A small group will be in Boston on the 4th of July, We're thinking that a trolley tour is going to be a better way see and get around Boston on the 4th. Suggestions on the best trolley tour??? Suggestions on places to get off and eat during the tour?? I've heard that there are fireworks on the St Charles. Any information on that?

The fireworks on the Charles River are part of the Boston Pops concert.

I'd suggest the Duck Tour as a special way to see Boston, but book ASAP, since the 4th is a huge Holiday in Boston, and there will be TONS of tourists. Alot of the museums will be closed for the holiday, but you can still do the Freedom Trail, which is great fun, and there are lots of places to stop along the way for food.

If you want to see the concert and the fireworks to EARLY to the shell on the Charles River, just ask anyone, or at your hotel for directions. You can walk over the highway to the Hatch Shell, which is where the Pops will play and the fireworks come at the end of the concert. Bring food and have a picnic.

Boston on the 4th is a great experience....HAVE A GREAT TIME.

If you actually go to the Hatch Shell for the concert, you will not be able to see the fireworks because of trees that surround it. You will also have to sit out there basically all day in order to keep your spot.

Tens of thousands of people - maybe hundreds of thousands - line both banks of the Charles River to watch the fireworks. There are speakers set up along the Esplanade (on the Boston side) that broadcast the concert. There are also trees here and there along the Esplanade, and if you get there late (and by that I mean in the evening, not "after the show begins"), you likely will be standing for the entire concert/show and might have part of your view obstructed. Also, because of the crowds, plan on it taking longer to get there than you think it will.

If you watch the fireworks from the Cambridge side, I think you will need to listen to the concert on the radio (I am not sure that there are speakers on the Cambridge side). Some people like that side better, though, because then the Boston skyline is in the background. I'm not sure what the viewing is like from that side, as I have only been to the fireworks on the Boston side.

Don't even think of driving into Boston - use the T (subway). And if you don't like large crowds, stay away from the fireworks. But they ARE spectacular!

If you want a hop on-hop off tour, then the Duck tour is not what you are looking for.

I sense from your calling the river the "St Charles" that you may not be from the US.

Fourth of July in Boston is a very crowded holiday with upwards of 300,000 people coming to hear the concert on the Esplanade and view the fireworks. It is an iconic American experience, one worth viewing despite the inconvenience and crowds, like the Palio in Siena or the running of the bulls in Pamplona. People all over the US watch it on television, but that is not like being there.

Some people will sleep on the grass in front of the band shell in order to have good seats for the concert. The concert is less important than the experience, so I would not worry about that. You are going to be able to hear the 1812 Overture (with real cannon and real church bells) anywhere on the Esplanade. Nothing much starts until close to dark, so I would buy some sandwiches for a picnic and head to the area about 5 PM from the Back Bay. It will all be over by 10:30 or so, but then these hundreds of thousands will all have to get home, so I pray you are staying within walking distance of the events. If not, I might visit another of the historic cities on the 4th (Salem and Lexington and Concord come to mind) and save Boston for the day before or day after.

Another possibility is to find out if you can view the fireworks from your hotel, but that's like viewing the Trooping of the Colours from Hampstead Heath. Get right in or don't bother!

One point: access to the concert area is restricted so that police can search for alcoholic beverages. They enforce these regulations pretty stringently, and I have watched bottles of wine and cases of beer being poured on the ground.

It is really quite a lot of fun, taken in the right spirit, and we did it a number of times when we lived in and near Boston.

Actually I'm from Chicago and we have a suburb called St Charles which is where the St Charles river crept in rather than the Charles. Thanks for all the good suggestions and the info about the fireworks. If we were doing a hop on and off tour, is there one you would suggest. We are thinking that walking the freedom trail might be a bit much with crowds on the 4th of July but we would like to be able to stop and view things at our pace. Any suggested eating spots along the way?

I don't think you'll have a problem with crowds if you decide to do the Freedom Trail. Yes, hundreds of thousands of people come into the city to watch the fireworks but the city is actually relatively quiet overall that weekend as many, many residents head to the Cape or the Islands for the holiday weekend.

Here's a list of special events in the city on July 4, including some guided tours of the Freedom trail.

http://www.bostonharborfest.com/saturday.html

The early-afternoon concert at Paul Revere's house sounds like fun.