Exploring Boston’s Freedom Trail In Winter

Boston’s Freedom Trail In Winter: What To See, What Is Closed, And What Is Still Awesome Even In The Cold

I always try to walk at least part of the Freedom Trail anytime I visit Boston, because it is a great way to explore the city while getting a refresher course on some of the most important events and people from our colonial and revolutionary days.

My last trip to the city was in January and I wasn’t sure if the Freedom Trail would be as much fun in the cold. It turns out, however, I like it better than walking the Freedom Trail during the summer.

The historic sites along the trail are close enough together that you can walk a little, then pop into a building to tour it and warm up a bit. And the lack of fellow tourists in January meant that I saw some of the places more thoroughly and learned more than I ever have on previous visits.

We had docents all to ourselves, time to read informational plaques without being jostled by crowds, and time to pose for pictures without anyone in the background.

You definitely did have to plan for the weather (hats and scarves are your friends!) and opening hours were a little bit abbreviated in a few places but overall we felt like winter was a great time to explore the Freedom Trail.

What Is The Boston Freedom Trail?

The Freedom Trail is Boston’s way of linking some of its most important historic sites together in an easy to follow trail through its downtown area.

The Freedom Trail is 2.5 miles long, includes 16 historic sites, and extends from Boston Common to Bunker Hill.

And by easy to follow, I mean exactly that. The Freedom Trail is a line of inlaid bricks set into the sidewalk or painted onto the paved streets. It even continues over bridges. You don’t need a map to follow it— it is that user friendly. The kids loved leading the way, treating it like a really long scavenger hunt.

* Pro Tip- You may not need a map to follow the trail but download the PDF brochure from the official website anyway to help you recognize the 16 historic sites along the trail when you come across them. There are so many historic buildings in Boston, it is not always immediately clear which are the ones you should be looking for.

Helpful Details About The Freedom Trail And Boston In Winter In General

How Long Does It Take To Walk The Freedom Trail?

It will take about 2 hours to walk the entire trail straight if you don’t go inside any of the sites and just read the informational plaques along the way.

But I recommend that you plan on doing the trail over at least 2 days so you have time to go inside most of the sites and explore. Many of the sites will take an hour or so to fully explore. Take advantage of the opportunity that winter gives you to see these places without hordes of fellow tourists.

Plus, our kids (14, 12, twin 10 year olds) have a history overload after about 5- 6 sites on the trail so it was best to do it over more than one day unless you have an immunity to whining (and if you do, please share how you accomplish that).

If you only have one day, plan on doing whatever part of the trail interests you most and leave the other parts for your next visit. I promise you, everyone will enjoy it more.

We split the Freedom Trail over 3 days and really took our time:

*My mileage doesn’t add up to 2.5 miles because I am leaving out some of the Freedom Trail between the sites since we kept leaving and coming back to the trail on different days. We only ended up walking 2 miles on the Freedom Trail itself, not including getting back and forth from hotels, restaurants, etc.

Day 1: Copp’s Hill Burying Ground to Faneuil Hall (0.8 miles walked)

• Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
• Old North Church
• Paul Revere House
• Faneuil Hall

This took up a large chunk of our day because we went inside everything and spent a lot of time with docents and reading signs.

Day 2: Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution (0.5 miles walked).

We started with a late morning tour of the USS Constitution and then spent a very long time at its museum so we had an extremely late lunch. We didn’t get to Bunker Hill until after sunset (so early in winter!) so these were the only two sites we saw on this day.

Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution are good to do together as they are both in Charlestown, a neighborhood just across the Charles River from downtown Boston while the rest of the sites on the Freedom Trail are in downtown Boston. You can easily walk to Charlestown from downtown Boston.

Day 3: Boston Massacre Site/ Old State House to Boston Common (0.7 miles walked)

• Boston Massacre/ Old State House
• Old South Meeting House
• Old Corner Bookstore
• Boston Latin School Site/ Benjamin Franklin Statue
• King’s Chapel and Burying Ground
• Granary Burying Ground & Park Street Church
• Massachusetts State House
• Boston Common

This was a lot to see but since the weather was absolutely freezing due to a biting wind, we buzzed through it quickly. In nicer weather, you could spend a whole afternoon in Boston Common alone.

Also the Park Street Church isn’t open in winter and the State House was closed because it was Sunday so that also sped up our time.

Getting Around The Freedom Trail

We walked almost everywhere because we stayed in a very central location. Boston is a walkable city with decent sidewalks, occasional pedestrian streets, and signaled crosswalks. (Don’t jaywalk though, Boston drivers WILL take you out.)

You can also use the T (Boston’s subway) to get around. The system has pretty wide coverage downtown and is easy to use, even if it is looking a little worn. Other options include public buses and rideshares like Uber. I write more detail about all of these options at the end of this blog.

Speaking Of The Weather, What Was It Like In January In Boston?

It was not nearly as cold as I was expecting. This is not to say it was warm, it just wasn’t the frigid conditions I was anticipating. Boston’s proximity to the ocean keeps it more moderate than its latitude might suggest.

