My daughter and I just returned from a week in New England, wonderfully beautiful and history-rich New England. So as we're driving through Connecticut, on our way to Massachusetts, I remind her that she just finished social studies lessons on the American Revolution and here we were, in the thick of it. How exciting, I gush. What did she want to do first? Concord? Lexington?

Will they have places to shop? she asked.

Argh, I thought. I am a history buff -- some would say ad nauseum. My daughter, not so much. Quickly, I concluded that if this trip was going to be a success, it would need to be the perfect mix of gift shops and Founding Fathers. A compromise. At the beginning, it was painful for us both. She was less than enthusiastic as we walked in the footsteps of patriots, and I as she scoured the gift shops for snow globes and post cards. But soon, we were on the same page ... of history and literature and fun.

There was the trip to Walden Pond. Walden What? she asked. Some day, I told her, she'd appreciate the afternoon I took her to this beach (of what looks like a huge, sparkling blue lake). While she might not know anything about Henry David Thoreau now, I promised, she would in high school and college. And then, surprise, there was the trip through the house of Louisa May Alcott. Even my daughter was awestruck as she looked down at the primitive desk where the author wrote the first half of "Little Women.'' My daughter, a reader and an artist, was similarly thrilled with the original pencil sketches still adorning the bedroom walls of Louisa's sister, May, who was the inspiration for the character Amy in the book. Orchard House was a hit! (And I recommend it as a must-see stop if you're ever in the Concord area!)

So we were off, balancing whale watching with a trip to Paul Revere's house, and Faneuil Hall T-shirt vendors with a dramatic presentation at King's Chapel. We hoped to make some rich family history of our own, and we weren't disappointed.