10 Best Historic Things to See in Boston

The Freedom Trail is the best way to see most of the significant sites in the city, from museums to churches, meeting houses to public parks, and even a battleship. The trail is 2.5 miles long from Boston Common downtown to Paul Revere's house in the city's North End. You can walk it yourself by following markers on the streets, or you can book a guided tour.

The tours are highly recommended as, while you may not get to spend as much time at a given site as you'd like, you'll learn many interesting and fun facts about each location. On the walk, you'll see just about all there is to see in Boston's storied history.

The John F. Kennedy National Historic Site offers the chance to see and tour the childhood home of one of our country's most popular presidents. The home is both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Site in the Brookline neighborhood and is owned by the National Park Service. You'll take a tour and watch a film presentation covering the life of the President.

A tour covers the house, basement, living room, dining room, master bedroom, nursery, guest bedroom, boudoir, and kitchen. The attic is not part of the tour and contains administrative offices. You can also, if you choose, take a self-guided tour to explore the home on your own.

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace is an important site in historic downtown Boston, which served as an underground meeting place for revolutionaries during the 18th century. Today, however, it's the home of the Quincy Market, so you'll do double duty exploring an important historic site that played a vital role in the birth of our nation, and you'll explore dozens of stalls where you'll find fresh foods and fantastic dining options.

If you're looking to grab a bite to eat while you're taking the trail to visit historic sites in Boston, this is a must-stop location. Whether you're grabbing a quick takeaway bite or you want a sit-down meal, you'll find home cooking here to rival any restaurant around.

The Bunker Hill Monument and Museum is dedicated to commemorating one of the biggest and most important early battles of the Revolutionary War and offers extraordinary city views. The museum offers hundreds of exhibits, artifacts, documents, and information about the Battle of Bunker Hill along with the history of Charlestown and the construction of the market. You'll learn the cause of the battle, the role it played in the early Revolution, and why it was so vital to our eventual victory in the war.

With a special pass from the museum, you can climb to the top of the 221-foot viewing tower for astonishing views of the city and photo ops. Best of all, visiting the monument is free.

The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum offers seven distinct sections that let you engage in interactive exhibits that let you walk back in time to experience the famed rebellion. Though the Boston Tea Party took place in 1773, this exhibition will make you feel like you are right in the middle of it as you climb full-scale replicas of 18th-century ships, view historic artifacts, and witness re-enactments of the event with live actors and a 4D award-winning film.

Though sections 6 and 7 of the museum are free, sections 1-5 do require buying a ticket to the museum. It's right in the heart of downtown Boston.

The Paul Revere House is a genuine 17th-century building that houses 3 generations of historic occupants from Revere himself through Naval sailors and 19th-century immigrants. The home was built in 1680 and purchased by Paul Revere in 1770, where he lived with his family until 1800. It later operated as a boarding house and a tenement for immigrants, and it housed many businesses over the years, until 1908 when it became one of the earliest house museums in the nation.

Today, the house is the oldest building in downtown Boston, and one of the few remaining 17th-century buildings in our nation's inner-city areas. As you explore, you'll learn the fascinating true story of the famous Midnight Ride.

The Boston Public Library offers over 1.7 million rare books and manuscripts and a major art collection in a building that showcases astounding architecture, 10 minutes west of downtown. This library is considered among the most important in the nation due to the sheer breadth of its collection. You can explore the shelves, artworks, and gorgeous structure on your own, or you can take a guided tour to learn all about its history and the rare collections it offers.

If you're a bibliophile, the library has plenty to offer on its own. For those looking to set their eyes on unique books and manuscripts that are hundreds of years old, a tour is the way to go.

The USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," is the oldest ship in the world that is still afloat in its original condition, and you can step onboard. The ship played a vital role not only in the American Revolution but in the War of 1812. Even after the war, decades later, it sailed the seas to visit dozens of ports. Its most recent sailing took place in the early 2000s, proving that after well over 200 years, it's still seaworthy.

Not only can you explore the ship, but an attached museum. Here you'll learn about its most famous battles and discover what life at sea was like in those days gone by.

The Old North Church and historic sites in North End let you explore the many sites where the American Revolution was born, plus the beginning of the Midnight Ride. This is the place where the phrase "one if by land, to if by sea" entered the American lexicon. It's also the oldest still-standing church in Boston, built in 1723. You can enter the church and take a seat in one of the box pews where people like Sam Adams and Paul Revere may once have sat.

Among the quirky attractions here is the chance to learn about 18th-century chocolate. You can visit the gift shop and stroll the five gardens. Take a guided tour to really delve into history.

Castle Island is an important military fortification that has housed defensive encampments since the 17th century, the most notable being Fort Independence. Since Boston was just a small village, this island (actually, a peninsula) has been vital in its defense. By the 19th century, Fort Independence was a U.S. military base, and it was actually used by the military during both World Wars. Today, it's a 22-acre urban park and museum open seasonally to the public from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

You can tour the fort and its museum to learn about history. You can also snap stunning waterfront photos. It's just a quick 16 minutes to the southeast of downtown.