Boston, Massachusetts
There are few cities in the United States that has the history that Boston has. Boston was instrumental during the American Revolution with famous events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the first shots of the American Revolution (Lexington and Concord),and the Battle of Bunker Hill all occurred in and around Boston. Its a city where you can visit America’s founding and past while also seeing modern America. There is a lot to do in Boston and if you want to do some walking there is a great trail that takes you to most of the historic sites in the city. Boston is also home of great sports, museums, breweries and much more. Donna and I have been to Boston twice. Once on a trip to just Boston and once on our way to Iceland (we stopped over in Boston). It is a wonderful place to visit!
Getting to Boston and Transportation
The main entry point into Boston is Boston Logan International Airport. The airport is not too far from downtown Boston and it is served by pretty much all major airlines. The airport also is served by a large number of international airlines so it is a good stopping point if you want to take a cheaper flight to somewhere like Europe. We stopped in Boston to catch a flight to Iceland so it gave us a chance to visit more in the city. JetBlue has a hub in Boston so it would be a good option for affordable and non-stop flights. Once in Boston you have multiple options. Boston is a city that unless you are going to visit areas outside of Boston (on our first trip we visited all six New England states) a rental care is not necessarily needed. There is a bus service (the blue line) that will take you to different terminals at Boston as well as to the subway stop and water taxi stop. Boston has a well connected subway system that we have used multiple times to get around Boston. It will take you within walking distance of most sites in the city itself. You also have a water taxi option to get from the airport to the downtown area. There are express buses and of course Taxis available as well. When in the city the subway and bus system is recommended. We purchased a day pass on the T system. If you are touring hopping on the Old Town Trolley is a good option and also includes a water tour of the harbor.
The Freedom Trail
The 2.5 mile Freedom Trail in Boston is an attraction you do not want to miss in Boston. It gives you the chance to walk through American history and see some significant from the American Revolution and beyond. The trail is well marked with red bricks and bronze markers on the sidewalks. The beginning of the trail is at the Boston Common park (one of the oldest parks in the country). The park is easily accessed from The Park Street subway stop. The park itself has many statues and is nice to walk through. Across the street from the park is the Massachusetts State House. You can take a self guided tour of the state house and in front of the State House you can see a bronze sculpture of Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts that was featured during the credits of Glory. The 54th Massachusetts was one of the first African American regiments that fought during the American Civil War. The Boston Common is also one of the stops for the Old Town Trolley and other hop on hop off trolley services. The Trolley stops at many of the trail stops and we have toured downtown both ways. They are both good ways to tour but walking the trail on my own is my favorite way of touring the Freedom Trail. To see sights off the trail the trolley service is a good option. The first stops of the trail after the Boston Common area is the Park Street Church and Granary Burying Ground. Most of the historic churches on the trail are open to visit for a small donation. We toured a few of them. The Granary burial grounds is a historic cemetery from the 1600’s in the middle of downtown.
As you continue along the trail you pass by the Kings Chapel and it’s cemetery. Another of the significant historic sites where you can walk where the founding fathers walked is the Old South Meeting House. The Old South Meeting house has been in use for gatherings prior to the revolution. It was the staging site for the Boston Tea Party and many other discussions leading to the American Revolution. For a fee you can visit the museum and walk into the historic building. A pass can be bought that will get you into The Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and Paul Revere’s house. We bought that on our first trip to Boston.
As we continued our walk the next stop to me is one of the best on the Freedom Trail. Nestled in between modern skyscrapers and businesses the Old State House is one of the central spots in Boston pre-revolution. It was the center of politics in Massachusetts. Right in front of the Old State House is the site of the Boston Massacre. Also the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston occurred there. For an admission fee you can go inside and visit the chambers of the senate and house and tour a nice museum with many historic artifacts from our founding fathers and battles in the revolution. At times they have reenactments by historians and guided tours of the Boston Massacre site. Its a stop you will not want to miss as you go through the Freedom Trail.
