Discovering Early America's History Walking & Driving Tour

Walking in Boston historical center is a unique and memorable experience: not only can you admire the beauty of its parks and churches, private mansions and public buildings, cobble-stoned streets, and elegant boulevards, but also learn about the city's turbulent past that gradually reveals itself to a curious traveler. The Freedom Trail, conceived in 1951 by Boston Herald Travel writer William Schofield and put in service just a few months later, was a great success. Today this 2. 5-mile walking red-brick path links together 16 famous landmarks, allowing visitors to explore Boston's colonial and revolutionary past at their own pace. It made central Boston's historic monuments and sites easily accessible in a labyrinth of narrow streets and modern buildings in downtown Boston. Although most of the Freedom Trail can be explored on foot, to get to its final stretch - Charlestown with the Bunker Hill Monument and the Navy Yard - a car ride is required.