Exploring Boston: The Freedom Trail

I’m back with part 2 of our Boston trip! In case you missed part one of our Boston trip, you can read about it here.

One of the must do activities in Boston is the Freedom Trail. This trail takes you through all of the must-see historical sites throughout Boston. We chose to take the tour ourselves, but you can also have a guided tour. There is a red brick line that you follow the whole way, and each stop has a little plaque so you know you are there.

The first stop was Boston common which is the oldest park in America. This reminded me a bit of Central Park, but on a much smaller scale. There were lots of dogs running around the weather was perfect.

The second stop was the Massachusetts State House and was built in 1798.

The third stop was the Park Street Church. This was one of the first landmarks that people saw when they were near Boston, and home of the first anti-slavery speech by William Lloyd Garrison.

The fourth stop is the Granary Burial Ground, where many famous people are buried including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Ben Franklin’s parents, the Boston Massacre victims, and Samuel Adams.

The fifth stop is King’s Chapel and King’s Chapel Burying ground. This was the first Unitarian Church in America. The families would buy a pew section, and it was a way to show your status and wealth. I had never seen a church that looked like this before.

The sixth stop is the First Public School site and Ben Franklin Statue. The first public school built in 1635 has since turned into Ruth’s Chris steak house somehow, but the outside is still very pretty. Ben Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Ralph Waldo Emerson all attended this school way back in time.

Stop Seven is the Old Corner Bookstore which is now a Chipotle! This was home to the first girl that was banished from Massachusetts for her unorthodox religious views, and then it became a publishing center.

Stop Eight is the Old South Meeting House. This is the second oldest church in Boston. This was the spot where over 5,000 people came to protest the tax on tea. We didn’t go inside of here but the outside is very pretty.

Stop Nine is the Old State House Museum. This is the oldest standing public buildings in Boston. It was also the place where the Declaration of Independence was read on the balcony.

Stop Ten is right outside the Old State House and where the Boston Massacre occurred.

Stop Eleven is Faneuil Hall which is an open market and food court area now. This was where many Bostonians met to form opposition against the British. It also held many anit-slavery speeches and women’s right movements.

There was a Christmas store in Faneuil Hall that I just had to go in to! Jon and I got an ornament to remember this trip by.

Stop Twelve is the Paul Revere House. We went inside and had a mini tour. The interesting thing about this house was that there were no hallways or privacy, and that people entertained in their bedrooms back then. This is one of the only houses in Boston of its kind still left up.

After this stop, we went to Mike’s Pasty shop and got a chocolate chip cannoli that was delicious! We didn’t try the rival store called Modern Pastry, maybe next time.

The last stop that we saw was Old North Chruch where two lanterns were hung to indicate the British were coming by sea. This sparked Paul Revere’s ride which started the American Revolution. This is also the oldest church in Boston.

We were very exhausted after the tour and had walked almost eight miles the whole day! We decided to eat our leftover Regina’s Pizza for dinner and went to JP Licks for some ice cream. I got salted caramel cookies’n’cream and Jon got peanut butter cookies’n’cream. They were both delicious! I’d highly recommend going here if you visit Boston. It was some of the best ice cream we’ve had in a while.