Boston Attractions

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The Old State House

Freedom Trail

The 2.5-mile (4km) Freedom Trail follows a line of red bricks or a painted red line on the pavement linking 16 historic sights associated with the early struggle for freedom from British control and the events leading up to the revolution. Markers identify the stops and provide information from downtown to the North End to Charlestown and Bunker Hill Monument. Sights along the way include the Paul Revere House, Boston’s oldest surviving house that was home to the famous revolutionary, and the nearby Old North Church where two lanterns were hung in the belfry to warn the revolutionaries of the British movements while Revere went on his famous horse ride to warn of imminent British attack. The elegant Old State House was the seat of British colonial government and where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776. There is a museum of Boston history inside. At the Old South Meeting House Samuel Adams addressed the revolutionaries in the significant meeting prior to the Boston Tea Party and a circle of cobblestones marks the site of the Boston Massacre. In Charlestown the USS Constitution, known as ‘Old Ironsides’ is the oldest warship still afloat and was named after the sinking of the British frigate, HMS Guerriere during the war of 1812. Bunker Hill Monument is the site of the first formal battle of the America Revolution that was fought in 1775. Also along the trail is the beautiful white steeple of Park Street Church, the site of several important anti-slavery speeches, the Old Granary Burying Ground where a number of revolutionaries are buried, and the Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall that once was the meeting place for revolutionaries as well as a bustling marketplace. Although a complete self-guided trail, the National Park Service also conducts free tours with guides in historic costumes that cover some of the trail’s highlights.

Address: The trail starts from the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common; Telephone: (617) 357 8300; E-mail: info@thefreedomtrail.org; Website: www.thefreedomtrail.org; Transport: Park Street subway station; Opening time: Most sites along the trail are open daily from 9am to 5pm (10am to 4pm in winter); Admission: Most sites are free except for the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and Paul Revere House that charge a $3 or $5 entrance fee

African Meeting House © National Park Service

Black Heritage Trail

Today Beacon Hill brings to mind images of affluence and luxurious living, yet until the end of the 19th century it contained a community of free blacks and escaped slaves from the southern states who owned businesses, built houses and schools, and worshipped together in the churches. Although the black community has since shifted to other parts of Boston, the Black Heritage Trail covers 14 sites that are part of the local black history. Massachusetts was the first state to abolish slavery in 1783 due in part to the black participation in the Revolution. Beginning at the Boston Common there is a memorial to slave abolitionist Robert Shaw who led the first black regiment recruited during the Civil War. Various sites on Beacon Hill include homes of famous citizens, the city's first racially integrated public school with exhibits portraying the struggle for equal school rights, and a house that was part of the famous 'Underground Railroad', sheltering runaway slaves from their pursuers. The African Meeting House, part of the Museum of Afro-American History, is one of the most interesting sights and was the first black church in the United States, known as 'Black Faneuil Hall' during the anti-slavery campaign. It was here that famous abolitionist speeches were made and black people were called to take up arms in the Civil War. There is an informative audiovisual presentation in the gallery. Although this is a complete self-guided trail with brochures and maps provided by the Museum of Afro-American History, park rangers also give free daily two-hour tours, which start at the National Park Service Visitor Center.

Address: The trail starts from the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common or at the Museum of Afro-American History at 46 Joy Street, Beacon Hill; Telephone: (617) 725 0022 (Museum of Afro-American History), or (617) 742 5415 (guided tours); E-mail: history@afroammuseum.org; Website: www.afroammuseum.org; Transport: Park Street subway station; Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; guided tours by appointment year round and 10am, 12pm, and 2pm (July and August)

The Boston Tea Party Ship, Beaver II © Judith Duk

Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum

Moored to the bridge is the Beaver II, known as the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, and one of the three ships stormed by patriots in 1773 as an act of rebellion against British rule and in particular against the new tax laws imposed on tea. A group of revolutionaries disguised as Mohawk Indians burst from the South Meeting House and boarded the ships that were loaded with tea. They emptied the crate contents into the harbour, an event that became known as the Boston Tea Party. The Beaver II is an exact replica of the original Beaver I and visitors can learn about the event on board the ship. *Note: The Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum is currently closed for renovations and plans to open again in mid-2009.*

Address: Congress Street Bridge; Telephone: (617) 269 7150; E-mail: teapartyship@historictours.com; Website: www.bostonteapartyship.com; Transport: South Station subway

Statue of John Harvard, Harvard Yard © Jessica Williams

Cambridge

Just across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge is actually a city in its own right although the two cities are so closely associated that many people believe them to be one and the same. Cambridge is home to two of the most prestigious centres for education in the country, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has a young and vibrant atmosphere due to the 30,000 university students from around the world that reside and study here. The city is centred on Harvard Square and is a gathering spot that reflects the international culture of its learning community as well as the influence of its students, residents and business owners. Surrounding the square and lining the streets that spread out from Harvard Square are dozens of bookstores and music shops, cafes and coffee houses and restaurants. Harvard Square is a lively mixture of students and professors, buskers, the homeless, evangelists and political campaigners, and is a great place to have a cup of coffee, watch the activity and soak up the atmosphere. Harvard University occupies one side of the square.

