The Story of Boston Told on the Freedom Trail

5.00

Excellent(1)

Boston

Duration: 2 hours

Languages: English

Guru: Stephen Creagh

Registered on 25 January 2024

Hi, I am a well travelled professional tour guide, novelist and historian. I've been everywhere from Africa to Argentina, but love the vibe in Boston, where I have lived on and off for about forty years. I have recently gone independent, taking with me, my thriving tour : The Story of Boston told on the Freedom Trail. https://www.bostonfreewalkingtours.com/

Free reservation and cancellation

Pay-what-you-want tour, no set price, reservation and cancellation are free

Tour description

THE STORY OF BOSTON TOLD ON THE FREEDOM TRAIL

RUM, RIOTS, RASCALS & REVOLUTION

You will hear the story of the city’s growth with the wealthy merchants of Beacon Hill, follow rebels like Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and Ben Franklin who took a town rife with anarchy and lit a fire that became a revolution which gave birth to a new nation.

Our tour covers the boom of the 1800s from the gilded dome of the State House to the rum-soaked dens of iniquity in America’s greatest port. Discover the stories of Irish immigrants fleeing famine, the courageous network of the Underground Railroad and unwavering fight of abolitionists against the injustice of slavery.

Meet the influential Boston Brahmins, unsung heroes of Boston’s African American Civil War heroes, and the literary giants - Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Poe – who shaped the “Athens of America.” Encounter the notorious schemer Charles Ponzi, the legendary “Rascal King” Mayor James Michael Curley. see the love nest of the Kennedys, plus a Boston Jackass that stands and waits.

Itinerary includes: Boston Common, Park Street Church, Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial, Massachusetts State House, Boston Athenaeum, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Old South Meeting House, Irish Famine Memorial, Old Corner Bookstore, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Boston City Hall -- The Full Downtown Freedom Trail!

Highlights

What will we see on this tour?

Meeting point:

1634 Freedom Trl, Boston, MA 02108, USA

Boston Common at the double entrance to the Park Street subway station (T) on the corner of Park and Tremont Streets. Look for your guide at the columnated slate and granite tablet opposite the entrances. I always wear a badge with the name of my tour, The Story of Boston told on the Freedom Trail.

Outside visit

Boston Common

The first Stop on our world famous Freedom Trail and the New Worlds first public park. Here you will hear about it's rich history, from the early hangings of witches, thru the revolution, abolition and much more.

Outside visit

Freedom Trail

Most of the tour follows America's Trail, the Freedom Trail where guest will see many of the sites that led to the Revolution: the site where the Boston Tea Party started, and that of the Boston Massacre, where five tragic deaths started the revolution. Also, as this is the whole story Boston, guests will see the Irish famine Memorial and the corner office from where Charles Ponzi almost bankrupted a nation. The entire downtown section of the Trail is covered.

Outside visit

Quincy Market

Walkers will be shown Quncy Market, the three warehouses, now the center of our tourist area, but more importantly Mayor Josiah Quincys' 1820s addition to Boston Harbor, which, along with his long wharf, allowed Boston to become America's Harbor in the booming 1800s, doing 500 ships a day. That's a lot of sailors who weren't necessarily the best behaved guests of our town.

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end the amount they consider appropriate (amounts usually range from €15 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).