Boston Attractions
- Overview
- Attractions
- Events
- Facts
- Kids
There is a
wealth of historically significant attractions in Boston. Consider purchasing a
'Boston City Pass' and thereby pay half price for most of the finest
attractions.
Freedom
Trail: The Freedom
Trail is one of the most popular walking tours in America. It covers
approximately three miles and is very easy to follow. Park rangers give
90-minute guided walking tours of the Freedom Trail, which includes more than a
dozen historic sites such as Paul Revere's house, the site of the Boston
Massacre and the USS Constitution. The path is marked by painted red lines or
bricks set into the pavement. Each site is identified by a marker or sign. The
trail follows the original path set by the colonists in the early days of
Boston. Most of the Trail is accessible only on foot for this reason. The
Trail is best started either at Boston Common or at the USS Constitution (where
there is free parking). The easiest way is to leave the car behind and take the
subway (T) red or green line to Park Street.
Stops
Along the Freedom Trail
1.
Boston Common
2.
Site of the Liberty Tree (Washington & Essex Streets)
3.
State House (Beacon & Park Streets)
4.
John Hancock’s House
5.
The Beacon (The Monument behind the State House)
6.
Park Street Church (Tremont & Park Streets)
7.
Old Granary (Tremont St., near Park Street Church)
8.
King’s Chapel
9.
King’s Chapel Burying Ground
10.
Benjamin Franklin’s Statue
11.
The Old Corner Bookstore (3 School Street, Corner of Washington St.)
12.
Site of Franklin’s Print Shop
13.
Old South Meeting House
14.
Site of Benjamin Franklin’s Birthplace
15.
Old State House
16.
Site of the Boston Massacre
17.
Faneuil Hall
18.
Quincy Market
19.
The Tea Party Ship
20.
Paul Revere’s House
21.
Saint Stephen’s Church (Hanover Street)
22.
Paul Revere Mall
23.
Old North Church (193 Salem Street)
24.
Copp’s Hill (Hull and Snowhill Streets)
25.
USS Constitution (Charlestown Navy Yard)
26.
Bunker Hill (Charlestown)
Boston
Common
This
40-acre area is the nation's oldest public park. The land was set aside for
public use in 1634 (originally as a cow pasture and training ground. The Commons
also has a longstanding tradition as a place where demonstrators can exercise
their right to freedom of speech without having to obtain a permit. Admission
Free.
Park
Street Church
Free,
seasonal tours. Call (617) 523-3383 to learn more.
This
church is best known for its location at "Brimstone Corner" (named for its use
as a gunpowder storage area during the War of 1812) and as the setting of
William Lloyd Garrison's first anti-slavery speech.
Granary
Burying Ground
The first
of the three burying grounds on the trail, Granary is notable as the final
resting place of John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
King's
Chapel and Burying Ground
Famous for
its architectural beauty, King's Chapel became the first Unitarian Church in the
U.S. after the American Revolution. Donations accepted. For more information,
call (617) 227-2155.
Site of
First Public School/Ben Franklin Statue
This
Freedom Trail stop features a statue of Ben Franklin and the site of Franklin's
alma mater: the Boston Latin School (built in 1635).
Old
Corner Bookstore
This brick
building, where legends like Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne and Thoreau
gathered, was once the literary center of Boston.
Old
South Meeting House
Much of
the discussion and debate that led to the Boston Tea Party and other events
connected to the American Revolution took place in the old South Meeting House.
Call (617) 482-6439 to learn about the lectures and programs on American history
and culture offered by the Old South staff.
Boston
Massacre Site
A simple
circle of cobblestones marks the site where five colonists were killed by
British soldiers in 1770. The brutality of this incident helped spark the
anti-British rage that ultimately led to the American Revolution. Free.
Old
North Church
"Old
North," Boston's oldest church building, is located in the city's Italian North
End. The church played an important part in the American Revolution by acting as
a signal (via two lanterns hung in its steeple) of British troop movement.
Donations accepted. (617) 523-6676.
Copp's
Hill Burying Ground
The last
Freedom trail site on the south side of the Charles River, Copp's Burying Ground
is the resting place of thousands of merchants, artisans and free blacks. Free.
Not wheelchair accessible.
