The Freedom Trail: A Walking Tour of American History

No visit to Boston is complete without touring the historic Freedom Trail, Boston’s signature attraction. The 2 1/2 mile red brick (sometimes red-painted) path wends its way throughout downtown and links 16 sites, covering three-plus centuries of American history.

To see all the sights without rushing, you really need a full day. But you can see the Freedom Trail in half a day if you skip a site or two and focus on what really  interests you. Most of the Freedom Trail sites are free-only the Old State House, the Old South Meeting House and the Paul Revere House charge admission. Remember though, the Freedom Trail is a good walk, so make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes.

Those with limited time may want to take a guided walking tour of the Freedom Trail (see below). But a self-guided tour of the Freedom Trail is very doable. The trail is well- marked and each site provides historical information or has an interpretive guide. If you start the trail at Boston Common, here is the usual order:

Dating from 1634, the Boston Common (Tremont and Boylston Streets )(Map) is one of the country’s oldest public parks. Get your bearings and pick up maps and lots of good general tourist information at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center. Be sure to check out the beautiful high-relief bronze Robert Gould Shaw Memorial opposite the State House, which honors one of the first African -American Union regiments to fight in the Civil War. It is also the first stop on the Black Heritage Trail.

Head over towards the gold dome of The Massachusetts State House (Beacon and Park Streets)(Map). Dating from 1775, the building was designed by Charles Bulfinch who later on went on to design the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Stately red-brick Park Street Church (1 Park St. )(Map) with its white steeple dates from 1809 and is considered to be one of the prettiest churches in New England.

The adjacent Granary Burying Ground (Park and Tremont Streets)(Map), may be tiny, but it is one of America’s most historic cemeteries. Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock are buried here. So too is Elizabeth Vergoose of the “Mother Goose” rhymes.

Imposing granite King’s Chapel (School and Tremont Streets.)(Map)was built in 1686 for British officers and is Boston’s first Anglican church. King’s Chapel Burying Ground is Boston’s oldest, dating from 1630. Elizabeth Paine- the model for Hester Prynne in Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter is buried here.

Benjamin Franklin statue and the site of the first public school (45 School St.,)(Map). The bronze statue in front of Boston’s Old City Hall honors Benjamin Franklin who may be Philadelphia’s most famous resident, but is Boston born and bred. The large sidewalk mosaic marks the site of America’s first public school, Boston Latin, which was established in 1635. Benjamin Franklin attended for 2 years, making him the school’s most famous drop-out. Here too, you will find a full- size bronze donkey statue representing the Democratic party squaring off against a small bronze plaque on the ground with two footprints decorated with Republican elephants and the words, “Stand in opposition”. Bostonians do love their politics!

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Wordsmiths take note. The Old Corner Bookstore (3 School St.)(Map) may now be vacant, but it was once the hub of American literary activity as the site of publisher Ticknor and Fields and a meeting place for authors Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and others.

The voices of protest have always spoken loudly at the Old South Meeting House (310 Washington St.)(Map), the starting point of the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

The Old State House (206 Washington St.)(Map)  is the oldest surviving public building in the city,but most visitors come to admire the reproduction gilt Lion and Unicorn statues on the building’s facade.

In front of the Old State House is the Boston Massacre site, a modest circle of cobblestones in the middle of a traffic island marks a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. Here on March 5, 1770 British soldiers were taunted by a crowd and fired; resulting in five civilian deaths.

Even locals refer to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (4 South Marketplace)(Map) interchangeably. Faneuil Hall dates from 1742 and has been the site of political speeches from revolutionary times to the present day. The statue of Sam Adams in front is a popular meeting spot for tour groups. Note Boston’s colonial shoreline marked in the granite pavers in front of Fanueil Hall. Quincy Market houses a food court and hundred of retail shops and pushcart vendors. Just steps from the Freedom Trail, the New England Holocaust Memorial (Carmen Park)(Map)is a very worthwhile detour.The six glass towers represent the six principal Nazi death camps and are etched with six million numbers representing those who died.

Cross the Rose Kennedy Greenway and arrive in the North End, Boston’s Italian neighborhood. Cannoli is always a good idea and the best in Boston can be found at Modern Pastry (257 Hanover St.)(Map) . The Paul Revere House (19 North Square)(Map) was Revere’s home when he made his famous “midnight ride.” Kids especially enjoy the opportunity to see how a 18th century family lived.

Drop-in at Old North Church (193 Salem St.)(Map) of “one if by land, two if by sea” fame and take a self-guided tour.

You are near the finish! Press on and walk across the Charlestown Bridge because  the USS Constitution (Charleston Navy Yard)(Map) is an absolute must-visit. She was built in Boston by order of President George Washington and launched in 1797, making her  the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. Nicknamed “Old Ironsides”, because it was said  that cannonballs  bounced off her strong oak hull. Free, guided tours are given by active duty sailors.

Know that there is no elevator and you will have to walk up 294 steps to get to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument (Monument Square, Charlestown)(Map) but the view of Boston and Cambridge from the top is worth it.Walk back to the Charlestown Navy Yard and take the T water ferry back to Long Wharf Station.

Guided Freedom Trail Walking Tours

The Freedom Trail Foundation ($12 adults, $6 children; Visitors Information Center on the Boston Common) does much to promote the Freedom Trail sites. It’s tours led by 18th century costumed guides are exceptionally informative and entertaining.

Just the facts, please. The  National Park Service (National Park Visitor Information Center , 15 State Street) offers a 90-minute  guided tours of the downtown section of the Freedom Trail.You can’t beat the price either- these tours are free!

If you have kids, you know that too much history will make young eyes glaze over. The 1-hour guided walking Boston by Little Feet Tour ($8 per person, meet in front of the Sam Adams statue at Faneuil Hall)is geared specifically for kids ages 6-12 and covers kid-centric sites of the Freedom Trail like the gilded grasshopper that tops Faneuil Hall.

Teens think that going on any organized tour is lame. Unofficial Tour’s Boston Freedom Tour ($10 per person,Visitor Information Center on Boston Common) is an 80-minute “insider” walking tour led by college-age guides that may be touristy, but your teens will like anyway.

Take A Break: Food Options Along the Freedom Trail

With a terrific location across from the Old State House, stylish Woodward at the Ames Hotel( 1 Court St.,)(Map) serves innovative spins on New England classics like a duck confit, dried cranberry and goat cheese flat bread($18) and an excellent hamburger with smoked tomato jam and Vermont cheddar ($17).

Walk along the waterfront to the Northern Avenue Bridge and you will spy the James Hook Lobster (15 Northern Ave.)(Map) trailer where for just $12 , you can buy a New England classic- a hot dog roll packed with whole chunks of lobster dressed with a touch of mayo . This is carry-out only but there are a few outdoor tables. Waterfront dining for cheap!

If you are really determined to go for “ye olde” New England dining experience, choose the Union Oyster House (41 Union St.)(Map). Located directly on the Freedom Trail and billed as America’s oldest restaurant (from 1826), the fare is reliable seafood but the real draw is history. The building itself dates from 1742 and both statesman Daniel Webster and John F. Kennedy were regular customers.

If you are finishing up your Freedom Trail visit in Charlestown, transition back to real life by visiting celebrity-chef Todd English’s restaurant Figs (67 Main St., Charlestown)(Map) where the focus is on pizza-their fig and prosciutto with Gorgonzola ($18.50) is legendary.

Images: Personal Collection