Boston's Freedom Trail

Boston’s “Freedom Trail” is a 2 ½ mile stroll through the historic district that transports you back to the city’s Revolutionary period. Whether you do it on your own or as part of a guided tour the people, events and ideals of the 18th American patriots are revealed.

Following a clearly marked red line through town you will walk by Old South Meeting House, the site from where the Boston Tea Party crowd originated. Stop in and tour Paul Revere’s house built in 1680 and located in Boston’s oldest residential neighborhood. Be sure to visit “Old North Church” best known as the signal tower immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”.

The Freedom Trail is lined with many splendid dining and shopping opportunities so you can do it at a leisurely place while soaking up the past and experiencing the hustle & bustle of modern Boston. I took a mid day break at Green Dragon Tavern, 11 Marshall Street and enjoyed their lobster rolls. By the way the Green Dragon was a “hotbed” of revolutionary activities.

The National Park Service Visitors Center on State Street is right on the trail and offers free guided tours so check the schedule and join a ranger lead walk. The photo is the Old State House a historic landmark built 1n 1713 and a monument on the cobblestones underneath the balcony marks the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre.

I’d budget at least 4 hours on trail but if possible make it a day discovering our nation’s rich history.