Bunker
Hill Monument
(617)
242-5641
A tall
granite obelisk commemorating the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill (which actually
took place on Breed's Hill). You can climb this monument's 294 steps for a
panoramic view of Boston. (No elevator). During the summer, visitors also can
observe free musket firing demonstrations and "battle talks." Free.
New
England Aquarium
Central
Wharf, Boston, 02110
(617) 973
5200
In
addition to over 7,000 fish, aquatic mammals and also penguins, the interior
centerpiece is the massive 200,000 gallon 'Giant Ocean Tank', encircled by a
four-story spiral ramp. The tank is home to a replica of the Caribbean coral
reef and a collection of many different sea creatures, including several huge
turtles, barracudas, stingrays and sharks. The New England Aquarium also offers
whale-watching tours with indoor and outdoor seating and seal or walrus shows.
The USS
Constitution
Charlestown Navy Yard
55
Constitution Rd, Charlestown, Boston, 02129
617- 426
–1812
Open:
daily
The last
stop on the Freedom Trail is Charlestown Navy Yard, home of the USS
Constitution. The ship is the oldest officially commissioned warship in
existence. It never lost a battle, and its victories during the War of 1812 are
legendary. The ship is open daily 10 am-4 pm, with self-guided tours of the top
deck available (sailors are on hand to answer questions). The adjoining museum
is open daily 9 am-6 pm May-October, 10 am-5 pm November-April. Anchored at an
adjacent pier is the World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young. Admission Free.
Boston
Public Library
700
Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston
617-536-5400.
(Copley T
stop on the Green Line),
Monday-Thursday 9 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm; October-May, also open
Sunday 1-5 pm. One-hour art and architecture tours daily, except Wednesday. Call
for times.
America's
first free municipal library offers visual arts, as well as books. This
magnificent Italian Renaissance Revival building houses a John Singer Sargent
Gallery on the third floor. The Bates Reading Room is a work of art with its
impressive vaulted ceiling. Monday-Thursday 9 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9 am-5
pm; October-May, also open Sunday 1-5 pm. One-hour art and architecture tours
daily, except Wednesday. Call for times. Free Admission.
Franklin Park Zoo
1 Franklin
Park Road, Boston, 02121
(617) 541
5466
This
72-acre site nestled in historic Franklin Park was founded in 1911 and recently
underwent a period of expansion. Highlights include one of the world's largest
indoor exhibits of western lowland gorillas, the Bongo Congo (zebra, ibex and
ostrich), the Giraffe Savannah, Australian Outback (kangaroo, wallaby and emu),
Franklin Farm (including a "contact corral" where visitors can pet goats, sheep
and other farm animals) and, late May-September, a butterfly enclosure.
Old
State House
206
Washington St.
(State T
stop on the Blue and Orange lines, Downtown Crossing T stop on the Red and
Orange lines, or Park Street T stop on the Green and Red lines)
Boston, MA
02109 USA
(617)
720-1713
Admission
charged.
Hours:
Daily 9-5.
The first
public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston took place from the
balcony of the Old State House in 1776. Two centuries later, Queen Elizabeth II
delivered an address from the same spot during the U.S. bicentennial
celebrations. The building overlooks the cobblestone circle that marks the site
of the Boston Massacre. Built in 1713, this is the oldest public building in
Boston and now functions as the city's history museum.
Paul
Revere House
19 North
Sq.
Boston, MA
02113 USA
Phone:
(617) 523-2338
Admission
charged.
Hours:
Daily 9:30-5:15, Apr. 15-Oct. 31; daily 9:30-4:15, Apr. 1-14 and Nov.-Dec.;
Tues.-Sun. 9:30-4:15, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1, Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Paul
Revere House, 19 North Sq. (T: Haymarket), was built about 1680 and is the
oldest house in downtown Boston. The restored home, which Paul Revere owned
1770-1800, contains 17th- and 18th-century furnishings and Revere memorabilia
including silver. A Colonial herb garden and Revere-made bell are on the
grounds.
Faneuil
Hall
4 S.
Market St.
Boston, MA
02109
Phone:
(617) 242-5675
Admission
Free
Hours:
National Park Service Rangers give historical talks every half-hour daily 9-5.
Museum open Mon.-Fri. 9-3. Marketplace open Mon.-Sat. 10-8, Sun. 10-6, third
Mon. in Apr.-Dec. 24; daily 10-6, rest of year.
