Hello.
Our first trip to Boston and we only have one full day to take it all in. We are flying in late the first night, the second day will be our sight seeing day, the third day is college tours and then we are off to the next location. For that one day that we have...what are the MUST DOs? The only thing we have planned is the Freedom Trail. Also, what are some the the good places to eat? We love seafood. I wish we had more time!

Thanks!

The Freedom Trail will likely take you a whole day to experience. I’d pick that unless your first priority would be art museums, in which case the Museum of Fine Arts (coupled with a visit to the Gardner Museum, most likely) would be the choice.

There are Legal Seafood restaurants all over Boston but I recommend Legal Harborside in the Seaport District as it is such a wonderful setting. The seafood is well prepared.
There is a Narional Park app for the Freedom Trail which is helpful to have on your phone.

I agree that the Freedom Trail will really take a full day if you stop to explore the various sites along the way.
Beacon Hill behind the State House is another very interesting area to explore and an easy add-on to the Freedom Trail. There is a formal Black Heritage Trail
Museum of African American History, Boston - Black Heritage Trail Introduction

The good thing about the Freedom Trail is that, although the official beginning is at the Boston Common, you can actually start anywhere using various apps and maps. Be sure to wear good walking shoes.
Be sure to try the Bahstan Chowda at a seafood restaurant. The Union Oyster House, located on the Freedom Trail, is the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the US. (open since 1772). It’s a nice historic place for a lunch break.

I’m actually reluctant to suggest the Union Oyster House, as in my experience the food is bad and the waitstaff is unfriendly. If you’re going to go that route, Durgin Park is a far better option.

Though you might want to consider having Italian food in the North End. If you go for this last option, some good choices are Mamma Maria, Prezza, Daily Catch, Antico Forno, Taranta, or Pagliuca’s, Galeria Umberto is a great ultra cheap lunch spot, but the closer you get there to 11 am, the better. And if you want pizza, the original Pizzeria Regina is located here. Caffe Vittoria is a fine spot for coffee and a cannoli, while Modern Pastry, Maria’s, and Mike’s are the go-to Italian bakeries in the area. One of the best (and priciest) seafood spots is also found here, Neptune Oyster; they do great clam chowder, too.

Thank you so much for the great suggestions!

So I am a history buff and my husband and I went to Boston years ago, did the Freedom Trail, Plimouth Plantation, etc and loved it all.

But we took our daughter on a college trip two years ago and she is a less inclined to do quite so much history as we are. It helped that we had already seen everything and were more open to something different. For our sightseeing day, we decided to do things she would like as part of this bonding experience.

We spent most of our sightseeing day at the Boston Aquarium. I would have to say, it's an excellent aquarium and she loved it. I did enjoy it much more than I thought I would as they had a sea tortoise that I just adored. So we did briefly visit Faneuil Hall and the Old South Meeting House, which were nearby. But they weren't the focus of our day.