 |
The Freedom Trail, Boston, Mass. | |
| To tour the historic sights of Boston just follow the Freedom Trail, a self-guided walking tour marked by a red line or double row of red bricks on the sidewalk. | ||
|
|
|
Boston's Freedom Trail takes you to the following sights: 1. Boston CommonOnce the town's common pastureland, now Boston's "central park," this is where your Freedom Trail adventure starts. More... 2. Massachusetts State HouseThe Massachusetts state capitol, with its landmark golden dome, crowns Beacon Hill at the northern corner of Boston Common. More... 3. Park Street ChurchThis historic church built in 1809, with its lofty steeple rising above Park Street Station at the northeastern corner of Boston Common, was a beacon in the 19th-century anti-slavery movement. 4. Granary Burying GroundThe cemetery on the northeast side of Park Street Church holds the graves of numerous Revolutionary War patriots, and the parents of Ben Franklin. More... 5. King's ChapelOnce the Church of England home of the colonial governors of New England, this historic meetinghouse is now a Unitarian Universalist congregation. More... 6. King's Chapel Burying GroundThe small cemetery on the northeast side of King's Chapel holds the remains of Boston's 16th- and 17th-century notables, including Governor John Winthrop (1587-1649). More... 7. Ben Franklin Statue & Boston Latin SchoolAfter attending Boston Latin School, the first public school in America (1635), Benjamin Franklin left Boston for Philadelphia, fame and fortune. This statue marks the school's first location and honors its most famous alumnus. 8. Old Corner Book StoreFirst used as a bookstore in 1828, this was the home of noted Boston publishers Ticknor & Fields from 1832 to 1865, and a meeting place for the authors of Boston's 19th-century literary golden age: Dickens, Emerson, Hawthorne, Holmes, Longfellow and others. 9. Old South MeetinghouseThe largest and grandest building in colonial Boston, Old South was where the Boston Tea Party was planned. More... 10. Old State HouseThe oldest public building in Boston, this was formerly the Massachusetts Town House, containing the council chamber of the royal governor and courts of law. More... 11. Site of the Boston MassacreOn State Street near the Old State House, this is where a crowd threatened a small group of British soldiers who fired into the crowd, killing three and mortally wounding others. 12. Faneuil Hall"The Cradle of Liberty," where Samuel Adams, James Otis and others spoke in favor of independence from Great Britain, is now the centerpiece of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. More... 13. Paul Revere HouseThe great patriot and silversmith lived in this 17th-century house (1680) in Boston's North End from 1770 to 1800. More... 14. Old North Church"One if by land, and two if by sea," the lanterns hung in the lofty steeple of this Georgian church on a hill in the North End signalled to Paul Revere and William Dawes that "the Regulars were out." More... 15. Copp's Hill Burying GroundThis cemetery founded in 1659 for use by the congregation of Old North Church is the second oldest in Boston (after King's Chapel) and affords fine views of Boston Harbor, Bunker Hill, Charlestown and its Navy Yard. 16. Bunker Hill MonumentThe tall obelisk commemorates the 1775 battle on Bunker and Breed's hills in which Colonel Prescott cried to his men, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" More... 17. USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides")The 3-masted frigate launched in 1797 fought dozens of battles, was never defeated, and is still in active service. More... More Freedom Trail InformationFreedom Trail maps are available at its starting point: the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, on Boston Common near the MBTA Park Street Station.
I've adapted the trail's route to my own walking tours for you so that you can see more with less back-tracking: Beacon Hill & Downtown Boston Walking TourStarting at Boston Common, this 1-mile (1.4-km), 2-hour walking tour follows the Freedom Trail to Beacon Hill, the State House, Old Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Faneuil Hall, ending at Quincy Market in Faneuil Hall Marketplace. More... North End & Charlestown Walking TourStarting at Faneuil Hall Marketplace (the end point of the Beacon Hill & Downtown Boston Walking Tour), this 2-mile (3.22-km), 2-hour walking tour takes you to Haymarket (best on Friday and Saturday mornings), the Italian-American North End, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). More... Freedom Trail Foundation —by Tom Brosnahan
|
|
Follow the red line for
the Freedom Trail from the Boston
Common Visitor Information Center on
Boston Common, Boston MA.
|