A little further along the trail we visited what is known as “The Cradle of Liberty”. Faneuil Hall was an important meeting place in Boston and a place were ideas, the British Taxes and the revolution were debated. Its a beautiful building that is run by the National Park Service. It is free to visit. On the bottom level you can visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace to grab a coffee, a snack or souvenirs.The National Park Service has ranger talks at the hall that give good information about the site. As we continued a long on the trail we stopped by Boston’s little Italy area for a snack. There are places to eat along the trail so you can pick one that looks good to you as a place to take a break.
After visiting Faneuil Hall we entered the world of the Midnight Ride. We walked over and used our day pass to the three museums along the trail and went to Paul Revere’s Home. He has a small home on the far end of the trail that is preserved. It is the oldest structure in downtown Boston. It only takes a few minutes to walk through the small home but you are walking through history so its worth the quick stop a around $3 to go in. After visiting Paul Revere’s home we went to another landmark from the Midnight ride. We decided to spend the $8 to go in the Old North Church and tour the Oldest church in Boston. You cannot visit the church tower where the lanterns were placed to warn Paul Revere and the other riders about what path the British were taking to Lexington and Concord but its still a neat place to visit along the trail.
After visiting the Old North Church and then the Copp’s Hill Burial ground you cross part of the Charles River/Bay on the Charlestown Bridge into the City of Charlestown. Its nice quiet city with nice little shops and homes. Our next stop was up hill so be ready for a little more strenuous walk. We passed some parks and monument and then made it to the Battle of Bunker Hill sight, monument and museum. The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the early battles in the American Revolution and although the British did win the battle it was a very costly one and showed that the American troops could face off against the mighty British Army. At the site the National Park Service runs a small museum you can visit for free and is a good place to see artifacts from the battle and learn about what occurred at the site (its also a good spot for a restroom break). Across the street from the museum is the battlefield park and huge monument. The 221 foot monument obelisk is a great memorial to the battle. You can walk up to the observation deck and get nice views of Boston if you want to walk up the 294 steps. We did and got a great stair workout and were rewarded with the views.
Our final stop on the Freedom Trail was “Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned (still in active duty) naval ship afloat today. Its most famous for its service in the War of 1812. It got its nickname from the way cannon balls bounced off its hard wood exterior. You are able to tour it for free but you must have an ID and go through naval security. Once on board you get to go on the top deck and one deck below to see the operations of a 19th century warship. Also you can visit the National Park Service run Fletcher Class Destroyer USS Cassin Young that served during World War II. It was heavily engaged during the Battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. It survived a Japanese Kamikaze attack. It is one of the last of her kind left. Its a fitting end to the Freedom Trail but its definitely not the last thing to in the Boston area!
Boat tour of the Boston Harbor
One nice part about booking a Old Town Trolley Tour of Boston is it includes a Boston Harbor Tour. On our second trip to Boston we took the boat tour and it was very nice. You get to see the city skyline, the Boston Navy Yard (including the USS Constitution), and other Boston sites from the sea. The tour ship is a pretty large ship with plenty of room and the Trolley will drop you off near the dock for the tour. The tour is around an hour. If you do not book the Old Town Trolley tour you can buy this or a whale watching tour from $30-$50.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Located near the campus of the University of Massachusetts Boston Campus and along the Boston Harbor is the JFK Presidential Library. It Chronicles the life, Presidency and the tragedy in Dallas and with his brother. The museum starts with a video about his life and time leading up to the presidency. After that you visit exhibits about his campaign, debates with Nixon and the 1960s. You can see many different items and replicas from the 1960s and even clips from shows from the 1960s. Beyond that the museum goes over the different aspects of his presidency such as civil rights, NASA and the space program, the Cold War and other aspects. You can see Freedom 7 (the first Mercury flight that sent Alan Shepard into space) capsule, gifts from other nations to JFK, a replica of Robert Kennedy’s office and the Oval Office, an exhibit on Jacqueline Kennedy and other items. The museum exhibits end with quotes from JFK and how he affected the world. There is a large atrium that overlooks the Boston Harbor and you can go outside to walk along the harbor. There are temporary exhibits and a cafe at the library as well. Next door to the JFK Presidential library is the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate. Donna and I have not had the chance to visit the museum but it looks very interesting. They have exhibits on the US Senate and a replica of the US Senate chamber where you can be a part of the senate process of voting on a bill. It will take a couple hours to visit the Presidential Library and it is a nice place to visit as most Presidential Libraries are.
