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Attractions
Freedom Trail: The Freedom Trail is one of the most popular walking tours in America. It covers approximately three miles and is very easy to follow. The path is marked by painted red lines or bricks set into the pavement. Each site is identified by a marker or sign. The trail follows the original path set by the colonists in the early days of Boston. Most of the Trail is accessible only on foot for this reason. The Trail is best started either at Boston Common or at the USS Constitution (where there is free parking). The easiest way is to leave the car behind and take the subway (T) red or green line to Park Street.
Boston Irish Famine Memorial
50 Braintree Hill Office Park
Braintree, MA 02184
617-696-9880
The Boston Irish Famine Memorial, along the city's Freedom Trail, was unveiled in June, 1998 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, an episode which sent over 100,000 Irish refugees to Boston. It is also a tribute to the memory of over one million Irish who died during the Irish Famine (1845-1849) and a remembrance of people still suffering famines in countries around the world.
Walks Through Freedom
617-227-8800
All year round by reservation.
Walk the Freedom Trail with costumed, historic ambassadors from Revolutionary times, discover or re-discover the story of America! Explore the Trail with the Freedom Trail Players as they re-tell the known and little- known tales of the past, leading the way through city streets to the actual sites of our American Heritage.
Black Heritage Trail
46 Joy Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-739-1200
A walking tour of the history of Boston's Black community between 1800-1900 on Beacon Hill. The tour includes: Meeting House, Smith CourtResidences, Abiel Smith School, G. Middleton House, Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, Phillips School, home of John J Smith, Charles St. Meeting House, Lewis & Harriet Hayden House, and Coburn's Gaming House. Historic walking map available. All sites must be visited with an arranged tour except those hours noted at specific sites.
Book Lover's Dream Tour
Boston History Collaborative - Literary Trail
38 Burroughs St.
Boston, MA 02130
617-574-5963
A guided walking tour of either Boston, Cambridge, or Concord's delightful, private bookstores, followed by tea and literary conversation in an elegant, historic setting. Call for reservations.
Women's Heritage Trail
Boston, MA
617-522-2872
Begin at the Boston Common Visitor Information booth to start five guided walks through four centuries of Boston women. The Downtown Walk highlights the search for equal rights; the North End Walk explores the diversity of cultures; the Beacon Hill Walk reveals the stories of writers, artists and activists; the South Cove/Chinatown Walk celebrates women's action for economic and social justice; and the Back Bay Walk tells the tales of educators, artists and social reformers. Follow the footsteps of some remarkable Boston women and share their stories of heritage and freedom, accomplishment and achievements as you "remember the ladies." Pick up the 80-page illustrated book "Boston Women's Heritage Trail" and begin at the Boston Commons Visitors Information Booth.
Beacon Hill Walking Tours - Magnificent and Modest
Visit the elegant Federal style Otis House, stroll around Beacon Hill; view the homes of well to do merchants and then the modest dwellings on the North Slope where the working class resided.
Boston Duck Tours
One of the most popular tours in and around Boston is the legendary Duck Tours, showing you the best of Boston with a combined land and sea tour. World War II vehicles take you on a scenic drive around the most famous sites and attractions in the city, and then onto the Charles River for a delightful harbor cruise. With interesting commentary, this novel tour is an enjoyable way to see the city.
Boston Trolley Tours
The Trolley Tours are taken in small bus-like trams that drive around the city on a route that points out the best known sites and landmarks. Travelers can step off at any of the stops to look around and then catch the next trolley, which will arrive shortly. An entertaining commentary accompanies the tour. Check at your hotel for hours and fares.
Boston Common
This 40-acre area is the nation's oldest public park. The land was set aside for public use in 1634 (originally as a cow pasture and training ground. The Commons also has a longstanding tradition as a place where demonstrators can exercise their right to freedom of speech without the hassle of getting a permit. Free.
Park Street Church
Free, seasonal tours. Call (617) 523-3383 to learn more.
This church is best known for its location at "Brimstone Corner" (named for its use as a gunpowder storage area during the War of 1812) and as the setting of William Lloyd Garrison's first anti-slavery speech.
Granary Burying Ground
The first of the three burying grounds on the trail, Granary is notable as the final resting place of John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
King's Chapel and Burying Ground
Famous for its architectural beauty, King's Chapel became the first Unitarian Church in the U.S. after the American Revolution. Donations accepted. For more information, call (617) 227-2155.
Site of First Public School/Ben Franklin Statue
This Freedom Trail stop features a statue of Ben Franklin and the site of Franklin's alma mater: the Boston Latin School (built in 1635).
Old Corner Bookstore
This brick building, where legends like Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau gathered, was once the literary center of Boston.
Old South Meeting House
Much of the discussion and debate that led to the Boston Tea Party and other events connected to the American Revolution took place in the old South Meeting House. Call (617) 482-6439 to learn about the lectures and programs on American history and culture offered by the Old South staff.
Boston Massacre Site
A simple circle of cobblestones marks the site where five colonists were killed by British soldiers in 1770. The brutality of this incident helped spark the anti-British rage that ultimately led to the American Revolution. Free.
Old North Church
"Old North," Boston's oldest church building, is located in the city's Italian North End. The church played an important part in the American Revolution by acting as a signal (via two lanterns hung in its steeple) of British troop movement. Donations accepted. (617) 523-6676.
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
The last Freedom trail site on the south side of the Charles River, Copp's Burying Ground is the resting place of thousands of merchants, artisans and free blacks. Free. Not wheelchair accessible.
Bunker Hill Monument
(617) 242-5641
A tall granite obelisk commemorating the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill (which actually took place on Breed's Hill)You can climb this monument's 294 steps for a panoramic view of Boston. (No elevator). During the summer, visitors also can observe free musket firing demonstrations and "battle talks." Free.
New England Aquarium
Central Wharf, Boston, 02110
(617) 973 5200
In addition to over 7,000 fish, aquatic mammals and also penguins, the interior centerpiece is the massive 200,000 gallon 'Giant Ocean Tank', encircled by a four-story spiral ramp. The tank is home to a replica of the Caribbean coral reef and a collection of many different sea creatures, including several huge turtles, barracudas, stingrays and sharks. The New England Aquarium also offers whale-watching tours with indoor and outdoor seating and seal or walrus shows.
The USS Constitution
Charlestown Navy Yard
55 Constitution Rd, Charlestown, Boston, 02129
617- 426 -1812
Open: daily
November to April - 10:00 to 17:00
May to October - 09:00 to 18:00
Launched over 200 years ago in 1797, the USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy and undefeated in battle. Often referred to as 'Old Ironsides, ' the USS Constitution is located in Charlestown Navy Yard, the last stop on the Freedom Trail. Visitors can board the ship daily. Free guided tours are available. Active-duty sailors guide visitors around the ship.
Boston Public Library
666 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston
(617) 536 5400
Built in 1848, the Boston Public Library was the first free publicly supported municipal library in America, the first public library to lend a book and the first with a children's room. On the National Register of Historic Places, the library opened in 1852 as the first free, publicly-supported municipal library in America, setting a precedent for grand scale urban libraries. The fine building is reminiscent of an Italian Renaissance palace surrounding an open courtyard. With more than 650,000 photographs, 100,000 prints (some by Rembrandt and Toulouse-Lautrec) and 250 different papers in the 'Newspaper Room', the library now has Internet access, two restaurants and an on-line store with reproductions of its priceless artwork. All exhibits are free, open to the public and books are only the beginning.
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