Boston Self-Guided Audio Tour Bundle: Freedom Trail & More

Embark on this adventure into America's Revolutionary past at the heart of old Boston: the Boston Common. This spacious green has been a part of the city since it's early colonial beginnings. We'll begin the tour by the Visitor Center and find the red-brick path. As we follow the path, we'll dive back in time to the 1700s and set the scene....

Each tour covers essential sights and takes 2-3 hours, over 3+ miles.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds between Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

The first stop along our red-bricked Freedom Trail tour is right at the corner of Boston Common: the Massachusetts State House! This building is both historic and architecturally beautiful.... and of course, we can't forget about it's eye-catching golden dome! We'll pause in front of the State House to catch up on a couple of key Revolutionary War characters (and soon-to-be American heroes) and a little colonial history. We'll also take a look at the Robert G Shaw and 54th Memorial, which stands opposite the State House. Who was Shaw and what made the 54th Regiment so significant? We'll get into all of those details right here.

From the State House and Shaw Memorial, we'll continue following the Freedom Trail. That brings us through Boston Common and out to the Park Street Church. As we walk, we'll dive into the most important question of all: what prompted the Revolutionary War? As we peel back the layers, we discover that the battle for American Independence was one falling domino in a long chain of dominos stretching across multiple continents and older wars...

This brings us to the truly ancient Granary Burying Ground! Established in 1660, this is only Boston's third-oldest burying ground. Can you imagine what's changed in the last 400 years? Well for one thing, this ground is so old it actually holds the grave of Mother Goose. We still hear her stories today! We'll also visit the graves of American legends like Paul Revere, Robert Paine, and James Otis. And we can't miss John Hancock and Sam Adams' graves either! Lastly, we'll visit the graves of those killed in the Boston Massacre, one of the stepping stones to the full-blown revolution. We'll be heading to the site of this Massacre later.

From the Granary, we'll continue following the Freedom Trail's red bricks. We'll check out the King's Chapel along the way and pause in front of the Latin School. This historic site contains a number of fun statues to pose with (including a donkey!) and quite a lot of rich history to dive into.

A few steps down from the Latin School, we'll find the Irish Famine Memorial. Here we'll jump a bit later into Boston history and talk about the new wave of immigrants after the revolution. We'll learn about the hardships they faced and overcame... and where these communities are today.

Just across the street from the Irish Famine Memorial, we'll find the historic Old South Meeting House. This small, tucked-away building is easy to miss but we'll pause in front of it. Here, we'll be transported back in time to one of the most fateful events leading up the Revolutionary War... the Boston Tea Party. We'll learn all about the organizers, their motivations, and of course the consequences of their "tea party".

The Old Corner Bookstore is a historic commercial building located at 283 Washington Street at the corner of School Street in the historic core of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1718 as a residence and apothecary shop and first became a bookstore in 1828.

Our red-brick road finally brings us to one of the most popular stops along the Freedom Trail: the Old State House. We'll pause here to identify key architectural features and learn about it's significance (and long history!). Then, we'll walk around to the other side....

... to see the site of the infamous Boston Massacre! But was it a massacre? Or just a rowdy riot, as the British said? We'll dive into the thrilling tale while standing at the very spot where history unfolded. We'll also learn about Crispus Attacks, an honored American hero.

We'll follow the Freedom Trail to another popular resting spot: Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market! First, we'll explore the site's fascinating history and then explore its a huge range of food options!

As we continue our journey along the red-bricked path of the Freedom Trail, we'll also dive into the story of the historic Haymarket, the new and striking Holocaust Memorial out in front, and the stunning view of the Custom House Tower a little beyond. We'll learn a bit about each of these sites as we make our way to another popular stop.

Our path brings us to another popular stop along the Freedom Trail: Paul Revere's House! Here we'll learn about Paul Revere's famous "Midnight Ride", it's immortalization in a poem by Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow and the truths and myths behind this historic moment.

From Paul Revere's House, we'll make our way to the Old North Church. This is the iconic site where the "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns were lit, silently signalling the British troops' movements to colonial revolutionaries.

From the Old North Church, we'll follow the Freedom Trail farther up to the historic Copp's Hill Burying Ground. This historic cemetery in Boston's North End is older than the Granary... but only by a year!

Our last few stops are a little farther along, over the bridge and into the Charlestown Navy Yard. There we'll see the historic and impressive USS Constitution -- and learn all about her epic battle against the Guerriere. We'll explore the naval battles of the War for Independence in more detail while at this historic site.

Finally we'll follow the Freedom Trail up to the Bunker Hill Monument, built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. We'll walk around this hill, exploring the site of this epic battle and getting an understanding of the brutality and intensity of the battle for freedom. This site is the last along our comprehensive tour along Boston's historic Freedom Trail.

Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the oldest part of the Harvard University campus, its historic center, and modern crossroads.

The centerpiece of Harvard's Yard is the statue of John Harvard... who actually didn't found the university! As we dive into the university's early years, we'll also learn about when and how the all-male college integrated women.

Our tour continues past two picturesque student dorms - Mower and Holworthy. We'll learn about their significance and then continue to the famed Harvard Science Center.

Next up: the imposing High Victorian Gothic Memorial Hall. This is the most beautiful building on campus, without contest.

Our Harvard tour continues to Memorial Church and into the New Yard. We'll discover some significant Harvard history and sights along the way.

Here we'll admire the gorgeous Widener Library and learn all about the eclectic Wideners..

Our tour continues beyond the Library and towards more dorms. First up: Weld Hall, once home to President JFK. As we check out the beautiful architecture, we'll also learn about the dorm's other famous residents.

Then we continue to Wigglesworth Hall, Bill Gates' once-domain. We'll learn about Gates and other notable alumni who lived in this dorm.