Harpoon Brewery
If you would like to tour and try a very good New England Beer the Harpoon Brewery is where you need to go. Harpoon and UFO beers are very good and the brewery along the harbor is a nice place to visit. They have flights available to try there many different styles. We visited on our first trip to Boston and unfortunately didn’t get to tour due to all the tours selling out but we did get to see some of the brewery and try their beers. I heavily recommend giving them a try while in Boston and get there early!
Other things to see in Boston
There are many other things you can see in the downtown Boston area. Near Faneuil Hall there is a nice shopping district with pedestrian streets that are common in Europe. You can find there a replica of the Cheers Bar. You can also visit the original Cheers Bar in another area of the city. We went into the replica briefly and drove by the original on the Old Town Trolley. There are nice restaurants in the Faneuil Hall area as well. There are also many nice museums, music and sports attractions in Boston. You can catch a game or visit the oldest MLB ballpark, Fenway Park. We drove past it and didn’t get a chance to catch a game since we had a flight to Iceland that night. You could see the famous Boston Pops or visit one of the many museums such as the Boston Tea Party Museum, various art museums, the Natural Science Museum, New England Aquarium and many others. We have not had the chance to visit it all due to the short stays we have had in Boston but we want to go back and see more!
Lexington and Concord (Minute Man National Park)
Around 20 minutes from downtown Boston you can visit the sites of the first shots in the American Revolution. The Minute Man National Park contains homes, battlefield sites and sites such as Paul Reveres capture site. The park mostly lies between Lexington and Concord along the path the American Minute Men fought the British as they tried to take American supplies. It is a scenic drive with quaint New England homes lining the drive through the park. We got to the park relatively late so the visitors centers (there are a couple you can visit) and museums were closed but the park itself was not. We stops at the most significant sites and ended our visit at the North Bridge near Concord where much of the fighting occurred. I would like to visit the park again and see it in more detail in the future.
United States Navy Shipbuilding Museum and USS Salem
Around 30 minutes South of Boston In Quincy, Massachusetts you can visit the USS Salem. It is the only remaining Heavy Cruiser type warship left in the world to tour. Donna and I have not yet been to this museum but it is on our list to visit this one of a kind ship.
Battleship Cove
An hour South of Boston in Fall River, Massachusetts you can visit an enormous collection of Naval vessels. This museum has the Battleship USS Massachusetts, Destroyer Joesph P. Kennedy, Jr. , Submarine USS Lionfish, the Soviet built East German Corvette Hiddensee and multiple PT boats. You can tour each well preserved ship and really see the differences in life on the large Battleship versus a submarine or destroyer. The Soviet Corvette is the only one in the US and lets you see the Soviet side of the Cold War. The museum is also nice where you can see various PT boats. It takes a while at this site (at least half a day) to tour all the ships. Its a great site if you are interested in military history and want to visit one of the largest concentrations of military ships in the country.
Boston Tips
There is a lot to do in the Boston area so give yourself plenty of time. Getting on the Old Town Trolley Tour can give you more time to see the attractions along the the Freedom Trail, but if you have the time and energy walking the trail yourself is rewarding. Boston has a very good mass transit system and I recommend using it and not renting a car if you are staying in Boston only. If you want to visit areas like the Minute Man National Park or Battleship Cove you will need to rent a car. On our trip we also visited all 6 New England States (in one day) on our first trip to the area. Our one day trip to the New England States was very ambitious so I recommend a slower paced tour up to Maine and New Hampshire to see the beautiful countryside up there. Boston is also a great city to fly to Europe from (more affordable prices) and a day stopover is well worth it before you head to Europe. We did that on the way to Iceland. Hotels can be expensive in the Boston area so look for hotels that are away from downtown or the airport but still are near a subway stop. We stayed in Braintree, Massachusetts and the hotel had a shuttle to the subway station. It saved us a good amount of money. Give Boston a shot and see the many cool things to see there and step back into Revolutionary War History!