Some of the greatest writers had the most perfect houses, and this one is a national treasure. The disappointing thing about "The Literary Trail" was that we couldn't really "tour" it! I believe we were led in the back door and out the front--a path from the giftshop through the hallway of the home. We stopped in the hallway, where we could "look" into two rooms, one on the right and one on the left, the parlor and Longfellow's study. After five minutes in the hallway, we were led into the yard, where the park ranger told us to "Gather round" and gave us an amazingly inspired speech on the importance of this home and of Longfellow and the other Cambridge artists who visited him here. In other words, this site was the birthplace of American ideas, of a distinctive and independent intellect. George Washington stayed here while he drove the Tories out of Boston, and that was the beginning of the intellectual revolution. We applauded his talk and took pictures of the ranger, as well as the house.
So, most of our half-hour at the Longfellow House was spent in the yard, but it was a wonderful and perfect old yard. The giant linden tree planted by Longfellow's wife is there, as well as an herb garden that I believe archaeology reconstructed as it was in the poet's day. Walking around the house, we found plenty of photo opps, as you can see.
One should not see this major site via "The Literary Trail" tour alone. It is certainly worth a trip back to Cambridge in the afternoon. Take the subway to Harvard Square and walk only a few blocks from there.