Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston

Boston is one of the best cities in America to learn about our country’s beginnings and its history. The city has impressively preserved many buildings, effectively bringing history alive for visitors.One of the most popular tours is the Freedom Trail in Boston.

A red brick line around the city and embedded on sidewalks lead to 16 major historical sites and marked this 2.5-mile route. Come along with us on this informative tour.

Various tours are available that involved the Freedom Trail. We did the 90-minute walking tour with an 18th century costumed role player as our tour guide. These tours usually start in Boston Common which is America’s oldest park and ends at Faneuil Hall and covered a portion of the trail.

We did the reverse during one holiday visit here in the afternoon. We got lucky and happened to be the only ones in our tour group.

Our tour guide was a young man portraying one of the citizens of Boston in the 1700s. He stayed very true to his character which gave us some interesting insight into the city and history of Boston at that time.

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

Our tour started outside of Faneuil (pronounced Fan-yoo-uh l)) Hall and Quincy Market. They consider this historic building as “the home of free speech” and the “Cradle of Liberty.”

This is where they held the country’s first Town Meeting. It has been a meeting hall and marketplace for centuries. It also serves as the site for the annual swearing-in of newly naturalized citizens. Quincy Market is across from the hall brimming with food choices.

Old State House

One of Boston’s most prominent and popular historic buildings is the Old State House. They constructed it in 1713 as the colony’s government house. It was the site of many events that eventually led to the American Revolution and resistance against the British rule.

The Declaration of Independence was first read here to Boston’s citizens in 1776 at its balcony. The Old State House became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ new government house.

The rooftop still holds the lion and unicorn which were “symbols of authority”. The Old State House today serves visitors with interactive activities and exhibits of Boston during the Revolutionary times.

Among the historic items on display are a tea vial from the Boston Tea Party and a musket used in the Battle of Lexington.

Outside of the Old State House is a ring of stones. This was a small but stark reminder of a tragedy on March 5, 1770. Tensions and confrontations had risen between the Redcoats or British soldiers and the Bostonians for years.

History of the Boston Massacre

The chain of events leading to the Boston Massacre started when a Redcoat struck a Bostonian named Edward Garrick in the face with his musket. Angry Bostonians threw snowballs at him and quickly surrounded the Redcoat.

His fellow Redcoats came to his rescue. Amidst the chaos between the troops and a hostile crowd, they fired shots, resulting in five casualties. The Redcoats faced murder trials. The Bostonian Society holds annual reenactments here for interested parties.

Old Corner Bookstore

This red brick building that now houses a Chipotle Mexican Grill fast food restaurant was once the Old Corner Bookstore. This is one of Boston’s oldest structures, built in 1712.

This wasn’t merely a bookstore; it was also the publishing place for renowned works like The Scarlet Letter and the Atlantic Monthly magazines. There is s small plaque at the side of the building to commemorate the bookstore’s existence here in the past.

Boston Latin School

America’s oldest public school, the Boston Latin School, was founded in 1635. The original schoolhouse stood here on School Street before its demolition in 1745.

The school provided free education to boys regardless of their social statues. Five signers of the Declaration of Independence attended the school including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

The school moved to various locations and is currently in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. It started admitting girls too in 1972 which surprisingly took a very long time to do so. There’s a statue of Benjamin Franklin here who was born in Boston and was also one of our country’s Founding Fathers.

Boston Cream Pie

Ever heard of the famous dessert called Boston Cream Pie? This delicious dessert, made of sponge cake with custard filling and chocolate icing, has roots here. The Parker House Hotel, which is now the Omni Parker House Hotel and its French chef, laid claims to creating what was once called the Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie.

The Boston Cream Pie became the state of Massachusetts’ official state dessert in 1996. This hotel was also the first Boston hotel with hot and cold running water and had the first elevator.

We didn’t just learn about Revolutionary history in this tour. Unfortunately, we’ll have to eat that pie on a return trip.

Tremont Temple

As we continued with our walk, it was hard to miss the Tremont Temple’s unique architecture amidst the red brick buildings. The Tremont Temple Baptist Church congregation, which was founded in 1839, occupies this building. People founded this church believeing that worshipping in churches should be free.

Unfortunately, Bostonians in the 1800s had to “rent” their place in church pews which was a hardship especially for the poor. Tremont Temple became the place for people to freely practice their religion and worship no matter what their gender, class or race was. The church continues to welcome everyone today.

Granary Burying Ground

It was a bit odd that we spent the most time at Granary Burying Ground during this tour. However, this wasn’t just any cemetery; it was one of America’s most historic burial sites and the final resting place of some famous Americans. It took its name from the neighboring grain storage building.

They established this cemetery in 1660, marked by 2,300 gravestones here. Though, it is believed that over 5,000 Bostonians were actually interred here. Our guide didn’t know what happened to the missing grave markers.

The cemetery has become a popular place to pay respects to some distinguished Americans in one place. The large obelisk in the middle is the grave marker for Benjamin Franklin’s parents. Another obelisk towards the back is the marker for John Hancock’s grave.

He was the state’s first elected governor and known for the largest signature in the Declaration of Independence. Paul Revere’s grave was a bit more unassuming. An original small slate marker was next to it. Paul Revere was the silversmith who famously rode his horse to warn of the British approaching.

Although Sam Adams is perhaps better known for the domestic beer brand, he was actually also a Massachusetts governor and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also laid to rest in this cemetery.

The Boston massacre victims also have grave markers here. II’m so grateful that we explored it with a tour guide; otherwise, it would have taken us quite awhile to locate some of these markers.

Massachusetts State House

This was probably one of the most lavish government buildings we’ve seen. Located on a hilltop, the Massachusetts State House stands as a striking structure, constructed in 1798.

Its large dome was covered with 23 karat gold. It was almost blinding with the sun shining on it during our summer visit. You can join free tours, but you need to schedule them in advance.

Boston Common and Public Garden

Our tour ended at the Boston Common and Public Garden. This is America’s oldest public park.

We loved the adjacent Public Garden a bit more. Take a stroll through this green oasis to find ducks, swans and go cruising on the one of a kind swan boats.

The Freedom Trail tour shouldn’t be missed for anyone visiting Boston and especially for visitors interested in American history. We covered a lot of attractions and learned so much in a span of 90 minutes.

My kids weren’t bored and hopefully retained some of that information to contribute to their future history classes. They’ve touted this tour as one where “every step tells a story” and it was true. It gave us a wonderful perspective of Boston’s critical role in history and the American Revolution.

Tips for Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston

• Buy the Freedom Trail public tour tickets online to save time and money. Various times and start locations are available. The tickets are valid for any tour time. You can also buy these tickets at ticket booths by Faneuil Hall and Boston Common.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes. It’s a bit of walking on cobblestones and uneven sidewalks and a lot of standing.
• Use the restrooms beforehand especially the kids. There are no restroom breaks along the way here.
• The National Park Service offers free 60-minute guided walks on some of the attractions along the Freedom Trail with the Park Rangers. Go inside Faneuil Hall to schedule the tours.
• Visitors can also get maps and do self-guided walks to follow the Freedom Trail through the city.
• We took the 12:30 PM tour that was the reverse starting from Faneuil Hall and ends at Boston Common. As I mentioned, we were the only ones on this tour. We saw the one ending at Faneuil Hall and there were at least 30 people. Our guide told us that the morning tours and ones right before lunchtime do get crowded.

*Check out these other Boston tours!

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