Fodor's Expert Review Lexington Green National Historic Landmark

It was on this 2-acre triangle of land, commonly referred to as simply the "Battle Green," on April 19, 1775, that the first confrontation between British soldiers, who were marching from Boston toward Concord, and the Colonial militia known as the minutemen took place. The minutemen—so called because they were able to prepare themselves at a moment's notice—were led by Captain John Parker, whose role in the American Revolution is commemorated in Henry Hudson Kitson's renowned 1900 Minuteman statue. Facing downtown Lexington at the tip of the Battle Green, the statue is on a traffic island, making for a difficult photo op.