Freedom Trail
The must-do part of Boston's walking sightseeing tour is found in the downtown stretch of the city's Freedom Trail. Starting at Boston Common, this path, marked by red paint, is a foot route that takes in many sites steeped in early Revolutionary history. These include the Old South Meeting House, numerous Colonial-era churches and chapels such as the Old North Church, and the site of the Boston Massacre. The trail goes on to Boston's North End to take in more sights, such as Paul Revere's House. The Boston National Historical Center offers free guided walking tours for this central part of the Freedom Trail.
Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center
15 State St.
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 242-5642
nps.gov/bost
Charleston
The Freedom Trail goes on to cross the Charles River and into Charleston. This is where two other must-see sights are found. First is the Bunker Hill Monument, which sits atop Breed's Hill to commemorate the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. The hilltop itself is surrounded by a residential neighborhood and therefore is not actually a preserved battlefield park. However, there is a good (and free) museum across the street from the monument, and patriotic historians should pay a visit to the place where on June 17, 1775, New England militiamen were instructed to hold their fire on the British until "they could see the whites of their eyes."
Downhill from the monument is the Constitution, the famed 44-gun heavy frigate that earned the nickname Old Ironsides through service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Although now an excellent museum to early American naval history and warships during the Age of Sail, the Constitution remains on the list of commissioned vessels in the U.S. Navy and is the oldest, technically active warship afloat.
Bunker Hill Museum
43 Monument Square
Charlestown, MA 02129
nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhmuseum.htm
USS Constitution Museum
Charlestown Navy Yard
Building 22
Charlestown, MA 02129
(617) 426-1812
ussconstitutionmuseum.org
North End
Past its historical merits, the North End of Boston is also home to the oldest neighborhood in the city, which over time became an Italian enclave. The maze of narrow streets and alleyways is home to several dozen Italian restaurants and bakeries and still retains the feel of an Old World ethnic immigrant neighborhood in many ways. It stands as one of the best examples of an Italian urban neighborhood in America today. Try to time your visit for the last weekend of August, in order to catch St. Anthony's Feast and the Festival of Santa Lucia.
Fenway Park
For a baseball fan, no visit to Boston would be complete without going to see Boston's baseball stadium and its Green Monster, and taking in a game there. Fenway is the oldest stadium still in use for Major League Baseball and is an icon both for fans of the Red Sox and for baseball as a whole. The neighborhood is also where Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is found.
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-9300
mfa.org
Fenway Park
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215
boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/index.jsp
