by R W Owen

Created on: June 28, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

As a child, I made a game on downtown Lowell's Merrimack Street of running from storefront to storefront, checking one door after the next to ensure that each was locked tight. And they always were. By the late 1970's, most of the city's storefronts had long since been vacated. Visit Lowell today and you'll see the results of thirty years of revitalization efforts, led mostly by the Lowell National Historical Park. Gone is the hopelessness that plagued the city in the decades immediately following the fall of its textile industry. Today's Lowell embraces the city's important part in the nation's Industrial Revolution as well as the city's continuing role in the lives of immigrants looking for a new life in the United States.

Downtown Lowell Attractions

Beginning at the Visitor Center in the Market Mills Complex at 246 Market Street (Daily 9 AM to 5 PM), which once housed one of the city's original textile operations, visitors can reserve spots on city and canal tours, explore the park's latest exhibits, and view films about Lowell's history. The Market Mills complex also houses the Visitor Center Bookstore, which may offer the greatest variety of books about Lowell available, and the Brush Art Gallery and Studios (summer hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM, Sundays Noon to 4 PM). Through its exhibitions and other programming, The Brush uses art to capture Lowell's diversity and rich history and it showcases art produced in New England, nationally, and internationally.

After leaving the Visitor Center, be sure to see The National Streetcar Museum (Thursday to Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM), at 25 Shattuck Street, which exhibits the history of urban rail transportation and its influence on American cities with a special focus on the history of Lowell's public transportation system. Lowell's first electric trolley entered service in 1889. The last electric trolley made its final run in 1935. On weekends and thanks to the Museum, today's visitor (May to October) can once again ride an authentic electric trolley through historic Downtown Lowell.

A stone's throw from the Streetcar Museum, Lowell's New England Quilt Museum, at 18 Shattuck Street, (Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM, Sundays 12 Noon to 4 PM), houses over 200 traditional and contemporary quilts, some dating from as early the 18th century. The museum also offers classes on quilting techniques for all skill levels. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

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