An Absolute Must See-The Freedom Trail
Boston does not confine its history to museums. The red painted line of the Freedom Trail - the 2 ½ mile walking route that connects 16 Revolutionary War sites- seems to be everywhere in downtown Boston.
One of the very best-and free-ways to explore the Freedom Trail is to take one of the 90-minute walking tours led by a Boston National Park Ranger.
These tour guides really know their history! They also make the tours fun- and pepper their talks with little known nuggets of historical fact like "Paul Revere always rode on a borrowed horse" or "Old South Meeting House had a seating capacity of 2000- it was the stadium of its day".
The tours are extremely well -researched and usually concentrate on a theme such as "The Foundations of Independence". Rangers typically lead the group to the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church. Rangers do not take the group inside any of the Freedom Trail sites, but visitors often choose to back- track and explore the Paul Revere House on their own at the end of the tour.
Tours leave daily (weather permitting) from the Boston National Historic Park Visitor Center (near the Old State House). Check the tour schedule on-line and arrive early. Rangers pass out stickers 30 minutes before tour time and tours are limited to just 30 participants.