Kerouac loved to walk -- why shouldn't you?

Discovering the charm of locales on foot

By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT MAY 18, 2014

Jack Kerouac loved to walk. Around the Centralville neighborhood of Lowell where he grew up and discovered his love of writing; around the streets of New York City where he helped father the “beat generation”; around the College Park section of Orlando where he lived when his iconic “On the Road” was introduced to America.

In that spirit, the nonprofit Lowell Celebrates Kerouac offers walking tours of the celebrated author’s hangouts — from the house where he was born, to the bars he frequented, to his modest gravestone at Edson Cemetery.

“He loved to soak in his hometown, New York, San Francisco, and the rest of the continent in between,” said Mike Wurm, immediate past president and now board member of the volunteer organization.

As Kerouac knew, there are stories everywhere you look — or walk.

There is a bevy of opportunity for exploring the region’s stories, from guided nature and historical strolls, to self-led tours, and numerous trails, hikes, and routes.

“It is an inexpensive way to exercise; all you need are either sneakers or hiking boots,” said Mike Tuohey, a Whitman resident and Appalachian Mountain Club hiking guide. “Plus, being out in nature with like-minded people helps to recharge the batteries after a week at work. It’s a healthy way to socialize.”

And the great thing about walking is its versatility. You can discover nature, educate yourself about your own town, take in history, or simply meander.

For a traditional walk — beyond the north region’s numerous beloved beaches, of course — consider Salisbury’s Coastal Trails, the Bradford Rail Trail, the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Bald Hill Reservation, or the Stavros Reservation in Essex, which are just a sampling of the many state and town-owned options.

If you prefer a city stroll, the advocacy organization Walk Boston offers maps of routes in Gloucester, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Somerville, Medford, Lynn, Swampscott, Wakefield, and Winthrop. The walks offer a chance to explore rivers, parks, industrial history, ethnic diversity, lesser traveled paths, and lively neighborhoods.

As executive director Wendy Landman explained, Walk Boston has been helping Melrose, Woburn, Revere, and Salem (among many other communities) to become even more walkable through evaluations, workshops, and the Safe Routes to School program. The nonprofit also recently released a rural walking tool kit to help smaller towns become more pedestrian-friendly.

Landman noted the benefits to walking, from societal, to economical, to environmental. Not to mention its physical, mental, and cognitive impact.

“There’s new stuff coming out all the time about the benefits of walking,” she said. “It’s basically good for you in every way you can imagine.”

Plus, it can very often provide opportunities for a learning experience.

For instance, get to know more about 19th-century poet John Greenleaf Whittier on Haverhill’s Freeman Memorial Trail, which guides walkers to 13 landmarks on his birthplace property.

Or explore Salem’s Chestnut Street with its Federal-style mansions, which, according to Salem.org, was the first planned street in America. There’s also the Salem Heritage Trail, and the city’s numerous (and in some cases, infamous) cemeteries.

Brochures on NPS.gov also provide guided walks of the McIntire Historic District, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Salem, the city’s African-American experience, and the “great age of sail.”

On June 7, several of Historic New England’s sites will be open to the public; explore the grounds of properties ranging from simple Colonial residences to folk-art meccas to elaborate, seaside mansions, including the 1692 Saugus Boardman House, the 1785 Rocky Hill Meeting House in Amesbury, the 1907 Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Cogswell’s Grant in Essex, and the 1678 Coffin House, 1715 Dole-Little House, 1670 Swett-Ilshey House, and 1690 Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, all in Newbury.

For more of a guided experience, Salem Historical Tours (one of many tour companies operating in the city) offers a half-dozen daily walks dedicated to the city’s general history, cemeteries, Witch Trials, or architecture. (And, of course, it wouldn’t be Salem without a lantern-lit ghost walk as well).

Salem Historical Tours operates from March through November, and its walks, which range from $10 to $20 for adults, can attract up to 60 people, according to owner Giovanni Alabiso.

“There’s close to 400 years of history here,” he said. “It’s one of the oldest cities in North America.”

But beyond the city’s deep and storied history, he also described the “resplendent and varied” architectural styles, among them Colonnade, Colonial Revival, and Gothic Revival. The city is “so rich with architecture,” he said. “People don’t realize how many different styles we have in Salem.”

For a completely different style, head over to Lowell, where biped excursions will acquaint you with beat generation icon Kerouac.

According to Wurm, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac offers a traditional pub tour, a library tour where Kerouac so often played hooky growing up, a twilight walk of the Pawtucketville neighborhood, and a four-hour, cradle-to-grave loop walk.

Also, in a “Mystic Jack” tour, based on Kerouac’s 1963 novel “Visions of Gerard,” bilingual guide Roger Brunelle takes groups into St. Louis School, St. Louis Church, and one of Kerouac’s childhood homes. “A Walk in Doctor Sax’s Woods,” meanwhile, takes its name from the 1959 book and explores the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest at evening.

Walks are made by appointment, with suggested donations of $5 to $10.

“It’s good for people to discover Kerouac and his vision of Lowell,” said Wurm, who didn’t seriously study the author’s work until his retirement five years ago. “I became intrigued by his life, how such a brilliant writer could spring up in a very working-class and ethnic neighborhood.”

And “he’s still inspiring people today,” said Wurm. “There’s a lot of resonance there for people to find their own way in the world.”

On foot, or otherwise.

Original story link.

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