Boston Freedom Trail

Photo: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

Boston packed a revolution into a space you can cross on foot in an afternoon. This tour follows the Freedom Trail, a line of red brick and paint set into the sidewalks, through the official sites in their official order, from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

The trail runs about 2.5 miles one way. Allow around three hours with short stops, and more if you go inside the museums, churches and the ship. Several sites charge admission or keep changing hours, so check their websites before you go; the outdoor stops and burying grounds are free to walk past or through.

You'll meet patriots, printers, preachers and sailors, and also the enslaved and free Black Bostonians, women and Native people the new nation's promises did not yet include. Wear comfortable shoes: the route has cobblestones, a bridge and a final hill.

Start at the Boston Common Visitor Center at 139 Tremont Street, near Park Street station, and look down for the red line.

15 stops on this tour:

Boston Common - Where Cows Grazed and Redcoats Camped

Massachusetts State House - The Golden Dome

Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner

Granary Burying Ground - Patriots at Rest

King's Chapel - The Church That Ran Out of Money

Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School

Old Corner Bookstore - Where Books Changed America

Old South Meeting House - The Tea Party Starts Here

Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street

Faneuil Hall - The Cradle of Liberty

Paul Revere House - Home of a Busy Silversmith

Old North Church - Two Lanterns in the Steeple

Copp's Hill Burying Ground - A View Across the River

USS Constitution - Old Ironsides Still Afloat

Bunker Hill Monument - The Battle on Breed's Hill

Stops on this tour

1. Boston Common - Where Cows Grazed and Redcoats Camped
2. Massachusetts State House - The Golden Dome
3. Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner
4. Granary Burying Ground - Patriots at Rest
5. King's Chapel - The Church That Ran Out of Money
6. Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School
7. Old Corner Bookstore - Where Books Changed America
8. Old South Meeting House - The Tea Party Starts Here
9. Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street
10. Faneuil Hall - The Cradle of Liberty
11. Paul Revere House - Home of a Busy Silversmith
12. Old North Church - Two Lanterns in the Steeple
13. Copp's Hill Burying Ground - A View Across the River
14. USS Constitution - Old Ironsides Still Afloat
15. Bunker Hill Monument - The Battle on Breed's Hill

More tours nearby

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• Philadelphia Independence Walk (270 mi) - A walking loop through the square mile where the United States declared independence, wrote its Constitution and first governed itself.