https://www.nps.gov/adam/index.htm
When you visit the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts, you get to check the sites for two presidents off of your list! Containing the birthplaces of both John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the park is also near the church in which they are buried. It’s an Adams extravaganza!
History
John Adams was born in a tiny saltbox home in Braintree (now Quincy – pronounced Quin-zee), Massachusetts in 1735. He grew up there on a small farm with his father, mother, and two brothers. After he married Abigail Smith from nearby Weymouth in 1764, he moved her into a small farmhouse beside his childhood home where his widowed mother still lived. His son and future president John Quincy Adams was born in this house in 1767.
During the American Revolution, Abigail and the children were left alone as John spent time in Philadelphia and Europe. She and an almost eight-year-old John Quincy climbed a nearby hill to view the Battle of Bunker Hill raging in Boston. Soldiers from both sides marched by the home which was perched on the main road between Boston to Plymouth.
John Quincy was sent abroad as a diplomat while John served as vice president. When he returned home in 1801 with a wife and baby son in tow, he moved into his former childhood home. His wife, Louisa Catherine, was born in England and had lived her whole life in cosmopolitan cities. The bucolic yet hardscrabble New England farm life was a shock.
After John and Abigail left the White House in 1801, they returned to Quincy and purchased a new home they renamed Peace Field. This beautiful retreat was where these two finally spent their days together, puttering around the garden. After the elder Adams’ death during his own presidency, John Quincy and Louisa Catherine moved into Peace Field which remained their home on their breaks from his service in the House of Representatives in Washington. Their son, Charles Francis, built a fireproof structure beside the house, the stone library, to house his father and grandfather’s books and papers. Four generations of Adames lived here.
The birthplaces, Peace field, and a visitor center now make up the National Park Service’s historical park. To learn more about the lives of the Adams women, read my Booking It Through History: First Ladies posts about Abigail and Louisa Catherine.
Visit
Visiting Quincy is stepping into Adams-land! Their homes are easy to see along with the church where they are buried. It’s a must-see destination for presidential and first lady enthusiasts.
Note the interior of the homes are currently closed for the season but will reopen in the late spring/early summer and stay open through the end of October. The grounds and visitor center are free and open year round. Be sure to check before your trip. Tickets for the homes’ interiors are sold here so be sure to secure your preferred date well in advance during the summer/fall. They do have some walk-up tickets but it’s best to get them in advance.
Be sure to download the NPS app to get more information as you tour.
Your first stop should be the NPS visitor center. Ask about the next trolley to the homesites (if in season) – you don’t want to miss it! In 2024, the trolley made a 45-minute loop from the visitor center to the birthplaces to Peace Field. Kids will love taking the trolley, and it’s an easy way to get between the sites. If you are visiting out of season, you will have to drive yourself to the different locations (use this map to plan).
The visitor center has a 25-minute movie on the hour and half-hour that will give you an overview of the Adams family and the homes. The movie is narrated by Tom Hanks and features many of the actors from the “John Adams” miniseries. There is also a small exhibit space here including an Adams timeline.
If you have the time and desire, ask the ranger about any guided tours that are available!
The first trolley stop is the John Adams and John Quincy Adams’ birthplaces. During the season, you can take a self-guided tour of the interiors.
Built in 1681, the John Adams birthplace was expanded over the years from a small “saltbox” home to the one you see now. The home is decorated as it was during the family’s time here. John was born upstairs but these rooms are closed to the public.
The furnishings are simple but practical. You can imagine a young John Adams sitting at the fire as his mother read to him from the Bible or as his father talked with him about the importance of political involvement.
The back room was added on at some point along with a lean-to that is now decorated as John’s father’s shoe making room.
Built in 1663, this is the home to which John Adams brought his new bride, Abigail, in 1764. She gave birth, first to their daughter, Abigail “Nabby,” and then to the future president John Quincy here. She worked the farm as troops marched by on the road linking Boston to Plymouth during the American Revolution. This is also the home where John Quincy brought his new bride, Louisa Catherine, after they returned from Europe in 1801.
The home is decorated for the time period.
John’s law office was in one of the rooms and had its own side exterior entrance.
There are many Adams family furnishings including these prints John Quincy and Louisa Catherine brought back from their time in Berlin.
Walk around the outside to see the well and the beautiful trees. Imagine coming here as a young bride with your mother-in-law in the house next door!
After you finish at the birthplaces, take the trolley or drive to the next stop.
Peace Field
Built in 1731, John bought this new farm to serve as their home during their time away from his government service. Four generations of the family lived here, including John, Abigail, John Quincy, Louisa Catherine, Charles Francis, and Henry. Interior tours are available during the season or you can take this virtual tour anytime.
