In last year’s print issue, we set out to find a half dozen cool overnight adventures on the South Coast. We’re rolling them out online for those of you who don’t have the 2016 magazine. Today’s feature: overnight at Fall River’s Battleship Cove. If you’d like to see it as it appeared in the magazine, click here. Otherwise, just read on….
Under the Guns
Docked in the Taunton River is the USS Massachusetts, a steady and impressive presence in Fall River for over 50 years. Christened by her wartime crew as Big Mamie, she was rescued from the scrap heap by them and by Massachusetts’ citizens in 1964. At the time, thousands of Massachusetts schoolchildren helped by contributing their pennies to bring the World War II battleship home. It’s appropriate then that today, thousands of children come to her each year to enjoy an overnight stay in the nation’s oldest maritime camping experience.
Along with scout and school groups, the USS Massachusetts also provides overnight accommodations for families. It’s clear the staff has as much fun with the overnights as the families. They lead in depth and knowledgeable tours of various parts of the ship. They answer any question you can think up and provide additional activities for families to participate in like Morse code, rope tying, Navy lingo bingo, storytelling and World War II-era cartoons.
Like real WWII sailors, you’ll find yourself bunking in narrow cots stacked four cots high. You’ll line up for dinner and breakfast chow-line style in the officer’s mess.
Like real WWII sailors, you’ll find yourself bunking in narrow cots stacked four cots high. You’ll line up for dinner and breakfast chow-line style in the officer’s mess. If the weather cooperates, you can bring your sleeping bags up and sleep under the big guns (and the stars). You can’t beat it for a piece of living history.
Overnight stays start at $60 per night and include dinner and breakfast, as well as two days’ admission to Battleship Cove. The next family overnight experiences are on August 5 and September 2. For more information, go to Battleship Cove’s website or call 508-678-1100. Battleship Cove, 5 Water Street, Fall River.
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