Things to do in  Boston

Constructed prior to the American Revolutionary War, Faneuil Hall Marketplace has served as a bustling market for centuries. Today, the attraction, located on the city’s Freedom Trail, actually comprises four individual buildings: Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market, and South Market. It is a popular place for sightseeing and dining, and it features an ever-changing lineup of street performers outside.

Marking the starting point of Boston’s Freedom Trail—a brick-lined walking trail around the city’s American Revolution landmarks—Boston Common unfolds across 50 acres (20 hectares) of public green spaces and walkways in the heart of downtown. As well as serving as Boston’s green lungs, its venerable past and attractions draw visitors keen to escape the downtown bustle, view historical monuments, and enjoy the Frog Pond, which offers wading in summer and ice skating in winter.

Inhabited since the 1630s, Boston's North End is understandably home to a variety of historic attractions, including the Paul Revere House (the starting place of his famous midnight ride in 1775) and the Old North Church, both of which are on the city’s Freedom Trail. But the neighborhood is equally known for its cultural offerings; dubbed Boston's Little Italy, the North End is a popular destination to grab Italian-American fare.

The main hub of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Quincy Market has attracted locals and visitors alike for nearly 200 years. The historic food hall located within a Greek Revival-style building is packed with more than 50 shops, 14 restaurants, and 40 food court stops—plus stalls and pushcarts selling everything from exotic coffee to fresh seafood and artisanal bread.

The Granary Burying Ground was founded in 1660 and the cemetery is a key stop on the Freedom Trail. This colonial sight is perhaps best known for its esteemed residents, and the gravestones are a who's-who of 17th- and 18th-century New England notables. Important Bostonians interred here include Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, among others.

Built in 1797 and named by George Washington, the three-masted USS Constitution frigate in Boston is the United States Navy's oldest commissioned ship and one of the world's oldest warships. Visitors can go aboard the ship, docked at Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard and restored to its original glory, to explore an important slice of US history.

Built in 1713, Boston's Old State House is the city’s oldest public building and considered pivotal to prerevolutionary US history. Dwarfed by Boston’s skyscrapers and a fixture on its revolution-tracing Freedom Trail, the onetime government building is now a museum to the city’s revolutionary era and the events that kindled the American Revolution.

Dating from 1729, Boston’s Old South Meeting House was a congregational church and a gathering place for protestors who sparked the American Revolution with the 1773 Boston Tea Party. A key site on Boston’s Freedom Trail, the brick building is now a museum where visitors can chart the beginnings of the country’s 1776 revolution.

Crowning Boston’s Beacon Hill, the Massachusetts State House is the seat of Massachusetts’ government and one of many sites on the city’s Freedom Trail—a red-brick route connecting its American Revolution-related landmarks. Opened in 1798, the gold-domed building has an impressive interior filled with art and historical artifacts.

Home to the Massachusetts State House, Boston’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood is reminiscent of 19th-century London—replete with cobbled streets, brownstone buildings, and flower-filled window boxes. At night, gas lanterns flicker to life and create a romantic atmosphere for fine dining and bar-hopping.

Located in the North End and built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is the oldest building in downtown Boston. It is famous for being the house Revere left from on the night of his famous “midnight ride” to warn his compatriots that the British were coming to arrest them in 1775. He lived there with his family from 1770 to 1800.

More than 10,000 Bostonians are interred at Copp's Hill Burying Ground, a colonial cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places. This Boston landmark is a stop on the famed Freedom Trail. It's located steps from sights like the Paul Revere House and Old North Church, and offers easy access to the area's standout Italian eateries.

Encounter maritime history at the Charlestown Navy Yard, one of the most prolific naval facilities in US history. This Boston yard served ships for more than 175 years, and now hosts the USS Constitution—and its museum—and the USS Cassin Young. Commercial business stopped in 1974; it's now a National Park Service site and free to visit.

Relive the revolutionary events of December 16, 1773, at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. Located in Boston Harbor, this floating museum offers visitors an immersive experience, featuring full-scale replica tea ships, live costumed actors, a multi-sensory documentary, interactive exhibits, and historic artifacts. It’s a fun way to get the whole family interested in these pivotal events in US history.

The 2.5-mile-long (4-kilometer) Freedom Trail winds through downtown Boston, from southerly Boston Common, the nation's oldest public park, to the Bunker Hill Monument on the north side of the Charles River. The red-brick path and its designated stops, including colonial-era churches, museums, and meeting houses, make for an excellent introduction to Boston and its role in the American Revolution and United States history.