Boston's Freedom Trail in One Day

The carful of kids are in Boston for one day and we intend to make the most of it by walking the Freedom Trail. Boston is steeped in US history that school-aged kids will actually remember and use during the year--we're snapping kid selfies for school projects along the way because teachers love them.

The carful of kids were most recently in Bar Harbor, Maine, at Acadia National Park for a postcard perfect day that ended with lobster--can't get any better than that. We drove into the night and walked into our hotel in Boston's Back Bay at 1 a.m--powered by Dunkin' Donut's coffee and Mom.

I had sticker shock when I saw the Boston hotel rates so I waited and scored a room in a great location within walking distance of all the sights a couple of days before we arrived with a hotel consolidator. When you are road tripping through a major city, you have a car that needs to be parked and that's not cheap.

But when our car was stolen from a paid parking lot in Montreal, Canada, you can't be too careful. Our hotel has an attached garage with a 24-hour self-park rate so we could check out of our room and leave the car to walk the Freedom Trail and take public transportation back. It's expensive but beats trying to find a spot on the street in Boston.

After a Sorry, No to the carful of kids when they beg for room service, we load up the SUV, grab some donuts and head to the Boston Common, where our trek begins. The Freedom Trail is two and a half miles long, a pleasant walk for adults but a little harder for our six-year-old, but there are plenty of places to rest and eat along the way.

The Swan Boats

On our way to the park we stop at Trinity Church, designed by Henry Richardson, it was finished in 1877. It is a National Historic Landmark and one of the ten most significant buildings in the US by the AIA (American Institute of Architects).

Moving along, our next stop is the Public Garden for the Swan Boats, a Boston tradition since 1877 when Robert Paget launched his first swan boat. This is a must for any visitor and the carful of kids get in line for the first boat at 10 a.m. ($3.00 adults/$2.00 kids 2-15).

Across the street from the Swan Boats is the Boston Common, the oldest park in the US that dates back to 1634. Originally used as a cow pasture until 1830, then as a British Army camp during the Revolutionary War--today it is the official start of the Boston Freedom Trail.

There are several tour companies offering guided tours but we are winging it with the official Freedom Trail app. It is also a National Park and the NPS arranges guided tours too. The carful of kids will be earning a Junior Ranger Badge, the booklets are available at the visitors center on the first floor of Faneuil Hall (open year round from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

The carful of kids find the red line in the sidewalk that will guide us through Downtown Boston and start walking; our first official stop is the Massachusetts State House. Finished in 1798 but it didn't get its distinctive gold dome until many years later, it is still the home to the Massachusetts Commonwealth government and tours can be scheduled in advance Monday through Friday.

After walking past the Park Street Church, we find our first graveyard, Granary Burying Ground, where Paul Revere and John Hancock are buried. It was established in 1660 and has 2,300 gravestones including some with a soul effigy, a creepy little skull with wings. The kids love it--who knew.

The King's Chapel and the King's Chapel Burying Ground are the next stops before the carful of kids check out the Boston Latin School. Founded in 1635, it is the oldest public school in the US and Benjamin Franklin is its most notable dropout.

Ben Franklin at the Boston Latin School

The carful of kids walk past the Old Corner Bookstore, the oldest commercial building in Boston, that was built in 1718 before finding our next stop.

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 and was the largest building in Colonial Boston. The carful of kids walk in ($6/adults $1/kids 6 to 18, open 9:30 to 5:00, spring to fall) to get an in-depth history lesson of the Boston Tea Party.

Writing with a quill at Old State House

The Old State House was built in 1713 to house the Colonial government and is the site for several important events in Colonial history. The Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony for the first time in 1776. Today, it houses a great interactive tour for kids ($10/adults, free/kids under 18, open 9:30 to 5:15, spring to fall).

Outside the steps of the Old State House is the site of the Boston Massacre. Where on March 5, 1770, five Colonists were killed by British soldiers after a confrontation.

Getting crepes outside Faneuil Hall

Faneuil Hall is the next important site on the Freedom Trail, it has been a busy marketplace since 1741. It has been named the "cradle of liberty" and there are historical talks every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 4:30. This is where Colonists protested against the Sugar and the Stamp Acts. It is operated by the NPS, there's a visitors center and it's free to enter.

Paul Revere Statute outside Old North Church

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace is behind Faneuil Hall and it's packed with tourists, street performers and food carts. It's hard to pull the carful of kids away and get back on the red line walking towards our next stop.

The Paul Revere House ($3.50/adults, $1/kids, open 9:30 to 5:15, spring to fall) was built in 1680, but purchased by Paul Revere in 1770 and this is where he lived at the time of his fabled ride. He shared this house with his mother, his wife and nine of his 16 children--eight from each of his two wives. The Paul Revere House is an interesting look into the domestic life of Colonial Boston and is a must for school-age kids.

The Old North Church opened its door in 1723 but was immortalized when two Sons of Liberty put a couple of lanterns in the steeple on April 18, 1775, signaling the advancement of the British Redcoats. It is open 9 to 6 from spring to fall.

The carful of kids are tired but we still want to see a couple of sights. It is a mile to the USS Constitution so we catch a cab and drive by the Copp's Hill Burying Ground.

The USS Constitution, Old Ironsides, was commissioned in
1797 and earned its nickname during the War of 1812. It is still an active warship with the US Navy and the tours are lead by sailors.

The USS Constitution is to enter dry dock in April 2015 for a three-year restoration project but will be open for tours. The carful of kids enjoy the tour and love the hammocks and cannons on deck.

Below deck

Know before you go--security is tight at the USS Constitution, be prepared for long lines to get through the airport style checkpoint. You will be required to show identification too. It requires a couple of hours to clear security and tour the boat on a busy day.

The carful of kids turn in their booklets at the USS Constitution for our Boston National Historical Park Junior Ranger Badges. It is has been a full day of history for the carful of kids and a great refresher for me.

Harvard

The carful of kids are famished but we want to visit Harvard so we grab a cab and head over to Cambridge. We have dinner plans with our old babysitter, now college student, to sample some pizza.

The carful of kids walk through the Harvard campus on our way to Pinocchio's Pizza, one of Mark Zuckerberg's haunts in his college days. We grab some plates of square pizza and head to Winthrop Square.

After a pizza picnic, the carful of kids stroll through MIT on our way to our first subway experience together. It is after hours so the T won't be crowded but I'm still a little nervous herding my carful of small-town kids onto a train.

After a good look at the T map, I find the station closest to our car, get a CharlieCard for each one of us at the self-serve kiosk, swipe all the cards and get the kids through the turnstile; then we wait for the train. Once inside, I have to remind the kids to hold on, just to be ignored. I hide my smile when the kids trip over each other looking to grab onto something when the train lurches forward.

We get off at our stop and I have to admit, I'm a little relieved--we did it. Sure it would have been easier, faster and a little cheaper to take a cab but now the carful of kids have been on a subway and that is a valuable experience for later in life.

It's late and the sun has set as the carful of kids straggle up to our SUV, two seconds and they're asleep but I still have to drive to Connecticut. Coffee?

Up next: The Statue of Liberty.