Art and soul

Beyond the literary and revolutionary war sites lies a world of shops and cafes

Concord Center has a vibrant cluster of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, clothing boutiques, and high-end gift shops. (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

Steeped in Colonial, literary, and cultural history, well-to-do Concord has earned its reputation as an American Athens. The literary luminaries who once called this town home include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa and Bronson Alcott. Their presence remains strong, as does the spirit of the American Revolution, which started during the historic Battle of Concord. But this woodsy suburb, with its well-preserved Colonial homes, quaint downtown, and small working farms, isn't just a historic relic. Concord Center and West Concord have small but vibrant clusters of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, clothing boutiques, and high-end gift shops. The town, which also boasts several musical groups and theater companies, even has its own performing arts center. With its rich blend of old and new, no wonder Concord is a must-see on the New England tourist map.

Spend

A colorful, gallery-like store, the Muse's Window (84 Thoreau St., 978-287-5500, museswin dow.com) has an enchanting selection of artistic gifts and fine crafts. The Dotted I (55 Main St., 978-369-6050, thedottedi.net), a self-described "paper boutique," specializes in beautiful stationery, invitations, and assorted small gifts. The Concord Shop (13 Walden St., 978-371-2286, concordshop.com), which calls itself a "hardware store for the kitchen," sells cooking accessories of nearly every kind. Lovely handbags, leather accessories, luggage, and other travel items are for sale at the Harness Shop (41 Main St., 978-369-2988, harnessshopconcord.com). The jam-packed Grasshopper Shop (36 Main St., 978-369-8295) has a mishmash of clothing and accessories. You could spend a whole afternoon roaming around the Gatehouse (110 Commonwealth Ave., 978-369-0252, thegatehousegallery.com), which calls itself a "contemporary design gallery" and stocks unique ceramics, furniture, lamps, pillows, vases, throws, scarves, and gifts from around the world.

Do

No trip to Concord is complete without a visit to its literary landmarks, including Orchard House (399 Lexington Road, 978-369-4118, louisamayalcott.org), where Louisa May Alcott spent her childhood and wrote "Little Women"; The Wayside (455 Lexington Road, 978-318-7825, nps.gov/archive/mima/way side), another Alcott family home, as well as the former home of Hawthorne; the Ralph Waldo Emerson House (28 Cambridge Turnpike, 978-369-2236, rwe.org/emersonhouse); Thoreau's birth house (341 Virginia Road, 978-369-3091, thoreaufarm.org); and Old Manse (269 Monument St., 978-369-3909, oldmanse.org), a former home of Emerson and, briefly, Hawthorne. At sprawling Minute Man National Historic Park (174 Liberty St., 978-369-6993, nps.gov/mima), visitors can see landmarks of the Revolution, including North Bridge, site of the "shot heard 'round the world"; Meriam's Corner, where a bloody skirmish between Minutemen and British soldiers took place; and Battle Road, where the war was launched. To better understand Concord history, visit the Concord Museum (200 Lexington Road, 978-369-9763, concord museum.org), whose holdings include the desk at which Thoreau wrote "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience." Walden Pond State Reservation (915 Walden St., 978-369-3254, mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/wldn.htm) is a beloved spot for swimming, walking, canoeing, and fishing. Water sports are also popular on the Concord River, which runs through town, and canoes can be rented by the hour or day at South Bridge Boat House (496 Main St., 978-369-9438), which is typically open from Memorial Day until snow falls. The Concord Art Association (37 Lexington Road, 978-369-2578, concordart.org) has a free gallery and museum and also runs art workshops. For trip planning, stop by the Concord Visitors Center (58 Main St., 978-369-3120), which is open from mid-March through October.

Fuel

Family-friendly Helen's (17 Main St., 978-369-9885, all prices under $12) serves reasonably priced breakfast, lunch, and dinner ranging from buttermilk pancakes to Baja fish tacos to mac and cheese. In the historic West Concord train depot, the Club Car Cafe (20 Commonwealth Ave., 978-371-9282, most prices under $10) offers cheap breakfasts, simple sandwiches, and a handful of hot dinner entrees. At Debra's Natural Gourmet (98 Commonwealth Ave., 978-371-7573, debrasnatural gourmet.com), the earthy-crunchy selections include Israeli seaweed seasonings and maple-sweetened granola. You'll find traditional Italian food at Vincenzo's (1200 Main St., 978-318-9801, vincenzosrestaurant .com, entrees $15-$26.50), upscale pub grub at Walden Grille (24 Walden St., 978-371-2233, waldengrille.com, entrees $13-$23), and great wood-fired pizzas at Sorrento's Brick Oven Pizzeria (58 Thoreau St., 978-369-0938, sorrentospizzerias.com, pizzas $8.50-$17.95). Walden Italian Kitchen (92 Commonwealth Ave., 978-369-6655, pizzas $8.25-$15.95) is basically a sub shop and pizzeria, but elevates itself with specials like homemade green bean salad.

Party

Concord doesn't have a rip-roaring nightlife, but Main Streets Market & Cafe (42 Main St., 978-369-9948, mainstreetsmarketandcafe.com) hosts live music - blues, jazz, folk, rock, swing, classical, country, and more - five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday. It doubles as a nice little sit-down restaurant with food prices ranging from $2 to $22. The Village Forge Tavern at the Colonial Inn (48 Monument Square, 978-369-9200, concordscolonialinn.com) offers nightly live entertainment, too. But an evening out in Concord is more likely to involve culture, such as the Concord Chamber Music Society (978-371-9667, concordchambermusic.org), whose current season runs through March; the Concord Players (51 Walden St., 978-369-2990, concordplayers .org), a community theater; the 70-musician Concord Orchestra (51 Walden St., 978-369-4967, concordorches tra.com); and Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts (40 Stow St., 978-371-0820, emersonumbrella.org), which has space for performances and exhibitions. Concord Academy's Performing Arts Center (166 Main St., 978-402-2200, concordacademy.org) hosts numerous dance, music, and theater performances.

Rest

Concord's most famous lodging spot is the Colonial Inn (48 Monument Square, 978-369-9200, concordscolonialinn.com, rooms start at $189), which was built in 1716 and has operated as a hotel since 1889. Bed-and-breakfasts include the seven-guestroom Hawthorne Inn (462 Lexington Road, 978-369-5610, concordmass.com, rooms start at $155); the Mill Brook Inn (69 Walden St., 978-369-5515, www.bandb.com/Massachusetts/mill-brook-inn.html, rooms start at $110), which has only two guest rooms; the Colonel Roger Brown House (1694 Main St., 978-369-9119, colrogerbrown.com, rooms start at $110), which also offers long-term and corporate stays; and the six-suite North Bridge Inn (21 Monument St., 978-371-0014, northbridgeinn.com, rooms start at $165). For a chain hotel, there's the Best Western (740 Elm St., 978-369-6100, bestwesterncon cord.com, rooms start at $120).