Located barely a five minute walk down the sidewalk is a small stone building with gold lettering announcing itself as the Constitution Museum. We walked past it half a dozen times on our way to and from the ferry and playground without more than a glance. Then one day it was pouring and a boots and raincoat walk was in order so we wandered to the museum, just to have a destination. Two hours later I had to convince the kids to leave with the promise that we would return again soon. A weekend family trip the past weekend was a success and we still have more to explore.

The two floors of the museum are filled with hands on exhibits, perfect for both Kinsley and Zoe, as well as containing enough rich information to keep both Alex and I interested.

The Constitution is currently undergoing renovations, including replacing the copper panels along her hull. We had the chance to engrave our names on copper sheets that will be part of her refurbished hull. She’s sailing with our names, I still can’t quite wrap my head around that.

On our family trip we took the opportunity to wander the deck of the Constitution. Comparing the size of our winches and cleats to those onboard made us feel very small. Fifty men to raise and lower one portion of sail? No thanks. It was a fantastic opportunity to look at how much has changed in sailing and how much has stayed the same.