At 3.2 miles long and with an average
elevation gain of 183 feet I wasn’t entirely sure if the kids would be able to manage
Boston’s Freedom Trail in a single day. In the end they did pull it off and even though we would love to have spent more time at many of the sites along the way it turned out to be a memorable, albeit exhausting, day for all of us.
Inner Harbour Ferry
The tour started off with a short ride on
the Inner Harbour Ferry. The little, aging, MBTA operated ferry boat snakes in
between its larger sisters (Boston Harbour Cruises, Codzilla and Whale Watcher
Catamarans) to collect passengers travelling from Long Wharf, home of the New
England Aquarium, to the Navy Yard, where Old Ironsides is moored.Though short, the 15 minute trip provides some stunning views of the Boston skyline.
USS Constitution
After the HMS Victory, the oldest
commissioned warship is the USS Constitution, but since Nelson’s Flagship is permanently
in dry dock, the Constitution has the honor of being the oldest commissioned
warship not only afloat, but still sailing.
Aside from special commemorative sailing
events such as Boston Navy Week the Constitution or “Old Ironsides” is usually
moored at the Charlestown Navy Yard.
If you get there early you should be able
to join a guided tour of the ship, presented by an active-duty sailor, with
only a short wait. Thankfully for us both the gun and crew decks are pretty large, so if you have excited and chatty kids, keep them occupied at one end of the ship and they shouldn’t be much of a distraction to the tour taking place at the other end.
For a great upper-thigh workout, head to
the 294 steps of the Bunker Hill Monument. Stroller parking is not allowed in
the little building attached, so I ended up lugging the thing all the way up to
the top.The windows at the top are small, plexiglass and dirty so if it’s views you want head to the Prudential. Climb the obelisk purely for the bragging rights.
After the climb you can use the restrooms
and enjoy the air-conditioning at the Bunker Hill Museum at the foot of the
hill on the corner of High Street and Monument Avenue.
Warren Tavern
About 4 blocks off the Freedom Trail (counting
from City Square) on the corner of Pleasant and Main Street is the restored 18th
century Warren Tavern. This is a great place to cool off, grab a drink and a
bite before heading back out on the Trail.Look for a more in depth review of this establishment under its own heading.
After the Charlestown Bridge the Trail
passes Copp’s Hill Burial Ground (Boston’s oldest after King’s Chapel), the Old North Church, the Paul Revere Mall and the Paul Revere House.The kids can cool off a bit in the fountains of North End Park before you continue on Hanover Street, past a slew of Irish Pubs and on to Faneuil Hall.
At Faneuil you’ll often spot great street
performers who entertain passersby with feats of acrobatics, juggling, music
and comedy.
A little further up is Quincy market which
consists of three main shopping areas: the historic Quincy Market Building has
an inner promenade of dozens of vendor stalls selling just about every American
and ethnic food variety you can imagine.
Along the outer walls of the Market
Building you’ll find carts and stalls selling arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing
and souvenirs.
Surrounding the Quincy Market are North and South Market Streets which, in turn, are bordered by more conventional shops, boutiques and offices.
Along the outer walls of the Market
Building you’ll find carts and stalls selling arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing
and souvenirs.Surrounding the Quincy Market are North and South Market Streets which, in turn, are bordered by more conventional shops, boutiques and offices.
Downtown
The downtown leg of the Freedom Trail hosts
further sites of historical significance such as the Old South Meeting House, the
Old State House with the Boston Massacre Site and the King’s Chapel and Granary
Burying Grounds.Unfortunately by this time the kids were getting tired of the long walk and we skipped most of the sites in this area to head to the Boston Common.
End the day on a high for the kids and
spend some time at the Boston Common Frog Pond. There’s a little playground
there that is walled off and astro-turfed. It features some water fountains,
slides and a bunch of climbing and swinging equipment.
Then head over to the
Boston Public Garden and enjoy a relaxing ride on the Swan Paddle Boats. Two
adults and two kids will cost you a little over eight dollars for a roughly 15
minute figure-8 tour of the pond.
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