Boston National Historic Park

09/07/06

That strange red line running all over town is your yellow brick road through Boston's history.

by Contributor

The Scene
The private foundations and government agencies that manage the Old North Church, the Paul Revere House and places linked by the Freedom Trail are mulling ambitious improvements, including virtual-reality exhibits, costumed actors and a nightly light show. But the historic landmarks concentrated along this three-mile red line on the sidewalk speak for themselves, especially after $45 million worth of renovations in recent years to Faneuil Hall, the Old State House and the Old South Meeting House. Even the USS Constitution was spruced up for the bicentennial.

The Experience
Don't miss King's Chapel and Burying Ground, the Bunker Hill Monument or the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum. Many of sites are free, including Park Street Church, the Old Granary Burying Ground, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall, the Constitution, all the parks and the Old North Church.

11/06/02

Good for athletic visitors

by janine13

Lots of walking, so make sure your visitor brings confortable shoes, else you will kill them!

• Pros: Outdoors, At your own pace
• Cons: Subject to weather, Long walk, No T stop at Bunker H

11/04/02

Boston: Freedom Trail

by GWAMA

This is such a fun trip to take with your family, it's a pretty short walk, but can take most of the day. You see how our country wouldn't have been around today, if there wern't a Boston, MA

08/20/02

awesome

by PRP8518

A great way to spend the day in Boston. Good for the whole family. Nice restaurants, beautifull places of intrest. Great value for the money for a whole day in Boston not like some attractions in Boston where a family can spend a small fortune for 2 or 3 hours!

08/19/02

A Must-Do

by peg_lapierre

Everytime my family has visitors we take them on a part of or all of the Freedom Trail. My kids have become history buffs at ages 5 and 9! Don't miss the King's Chapel and the part that runs through the North End

08/13/02

The nation's thinnest national park

by ddrucker

At 9 inches in width, the Freedom Trail indeed is the nations thinnest national park. It's also a delightful walk through Boston and Charlestown, taking you not only by most of the important places of the American Revolution, but helps you realize that places move on. The site of the Boston Massacre is now a busy intersection; The Old North Church is in the middle of a pedestrian shopping area. The Freedom Trail reminds us that where we now live was where we fought for the freedom to live the way we do.

• Pros: Inexpensive, Good historical info, Spread out
• Cons: Can be boring for kid, No good facilities, Quality of sites vary

08/02/02

It's all there!

by irishgirl

shopping, dining, drinking, dancing, sight-seeing, history, pop culture, everything...it's the best way to see a lot in a little time.

07/23/02

Awesome audio tour!!!

by droolie

The Freedom Trail is a fun and educational journey around Boston. Every leg of the trail is filled with rich history such as standing on the balcony that the Declaration of Independence was first read off of, seeing the very first school in America, visiting Samuel Adams and Paul Revere's graves and even having cocktails in the same bar that Nathaniel Hawthorne used to hang. They just had a new and savvy audio tour written for them by a company from San Francisco called Antenna-Audio? and it makes the Trail at least twice as enriching and entertaining!!!

07/20/02

Cry freedom

by zoetic618

I have walked the freedom trail many times...Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever completed it. There's so much to see! It's a wonderful Boston history lesson and attraction in one--filled with beautiful architecture, great food and shopping. The best part is definitely that it's free (well, the history part anyway).

• Pros: historical, free, fun
• Cons: weather-dependent, long

05/20/02

soak up america's history

by jpanderson_citysearch

This is just a great way to see Boston. It's such a walkable city, and the freedom trail is just one of many itineraries you can follow, but you can learn a lot about the early history of the u.s. by meandering along the trail, which continues for miles. great for kids and families.