Prefer someone more recent? Gray's Hall was home to Malia Obama.... and a couple of other names you're sure to recognize.

That brings us to Matthews Hall, where Matt Damon once lived!

And we can't forget Straus Hall, once home to Mark Zuckerberg. And so many others too! Our tour continues through campus, exploring traditions and anecdotes until we're almost back to where we started: Johnson Gate.

Our historic tour begins at one of Boston's most underappreciated marvels of architecture: South Station. We'll take a moment to analyze the enormous eagle and clock dominating the facade.

The Harborwalk is 43 miles long, but we’ll focus on the historic Waterfront District from South Station to Long Wharf. That’s only about 1 mile. We’ll cover everything from the Boston Tea Party to the newest skyscrapers along the shore.

Right across the street, we'll find a stunning example of modern architecture with the Federal Reserve. As we walk past, we'll learn the intriguing stories behind the bland name.

At Russia Wharf, we're officially at the start of our Harborwalk journey and our trip into the past. We'll learn about the booming international trade during the colonial era.... the foundation which would later lead to the epic Boston Tea Party.

As we walk along Boston's Harborwalk, we'll look out across the water for a glimpse of an actual blast from the past: a colonial ship packed with tea crates! We'll learn about the events of Boston's Tea Party but we'll also dive deeper: what really caused this riot? Why were taxes so high? What did a far-away international war have to do with the price of tea in Boston?

Our journey brings us to Rowe's Wharf — named for one of the tea smugglers who encouraged the "Tea Party"! We'll learn about John Rowe and his adventures with the law as we walk through.

The Harbor Hotel is a stunning piece of architecture, blending modern and colonial styles seamlessly. Its 80-foot copper dome contains a glass cupola. If you walk to the center of the archway and look straight up, you can see all the through the top of the dome to the glass cupola above.

As we continue our walk along Boston's Harborwalk, our journey back in time takes us from the Boston Tea Party into a more recent era. As we walk, we'll admire the beautiful Moakley Courthouse across the water and learn about its significance to the city and its people.

The Brutalist-style Harbor Towers are unmissable. Brutalism was all the rage in the 1970s. Today, the style polarizes observers. Some people see a kind of strange beauty in the sparse, overbearing structures. Others see, well, just plain ugly buildings! These days, you can always identify the style anywhere by its grim, fortress-like appearance. We'll learn about the towers, Boston's struggle between affordable and luxury living, and one of the city's most ambitious projects: cleaning up this very harbor.

We're now approaching a popular stop in Boston and along the Harborwalk: the Aquarium! This huge attraction is partially built over the Harbor, allowing the aquarium access to the natural environment of Boston's Harbor.

Our tour along the scenic Harborwalk ends at one of Boston's most historic spots: Long Wharf. From colonial battles against the British to modern crowds of tourists, this Wharf remains a Boston hotspot. Enjoy the views and history as we conclude our story at this scenic stop.

Our Cape Ann excursion begins at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center. We'll get our view breathtaking views of the waterfront from this point.

Instead of setting off on our drive right away, we'll first check out the most striking feature of the scenery: the massive Tablet Rock. In 1907, the plaque the rock was unveiled to Commemorate the first settlers in this area.

We can also choose to walk around this area before our driving, admiring the amazing views of the park, the ocean, and the city.

Our drive along Cape Ann's scenic harbor begins once we cross the canal. First, we'll admire Cape Ann's most famous monument: the Fisherman's Memorial. As we continue, we'll learn about the significance of fishing in Cape Ann's past — and the famous movie about it, "The Perfect Storm".

Here we can choose to pause again to explore Cape Ann's Harborwalk. Along the path are 41 granite slabs containing pieces of the town’s long, odd, sometimes sad history. These “story moments,” as they are called, were put together by teams of volunteers eager to show the world what Gloucester is made of. Taken together, they form a mosaic of this strange, beautiful place.

Cape Ann and Glouchester’s whale watching industry guarantees whale sightings with every voyage. Their boats often take passengers to a marine wildlife preserve that’s been called one of the top five whale-watching destinations in the entire world!

As we drive along scenic Cape Ann's waterfront, we'll discover beaches both big and small. We can choose to stop at one, some, or all, as we learn more about what's unique about each one.

Beauport, also known as Sleeper–McCann House, Little Beauport, or Henry Davis Sleeper House, is a beautiful historic home tucked away on the Cape Ann waterfront. As we drive, we'll dive back into Cape Ann's history.

During the early 1800s, maritime trade in Gloucester was booming. Ships traveling between these ports and China or India were turning enormous profits, and captains started to become especially anxious at the prospect of losing their extremely valuable cargo in a shipwreck. Enter: lighthouses!

Thacher Island is a small island off Cape Ann on the Massachusetts coast in the United States. It is a part of the Town of Rockport. It was a place where some naval confrontations, both minor and major, took place, which helped secure a victory for the colonists.

Our scenic drive along Cape Ann now leaves Gloucester and brings us into Rockport. We'll learn more about Rockport and the region as we drive.

Our brings us to "the most painted building in America"!

This land was once home to a large number of bears, but don’t worry! They’re long gone now. According to legend, one such bear was caught by the tide and killed in 1700, which is how this place got its name.

Granite Pier is one of the Rockport’s oldest piers. As you might have guessed, this used to be where ships would be loaded with granite for transport. As we explore the pier and nearby beaches, we'll get a better understanding of the Cape Ann of days past, and that of the present. Our drive then continues along Halibut Point and Harvey Reservation.

Annisquam Harbor Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Wigwam Point. As we approach, we'll learn more about shipwrecks, shipping, fishing, and maritime trade.

Our scenic drive along Cape Ann has finally looped back to Stop 1! We're nearly back at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center.