Boston’s Freedom Trail
Time Needed: full-day, half-day
Experience Type: American icon, historic landmark
Follow Boston’s 2.5-mile Freedom Trail to step back into the birth of the American Revolution. This red-brick path connects 16 historic sites, from churches and meeting halls to battlefields and burial grounds—each one telling a story of courage, protest, and independence.
MUST-DO CHECKLIST
- Visit the Paul Revere House – Tour the patriot’s 1680 home, the oldest in downtown Boston, for an intimate glimpse of colonial life and Revolutionary history.
- Explore the Granary Burying Ground – Walk among the graves of notable figures like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock in this storied 17th-century cemetery.
- Stand at the Boston Massacre Site – See the cobblestone circle marking where British soldiers fired on colonists in 1770, igniting revolutionary fervor across the colonies.
- Board the USS Constitution – Step aboard “Old Ironsides,” the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat, and visit the nearby USS Constitution Museum.
- Climb the Bunker Hill Monument – Ascend 294 steps to the top of this 221-foot granite obelisk commemorating the first major battle of the Revolution.
Itinerary Idea: Walk the Freedom Trail on a historian-led, 2.5-hour tour that visits landmarks like the Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall, the Boston Massacre site, and King’s Chapel. With groups limited to 16, you’ll have time for questions and deeper insight into Boston’s past.
Photo Credit: Brett Wharton/Unsplash