

#Freedom trail plus
Impressive collections of art and historic memorabilia give you reason enough to visit (free admission), plus you can also see the government and legislative chambers.

Revolutionary hero and Massachusetts State Governor Samuel Adams laid the State House's cornerstone, famous architect Charles Bulfinch designed it, and its golden dome gleams high above Boston Common and Beacon Hill. More about where to get the best Boston tourist mapsĭespite being completed after the end of the Revolutionary War, the Massachusetts State House embodies the self-governance ideals that the Patriots won. The maps in the display racks are not free.
#Freedom trail free
To get the free NPS map, you have to go up to the counter at the Visitor Center and ask for the "free Freedom Trail map." You'll walk past areas where Colonial militias trained, where public hangings took place over the span of 3 centuries, and where British troops camped out before heading to Concord on the first day of the American Revolution.Īt the edge of the Common next to Beacon Street, spend a few moments at Augustus Saint-Gaudens' magnificent memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment, one of the first official African-American units to fight on the side of the United States during the Civil War.īoston Insider Tip - Where to Get a Free Freedom Trail Mapīefore you leave the Common, walk over the the Visitor Information Center (147 Tremont Street), and pick up a free National Park Service map of the Freedom Trail and Black Heritage Trail. Stroll across the Common's green slopes, and you'll be tracing the footsteps of Boston's first Puritan settlers. More about Boston's Freedom Trail tours Boston Freedom Trail Sitesīoston Common | Massachusetts State House | Park Street Church | Granary Burying Ground | King's Chapel | King's Chapel Burying Ground | Benjamin Franklin Statue | Old Corner Bookstore | Old South Meeting House | Old State House | Boston Massacre Memorial | Faneuil Hall | Old North Church | Paul Revere's House | Copp's Hill Burying Ground | Bunker Hill Monument | USS Constitutionīoston Common marks the start of the Freedom Trail. Starting at the first site, here's a quick look at what you'll find along the Freedom Trail, where to get a free Freedom Trail map, several interesting guided tours, and nearby hotels. Near the Trail, you can find additional historic sites such as the Green Dragon Tavern where Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and other Sons of Liberty spied on the Redcoats and planned their Tea Party.Īnd as you pass through Boston's lively downtown neighborhoods and waterfront, of course you'll also see glittering new buildings, popular restaurants, and perhaps even a beer garden or two - in other words, all the fun things that make Boston a top 21st century travel and vacation destination. Not surprisingly, the Freedom Trail is Boston's most popular tourist attraction.īoston has more sites related to the American Revolution and America's fight for independence than any other city.Īs you walk along the Trail, you'll travel through a variety of neighborhoods: Historic Downtown Boston, the North End, and Charlestown, from Boston Common to the Charlestown waterfront.Īll Freedom Trail sites are authentic - not re-creations or reproductions - so you'll see Colonial and Federal architecture, plenty of old tombstones, and a medieval-style house dating back to the 1600s. Walk along the Trail, and you'll see and visit historic buildings (some are now museums) and sites, famous churches, meeting houses, a centuries-old market place that's still a lively shopping and entertainment center, burying grounds, a battle ship, and a park once used by British troops and Colonial militias.

The red stripe marking the Freedom Trail stretches for 2.5 miles (4 km) through Boston's most historic neighborhoods, and takes you to 16 sites important to the founding of Boston and the birth of American liberty.

Ready to take an unforgettable walk through Boston's history?
