Following Boston's Freedom Trail
More than a route of historic sites, the Freedom Trail is a 2½-mile walk into history, bringing to life the events that exploded on the world around the time of the American Revolution. Its 16 stops allow you to reach out and touch the very wellsprings of U.S. civilization. (For those with a pinch of Yankee frugality, only three of the sites charge admission.) Follow the route marked on your maps, and keep an eye on the sidewalk for the painted red stripe or red brick line that marks the trail.
It takes a full day to complete the entire route comfortably. The Freedom Trail lacks the multimedia bells and whistles that are quickly becoming the norm at historic attractions, but its history speaks for itself.
Begin at Boston Common. Get your bearings at the information center, and then head for the Massachusetts State House, Boston's finest piece of Federalist architecture and its iconic gold dome. Around the corner Park Street Church's 217-foot steeple is considered by many to be the most beautiful in all of New England.
Reposing in the church's shadows, Granary Burying Ground serves as the final resting place of Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and the victims of the Boston Massacre. Across Tremont Street a short stroll away, find King's Chapel, built in 1754 and a hotbed of Anglicanism during the colonial period, and the King's Chapel Burying Ground. On School Street, the trail passes the Benjamin Franklin Statue and the former site of Boston Latin School, before reaching the Old Corner Bookstore, where Hawthorne, Emerson, and Longfellow were published. Nearby, the Old South Meeting House, was the site of pretempest arguments, heard in 1773, that led to the Boston Tea Party. At State Street, the earliest-known public building in Boston, the Old State House, is a Georgian beauty topped with a golden lion and silver unicorn. At its feet, look for a round circle of cobblestones which marks the Boston Massacre site.
Cross the plaza to Faneuil Hall and explore its upstairs Assembly Room, where Samuel Adams fired the indignation of Bostonians during those times that tried men's souls. Find your way back to the red stripe and follow it into the North End.
Stepping into the 1680 Paul Revere House in North Square in the North End takes you back 200 years—here are the hero's own saddlebags, a toddy warmer, and a pine cradle made from a molasses cask. Next to the Paul Revere House is one of the city's oldest brick buildings, the Pierce-Hichborn House.
Next, tackle a place guaranteed to trigger a wave of patriotism: Old North Church & Historic Site of "One if by land, two if by sea" fame. Not only can you tour the church and its crypt, the grounds also features gardens and Captain Jackson's Historic Chocolate Shop.
Then head toward Copp's Hill Burying Ground, still in the North End, before crossing over the North Washington Street Bridge to Charlestown, to check out the revered and freshly restored icon, the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides."
The photo finish? A climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument—but only if you're in good health—for the incomparable vistas. Finally, head for the nearby Charlestown water shuttle (www.bostonharborcruises.com/commuters/boston-to-charlestown), which goes directly to the Downtown area, and congratulate yourself: You've just completed a unique crash course in early American history.
