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Boston Maps & Attractions Guide
Boston maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Boston
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Boston
Attractions - Things to do
1. Freedom Trail
The trail starts from the Visitor Information Center on
Boston Common
www.thefreedomtrail.org |
What is it? 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.
Hours of Operation: Most sites along the trail are open daily from 9am to
5pm (10am to 4pm in winter)
Phone:(617) 357 8300 |
2. Black Heritage Trail
The trail starts from the Visitor Information Center on
Boston Common or at the Museum of Afro-American History at 14
Beacon Street, Suite 719
www.afroammuseum.org |
What is it? 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.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm; guided tours by
appointment year round and 10am, 12pm, and 2pm (July and
August)
Phone:(617) 725 0022 (Museum of Afro-American History), or
(617) 742 5415 (guided tours) |
3. Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum
www.bostonteapartyship.com |
What is it? 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-2007.*
Hours of Operation:
Phone:(617) 269 7150 |
4. Cambridge
www.harvardsquare.com |
What is it? 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.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
5. Harvard University
Harvard University Events and Information Center, Holyoke
Center, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue
www.harvard.edu |
What is it? 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.
Hours of Operation: 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
Phone:(617) 495 1573 (Harvard University Events and
Information), (617) 495 9400 (art museums), (617) 495 3045 (Museum
of Natural History) |
Boston Holidays guide
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Transport -Boston's transport consists of the
country's oldest subway system, buses, trolley buses, ferries
around the harbour and the commuter rail.
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