Walking Boston's Freedom Trail with Kids
By Meg Brunson
Boston is a city that is rich with so much history - especially Revolutionary War history - and we wanted to ensure that we saw the sights and learned about the role Boston played in American History. While we discovered that there is a red line that marks the tour path exactly, so you COULD just self-lead yourself around the tour... we KNEW that we'd learn a lot more (and have more fun) if we joined one of the official charater-led Freedom Trail tours!
Our tour guide introduced herself as Dorothy Quincy, the wife of founding father John Hancock. She was very knowledgable about the Revolutionary war period, and we loved listening to her stories, plus she answered all our questions along the way. We learned about people such as Sam Adams, Paul Revere, Crispus Attucks, and of course John Hancock! It was really interesting to hear stories (and debunk some popular misconceptions) surrounding the Boston Tea Party, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the Boston Masacre. In about 90 mins we walked one mile and got to see (and hear stories about) 11 Revolutionary landmarks, ending at Faneuil Hall which is also a national park with a Jr. Ranger program!
We also lucked out and right outside of Faneuil Hall there were some amazing street performers that we loved watching!
Things to Remember
- Wear your walking shoes - The tour was one mile ONE WAY... so, when we got to the end, we had to decide if we were going to walk back, uber, etc. We took advantage of the walk back to take some extra pics in certain spots, and to veer off the trail to see some other parts of Boston as well!
- Check the weather - consider a poncho or umbrella if rain is forcasted. It rained during our visit - and the ponchos/umbrellas were pricey especially when you have 6 heads to keep dry!
- Prepare for parking - Make sure you know the height of your vehicle! We planned to park in the garage underneath Boston Commons but we're thrown off when we arrived and discovered that the clearance was only 6' 2" (and we require 6' 5" clearance for our SUV). Luckily, we were able to bypass the garage and search for another option... but, full disclosure, we parked in a random garage, then were unable to locate our car (or even the entrance to the parking garage) for a while - not fun when your feet are already tired from walking Boston!
- Food & Drink - bring your water bottles (especially if it's warm) and there are tons of food options around the trail path if you want to grab a bite to eat after the tour!
- Potty Breaks - there was not time on the tour (or facilities) for bathroom breaks. Take advantage of the bathrooms at the visitor center before the tour leaves. Once the tour ends, there are bathrooms at Faneuil Hall.
The Boston Freedom Trail is great if you are interested in the Revolutionary War, love "living history" experiences and storytelling, and/or just want to see some historical landmarks around Boston! The tour is stroller friendly if you have little ones who won't make it through all the walking. Tours depart throughout the day and you can learn more about pricing, and grab your tickets at: https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/
Read about some of the other adventures we're having on our Year-Long Road Trip!
© 2019 Meg Brunson
Thanks to The Freedom Trail for sponsoring this review. All opinions expressed are my own. See more on Instagram!
Meg is a mommy blogger, Facebook marketer, and much more. She is a mom to four kids who live full-time in an RV exploring the US! As a former Facebook employee, Meg remains a Facebook addict and handles KidsOutAndAbout.com's Social Media Marketing in addition to providing freelance services for other small businesses on how to best leverage Facebook as a part of their marketing strategy. Meg also hosts the FamilyPreneur Podcast, a podcast for parent entrepreneurs raising entrepreneurial children. Learn more about Meg at MegBrunson.com!