The grounds are lovely throughout the year! The boxwoods are original to the home.
You can see Abigail’s roses that she brought back from Europe.
This yellowwood tree was planted by John Quincy and Louisa Catherine.
You can imagine Abigail and John sitting on the front porch, happy to be together after decades spent in service to their country. With Abigail’s death in 1818, they had 17 years here together.
The stone library next door was built by Charles Francis to house his father’s and grandfather’s papers and books. It is just as beautiful inside (check out this virtual tour).
The carriage home (now used as NPS offices) is beautiful!
Take the trolley back to the visitor center and be sure to stock up at its great gift shop!
Additional Adams Historical Sites
Quincy is known as the “City of Presidents” and has many other not-to-be-missed Adams sites as well. Consult the Presidential Trail walking tour to plan the rest of your day. Don’t miss 2025’s celebration of Quincy’s 400th anniversary. Keep up with the special events here.
Across the street from the NPS Visitor Center, the Hancock Adams Common is an open-air pedestrian plaza containing statues of John Adams, Abigail Adams, and Quincy native, John Hancock.
The Abigail statue is particularly lovely!
Also in the commons is the Adams family church, United First Parish Church now known as the “Church of the Presidents.”
The church is built out of granite taken from John Adams’ quarries after his death and was dedicated in 1828 (John and Abigail attended an earlier version of this church and he endowed the construction of this building). John Quincy had a crypt built underneath the altar for his parents’ burial spot. When he died in 1848, Louisa Catherine had an adjacent crypt carved for him. The church has guided tours that are wonderful (check here for opening dates).
The interior of the church is absolutely beautiful.
Look for the Adams pew!
The markers for the Adams family are meaningful.
I especially love the tribute to Abigail:
And Louisa Catherine:
Downstairs is the crypt where all four Adames are interred. You can visit it on the tour. I got chills standing here. If you’re here on John’s or John Quincy’s birthdays (October 30th and July 11th respectively), you can take part in a wreath laying ceremony. I visited just after October 30th and got to see the wreath still there.
Across the pedestrian plaza is Hancock Cemetery where John, Abigail, and John Quincy were first buried.
Just a 10-minute drive away is the Abigail Adams Cairn which marks the spot where Abigail and young John Quincy watched the battle raging at Bunker Hill.
Another short drive away is the Abigail Adams Birthplace. I didn’t get to visit on this trip, but I can’t wait to go back! Be sure to check its website for opening hours.
Quincy is known as the City of Presidents for a reason. It’s the perfect place to learn all about one of the most impactful families on our nation’s history and is a presidential enthusiast’s dream destination!
Helpful hints:
- Cost: Unless listed below, sites are free.
- Adams National Historical Park: Grounds are free; interior home tickets are $15/person (free with park pass or 4th grade pass)
- Church tours request a $5 donation
- Abigail Adams Birthplace tours are $10/adult, $5/children.
- Recommended: all ages
- Tour time: 4-5 hours (half-day)
- Gift shop located at visitor center with a limited selection online.
- Transportation: The visitor center is directly across from the Quincy Center T station. Parking is available at a garage located behind the visitor center. Limited street parking is available at the home sites. The route, particularly between the visitor center and Peace field, is walkable, and a trolley runs between the homes and visitor center during the season.
- Dining options: The visitor center is located in a mall with several food options including Crush Pizza and Five Guys. I had a sandwich across the street at Gunther Tooties.
- Nearby hotels: Quincy is an easy T ride from Boston, so I recommend staying there. Some good options include The Liberty (located in a former jail!) and The Newbury. The closest hotel to the historical sites is the Boston Marriott Quincy.
- Nearby attractions include: Quincy Historical Society museum, Dorothy Quincy Homestead (wife of John Hancock), Josiah Quincy House, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Books to Read:
All links are Amazon affiliate links. You can visit my Bookshop.org shop to support independent bookstores and creators. Be sure to check out my list of recommended books about Presidents and First Ladies.
Adult/Young Adult
- John Adams
- Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
- Abigail Adams: A Life
- Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams
- Abigail & John: Portrait of a Marriage
- First Family: Abigail and John Adams
- My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams
- John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People
- Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams
- American Phoenix: John Quincy and Louisa Adams, the War of 1812, and the Exile That Saved American Independence
- Patriot Hearts: A Novel of the Founding Mothers
- The Ninth Daughter (An Abigail Adams Mystery)
Middle Grade
Picture Books
I just listened to a fascinating audiobook about John Adams, actually! He was quite an interesting person. Haven’t been to the site in several years, but I remember it being quite nice.