved characters recently revisited Concord during the events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Chapter 1: Crossing the Ocean

Enticed by the promise of daily rations of honey-based mead, Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet joined the British Army in 1773. Following the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, the four deployed with His Majesty’s troops to the Province of Massachusetts Bay to reinforce the 10th Regiment of Foot.

This holiday season, remember to give to the cultural institutions that make Concord such a remarkable town.