Freedom Trail

downtown, will lead you on a 2.5 mile red-bricked sightseeing adventure designated by 16 significant historical sites. On this walk, you can visit museums, churches, cemeteries and parks that are truly American. Tours are offered along the trail starting from the Boston Commons center with early American costumed guides, last about 90 minutes, and you will experience the brave patriots who challenged Britain and created the greatest democracy in the world.

Take a day off from work and leave your comfortable apartment in the 21st century to get a glimpse of the past. The popular Walk Into History public tours are available only Monday-Friday between 11 am and 3:30 pm, but check with the Information Center to make sure the accompanied tours are available, as seasonal closings may occur.

The Freedom Trail itself is composed of the following sites, some of which require an admission fee. The Boston Common - a beautiful 44 acre park that once served as grazing ground for sheep and cattle, and now an open park where Reverend Martin Luther KIng spoke, Pope John Paul II said mass, and Gloria Steinem touted feminism. The State House - Built in 1798 and the oldest house on Beacon Hill, where today, state senators and representatives conduct the business of the commonwealth.

Three burying grounds are quite interesting to view, including the Granary where the graves of Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and Ben Franklin's parents are found. King's Chapel, Old North Church and Park Street Church are places of worship along the route. Military spots of interest include the site of the Boston Massacre, the ship USS Constitution - the oldest commissioned war ship still afloat in the world, and the Bunker Hill Monument.

If anything when making a visit to the Freedom Trail, at least stop by Faneuil Hall, that has 250 years of history as a public marketplace where you can buy gifts for yourself and others and to decorate your apartment.