(T: State
Street or Government Center).
The 1742
building was given to the city by Peter Faneuil. It burned in 1761, was rebuilt
in 1763 and was enlarged in 1805. The upper story served as a meeting hall, the
scene of many gatherings during the Revolutionary movement. British officers
used the building as a theater during their occupation of the city. Known for
its grasshopper weather vane, the hall contains a military museum and paintings
of notable battles.
The
Faneuil Hall Marketplace includes North and South Markets, Faneuil Hall and the
adjacent Quincy Market, a renovated 19th-century complex containing more than
125 restaurants, boutiques, produce stands and retail pushcarts. Street
performers entertain continuously.
Museum
of Afro-American History
46 Joy St.
Boston, MA
02114
Phone:
(617) 725-0022
Admission
charged.
Hours:
Daily 10-4, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Mon.-Sat. 10-4, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1,
Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Museum of
Afro American History is at 46 Joy St. The museum includes the African Meeting
House, dedicated in 1806 and said to be the oldest standing African-American
church building in the United States, and the Abiel Smith School. Changing
exhibits are displayed in the gallery. Guided gallery tours are available. The
museum's Black Heritage Trail walking tour links 14 historic sites; maps and
guided tours are available
New
State House
Beacon St.
& Park St.
Boston, MA
02133 USA
Phone:
(617) 727-3676
Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 9-5; closed holidays.
Admission: Free. Guided tours by appointment.
The New
State House is on Beacon St. at the head of Park St. (T: Park Street). The
golden dome, which is one of the city's best known landmarks, marks the
political center of Boston. Completed in 1795, the "new" State House was
designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, who later planned the Capitol in
Washington, D.C. The original brick front section, completed in 1798, remains
almost unchanged. Statues, historical paintings, transparencies of battle flags
and war relics are displayed inside. Across the street, Shaw Memorial, a bronze
bas-relief of Col. Robert Gould Shaw by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, recalls the
first black regiment to serve in the Civil War.
Museum
of Fine Arts
465
Huntington Avenue
Boston
617-267-9300
The MFA is
located in the Fenway area, one mile west of Copley Square. It is easily
accessible via public transportation by taking the Orange Line to the Ruggles
stop or the Green Line E trolley to the Museum of Fine Arts stop.
Hours:
Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 AM to 4:45 PM; Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 AM
to 9:45 PM (West Wing only Thurs. and Fri. after 5); Saturdays and Sundays, 10
AM to 5:45 PM
The
Japanese Garden is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 AM to 4 PM
Admission:
charged. Admission reduced by $2 on Thursdays and Fridays after 5 PM.
Boston's
finest and most comprehensive art museum is a world unto itself: art galleries
from all periods and cultures; three restaurants; two gift shops; lecture and
film series; gallery talks; concerts all season ; and exceptional special
exhibits. The museum is especially well known for its collections of European
paintings, European and American decorative arts and furnishings, Egyptian
sculpture, and Asian fine and decorative arts.
The Museum
of Fine Arts is so vast and the collections so extensive that several visits are
required to really enjoy and appreciate its wonders. The galleries are laid out
in the shape of a two-story figure eight, with two courtyards in the middle.
The
"period" rooms include an early 19th century mansion from Peabody thought to
have been designed by Samuel McIntyre, and the wood carving in the rooms from
Hamilton Palace, a Scottish castle.
First
Church of Christ Scientist
175
Huntington Avenue
617-450-2000
Open Daily
No
admission charge.
The world
headquarters of the Church occupies 14 acres of Boston’s Back Bay and is a
remarkable structure. Most notable is the Mary Baker Eddy Library and the
Mapparium. The Mapparium, on the first floor of the extension, is a
huge,brightly colored stained glass globe. By walking inside it, you can stand
at the center of the world. It shows the political boundaries of the 1930s (the
time at which it was constructed) . Each of the 608 panels making up this
impressive structure, covers 10 degrees of latitude and longitude.
The church
itself is a huge open space which seats over 3,000. It is dominated by one of
the world’s largest organs, which is played at every service. The basilica
type, impressively domed structure is actually an extension of the original
small granite building which was outgrown within a few years of the church’s
founding in 1892.
