One of the things on my 30 Before 30 Project list that I was most looking forward to doing was “Number 6. Plan an entire surprise date day for my husband.” By the time I got my act together and planned John’s Surprise Date Day it was a few weeks away from his birthday so I went all out. I planned a whole day of surprises a few Sundays ago and it was awesome!
Our first stop, bright and early, was Kane’s Donuts in Saugus, Mass.
The donuts were pretty good, not the best I’ve ever had but not the worst either. Just ok.
We had a quick nibble in the car before heading to the place where we’d bring our donut picnic…
Walden Pond in Concord, MA!
Yep, this is the Walden Pond made famous by Henry David Thoreau who wrote his iconic book, Walden, about his retreat and reflections here.
John had never been to Walden Pond and I knew he would love it. It really is as peaceful and idyllic as it looks and sounds in Walden.
We will definitely be back to Walden Pond soon. It’s lovely in every season but during the summer it’s absolutely gorgeous.
The next stop on our itinerary was the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Mass.
The American Revolution began in this exact spot in 1775. The Battle Road between Concord and Lexington marks the route along which the British regulars and colonial militia/minute men fought at the beginning of the revolution.
There is so much historical significance here and I knew John would go nuts for it. Plus, this park is part of the National Park Service and on the register of historical landmarks, so you know they got it right.
The whole exhibit is extremely informative and the graphical depictions are very artistically done.
John was obviously a big fan!
The Battle Road took us straight to the Lexington Battle Green in Lexington, Mass.
This was the actual site of the first shots fired in the American Revolution during the Battle of Lexington in 1775.
The Green is surrounded by three colonial meeting houses that you can visit and tour.
There are also a few memorials commemorating the American minutemen.
John also discovered John Buckman’s root beer at the Buckman Tavern.
After that we walked around downtown Lexington for a bit, stopping for a quick lunch at Panera. Who doesn’t love Panera?
At that point we had a hour or so to kill so we headed to the Burlington Mall to walk around for a bit. I treated John to Lego’s and myself to some goodies at Sur La Table.
Next up on John’s surprise date day was a couples massage at the Zen Wellness Center in Woburn, Mass. John loves a good spa day so I thought this would be a perfect treat for him.
The final stop was a lovely sushi dinner at Sakura in Winchester, Mass. It’s a made-to-order sushi buffet actually and we walked out stuffed and happy. My friend Dana had been recommending this place to us forever and I’m so glad we finally went. So good!
Actually, I lied. The real last stop of the day was Home Depot so John could get yet another grill. This one is a portable gas grill for quick meals.
Overall, it was a really nice day. John loved all of the activities and it was fun to surprise him with a full day of stuff I knew he would love. The man loves his grills!
Have you ever planned a surprise day? If someone planned one for you, what would you want to do?
Domestocrat 
What a cool day!
I’ve never planned a day of surprise outings like that. When I was a kid, my parents would take me on “mystery trips,” though. One was for a breakfast picnic at the beach before sunrise. Another was a trip to Storyland in New Hampshire.
I should plan a mystery trip for my husband!
My parents used to do that too. So fun!
This is so sweet!!
Thanks, it was a great day!
Walden is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. What a great day!!
I love it there so much. It really was!
The highlight of my day was that pomp. Good lord, you need to put a warning light on top of it so that low-flying planes know to bank.
Heyyyy, is that a diss?
POMPS TO THE SKYYYY!
Errryday, errryday!
My best surprise day date ever was a hiking arethusa falls and cliffs of frankenstein in the white mountains, followed by beers and dinner at the woodstock inn, a beautiful hotel room and a late night skinny dip in the lady’s bathtub in Lincoln, NH with my super hot boyfriend.
Haha, sounds fabulous!