Boston Freedom Trail Walking Tour with Costumed Guide

4.58

(2532 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

There’s this moment right outside the Massachusetts State House where our guide—dressed in full colonial gear, tricorn hat and all—paused mid-sentence because a group of kids started singing “My Country 'Tis of Thee.” He just grinned and let them finish before telling us that song was first performed here in 1831. The gold dome glinted through the clouds (it was one of those half-bright Boston mornings), and I realized I’d walked past this building so many times without really seeing it. Funny how you need someone in stockings to make you pay attention.

The Freedom Trail walking tour moves at a pace that lets you actually notice things: the uneven bricks under your shoes, the way the air smells faintly like roasted nuts near Faneuil Hall, even in winter. Our guide—Sam, who said his ancestors were probably Loyalists but “don’t hold it against me”—pointed out gravestones at Granary Burying Ground. I didn’t expect to feel much standing by Paul Revere’s marker, but there was something about the hush there, just city noise muffled by old trees and stories. We spent longer than I thought we would, listening to names I’d only seen in textbooks.

I kept thinking about how close everything is—the Old South Meeting House where they planned the Tea Party is just a short walk from where the Boston Massacre happened. Sam told us about Samuel Adams’ statue being “not quite accurate” and winked at a local who rolled her eyes (apparently everyone knows). There’s a lot of humor mixed in with the history—like when he tried to get us to pronounce “Revere” like a real Bostonian. I failed miserably. The tour finishes at Paul Revere Mall in the North End, which honestly felt like stepping into another century for a second. My feet were tired but my head was buzzing with all these new details—I still think about that.