Website: www.harvardsquare.com; Transport: The subway Red Line to Harvard Square from Boston Common’s Park Street Station

Harvard University

Established in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest in the country and one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the USA. It is famous for its brilliant faculties that have produced economists, biologists, prize-winning poets, and famous graduates like former president JF Kennedy. It is also as well known for its famous dropouts such as actor Matt Damon who left in second year to write the Oscar-winning film ‘Good Will Hunting’, and businessman Bill Gates who left to start up a small software business, also dropping out in his second year. The focal point of the university is Harvard Yard, a courtyard surrounded by ivy-covered colonial buildings from the 18th century until the present that was named for John Harvard, a graduate of Cambridge University in Britain, who died leaving the college half his estate and his entire library. The shoe of his statue is rubbed for good luck. Harvard also has four outstanding museums that include the Harvard Art Museums and the Museum of Natural History. The Fogg Art Museum is the most famous art museum with a huge collection covering works from the European Renaissance period to the modern day, including works by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh and Klee. The Bush-Reisinger and Arthur Sackler Museums are included in the same ticket. The Natural History Museum is renowned for its display of hand-blown glass flowers.

Address: Harvard University Events and Information Center, Holyoke Center, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue; Telephone: (617) 495 1573 (Harvard University Events and Information), (617) 495 9400 (art museums), (617) 495 3045 (Museum of Natural History); E-mail: icenter@camail1.harvard.edu; Website: www.harvard.edu; Transport: The subway Red Line to Harvard Square from Boston Common’s Park Street Station; Opening time: The Information Center is open from Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm. Art museums: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm. Museum of Natural History: daily 9am to 5pm; Admission: There are free student-led campus tours available. Combined art museums ticket $8; free on Saturdays 10am to 12pm and daily after 4pm. Museum of Natural History $9

Boston Public Garden

The first botanical garden in the United States, the Boston Public Garden provides a tranquil escape from the fast pace of the city centre. Maintained by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Public Garden, the botanical garden is a must-see on any exploration of Boston. With over 600 varieties of trees and colourful displays of well-ordered decorative flowers, visitors can go for a relaxing swan boat ride on the three acre lagoon, enjoy the attractive vista of the city's sardined skyscrapers through the trees or take pleasure in the numerous public works of art that border the meandering paths.

Address: Charles Street; Telephone: (617) 723 8144

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

A great Boston daytrip and shopping destination, Faneuil Hill Marketplace offers superb shopping with all your familiar designer stores as well as great restaurants and sidewalk cafés. Four places in one, Faneuil Hall Market place encompasses Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market and South Market. Set around a cobblestone promenade, the market is a haven for the performing arts with jugglers, mimes, musicians and magicians entertaining passers-by. Centrally located and operating for over 250 years, the Faneuil Hill Marketplace is the hub of Boston city life. Drawing large crowds excited by the electric energy, visitors can shop, stroll, eat and wonder.

Address: 4 South Market Building; Telephone: (617) 523 1300; Website: www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com; Transport: Blue line to Aquarium/Faneuil Hall, green line to Government Center, or orange line to State Street; Opening time: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm, Sunday from 12pm to 6pm

Museum of Fine Arts

An artwork in itself the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston houses some of the most famous European paintings, including Gauguin's Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Boston's oldest, largest and best-known art institution, the MFA also houses one of the world's most comprehensive art collections, with 22,000 artworks including masterpieces by some of the finest artists in history. With a striking collection of Impressionist paintings, including the works of Monet, Egyptian sculpture and a moving exhibition of Japanese and other Asian artworks, visitors should make sure they have ample time to explore the exhibition rooms of the MFA. Have a break and enjoy a coffee or lunch at one the three gallery restaurants or browse the outstanding museum bookstore and shop.

Address: 465 Huntington Avenue; Telephone: (617) 267 9300; Website: www.mfa.org; Transport: Green Line "E" train to the Museum of Fine Arts or orange line to Ruggles; Opening time: Daily from 10am to 4.45 pm. Open till 9.45pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; Admission: $17 (adults), $6.50 (children). Concessions available