Freedom Trail , Boston, USA | Sites to Visit

Freedom Trail, Boston Overview

Freedom Trail is a famous 2.5-mile red line which recites the story of bygone times to its visitors. With 16 official sites, Freedom Trail has a lot to offer, especially to history buffs. These sites range from meeting houses and burying grounds to Churches and Chapels. You can either opt for a paid guided tour or get a map of the train and explore the sites on your own. The highlights of Freedom Trail are Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill monument, Old State House Museum and the Old North Church.

Established in 1951, the Freedom Trail was built mainly in red brick to provide people with a single pedestrian trail that would connect the various historical sites of the city. The City of Boston's Freedom Trail Commission is responsible for the maintenance of this trail that highlights key events of the American Revolution. In order to make it easier to identify the 16 sites, some of which include Faneuil Hall, Park Street Church, Old Corner Bookstore, they are marked on the floor with the Freedom Trail plaque.

Freedom Trail Official Tour

While visitors can choose to explore the Trail and the sites on their own, if they wish to gather some important historical information, they can go for the tour that is organised by the official Freedom Trail Foundation.

Costing USD 14 for adults and USD 8 for children (not inclusive of the admission fee charged by any individual site), the tour covers 11 of the 16 sites linked by the Trail over a period of about 90 minutes.

Moreover, the Foundation provides visitors with a 3-hour long audio file for those who prefer that sort of a tour. The audio file costs about USD 15 and can be downloaded on a mobile device.

Best Time To Visit Freedom Trail

All year round

Establishment of the Freedom Trail

Boston is home to major historical events that occurred during the American Revolution; during the country’s struggle for independence against the British colonisers. Due to this very reason, the city is lined with a number of sites such as churches, memorials, administrative structures, burial grounds etc. that were the site of key events. It was in 1951 that the journalist for the Boston Herald, William Schofield, suggested the construction of a single pedestrian pathway so as to make it easy for people to visit the 16 key sites. Hence, the Mayor John Hynes ordered the Freedom Trail’s construction in the same year, linking the sites in a numerical order and eliminating the possibility of getting off the actual route. It is also believed that this would have been the approximate route that the colonisers took to get from one site to the other.

Self Tour of the Trail

The official tour of the trail is great for those who are seeking for a highly educational experience but for those who wish to explore it on their own time and visit all the 16 sites, they can do so. Not only is there a map of the Trail, but visitors can download the Freedom Walk app and the brochure, which talks about the sites. Moreover, the Black Heritage Trail crosses the Freedom Trail while the Boston Irish Famine Memorial is also located along it, if visitors wish to take a tiny detour.

16 Sites Linked by the Trail (in Order)

The 16 sites linked by the Freedom Trail are as follows:

Boston Common
Massachusetts State House
Park Street Church
Granary Burying Ground
King' Chapel and Burying Ground
Benjamin Franklin Statue and the former site of Boston Latin School
Old Corner Bookstore
Old South Meeting House
Old State House
Boston Massacre's site
Faneuil Hall
Paul Revere House
Old North Church
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
USS Constitution
Bunker Hill Monument

How to Reach the Freedom Trail

It is possible to get to the Freedom Trial via a car or public transportation. When getting here in a car, there is parking available near Boston Common, Charlestown as well as Faneuil Hall.

The Red, Green and Orange line of the MTBA reach the first four sites linked by the Trail (Boston Common, Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground), the Orange, Blue and Green line go to the next 7 (King' Chapel and Burying Ground, Benjamin Franklin Statue and the former site of Boston Latin School, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre's site, Faneuil Hall), and the Green and Orange line to the last 5 (Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, USS Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument).
When travelling by the Commuter Rail, visitors can board at a commuter rail stop and get off at North Station, Back Bay Station or South Station.

Also, those coming from the South Shore can get to Freedom Trail via the Commuter Ferry, getting off at Charlestown Navy Yard.