We were lucky and had above average temperatures most of the days we were there with a high around 50 and a low around 40 (historic averages are 36-40 and 23- 28).

It did drizzle rain one day, but it is actually no more likely to rain in winter than other times of the year (8 days on average per month). Boston also generally gets less than an inch of snow in January or February (preconceived notions shattered!).

The wind is the game changer here (as any coastal person could tell you). And Boston is more likely to have higher average wind speeds in winter than in summer (9 mph versus 5 mph) so watch out for that. It was very windy on one of the days we walked around and that made it uncomfortably cold more than the actual temperature.

As a tourist, the only real drawback to walking the Freedom Trail in winter was the limited daylight. Because Boston is so far east, the sun rises early (around 7 am) and sets early (before 5 pm), giving you a little more than 9 hours of daylight.

An early sunrise is not helpful when most of the tourist sites don’t open until 10 am. It means you are either squeezing all the sites into a 10am- 4pm window, or you are happy seeing some attractions in the dark. Which is actually okay. The Bunker Hill Monument is beautifully lit at night for instance.

*February is a bit better than January with 10-11 hours of daylight and a sunset after 5 pm.

Things to make sure you pack for Boston Winter weather

• Warm jackets that are also waterproof (good for rain and wind). Or a puffy jacket/ vest + a shell— this combo covers a lot of potential weather scenarios.
• Toboggans (aka ski hats), gloves, and scarves. The scarf is your best friend when it’s windy.

Northerners may think this list sounds obvious but us southerners usually don’t wear all that unless we are actually building snowmen. I had to convince my preteen niece, unused to a scarf, that it is fashionable in other places. She refused to pack one, then stole mine the whole time we were there once she realized how useful they are. Isn’t that how that usually turns out?

The Complete Rundown Of All The Sites We Saw

The numbering is my own going north to south on the trail but you can do the trail in any order that works for you, it really doesn’t matter.

We did #3-6 on Day 1 and #1 & #2 on Day 2 because of the weather. Then we saw #7-16 on Day 3.

# 1. Bunker Hill Monument

Thanks to the 430 pm sunset while we were visiting, we saw the Bunker Hill Monument at night and were not able to climb up to the top of the monument.

It was still a worthwhile stop because the monument is beautifully lit at night and has a great view of the lights of downtown Boston. And you can still read the informational plaques around the site because they are lit as well.

The monument marks the spot where in June, 1775, British forces attempted to take a fortified hill from Colonial army and although they eventually succeeded, the British had 1,000 casualties (out of 2400 men) while the Colonials lost 300-500 men to death, wounds, or capture (out of 1400-1800 men).

It proved that the Colonial Army could hold its own against the much larger, better equipped, and better trained redcoats. The National Park Service has an excellent recap of the battle on its website.

The famous battle cry “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” is thought to have been said during this battle as the colonists were running low on ammunition.

The small Bunker Hill Museum is just across the street from the main entrance to the grounds and, from what I hear, is pretty good. (We got there right at 5, just after it closed.)

Both the museum and the monument are free to visit and are open 10-5 in the winter (hours are slightly longer in the summer). The park around the monument is always open. To climb the monument’s 294 steps to the top, you will need to check with the ranger at the lodge adjacent to the monument and be there no later than 420 pm.

# 2. USS Constitution, aka “Old Ironsides”

The oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world was a big hit with everyone, despite the drizzling rain we encountered that day. The ship was built and launched in 1797 in Boston at docks not far from her current berth. So she is, in a sense, home.

The USS Constitution is undefeated in battle and responsible for the capture of several British naval vessels during the War of 1812. The nickname “Old Ironsides” came from a British sailor who was amazed how their cannonballs just bounced off her thick wooden hull.

There are 2 parts to this site- the ship itself and the nearby museum, both of which are free (although the museum asks for donations). Everything is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, a National Park Service site that operated as a working naval yard from 1800-1974.

The USS Constitution is staffed by US Navy personnel who give the tours of the ship’s 3 decks and are available to answer questions. Tours are scheduled every 30 min and last about 30 min although you can stay a little longer to take more pictures if you wish.

The tour leader will give a short talk about the highlights on each deck, then you have a few minutes to walk around and take pictures on each deck before moving on.

*Accessibility Alert- You must be able to climb down the ship’s stairs (steep and with a rope railing) to reach the bottom 2 decks so not super accessible for those with mobility issues or in a stroller.

The associated museum was a surprise highlight for us. It had lots of interactive exhibits that the kids were completely obsessed with, plus a short film about the history of the ship.

The kids loved playing a large wooden version of “Battleship” with the 2 opposing sides being 1), American merchant ship or a 2), a French naval vessel/ British naval vessel/ Barbary pirate out to capture them. No joke, they played this for at least 30 minutes. Again, this was only possible because there were only about 10 other people in the museum while we were there, a huge difference from visiting in the summer.

The museum is a privately run non-profit that operates via donations. So while you don’t have to pay for admission, they ask for $25- $50 per family. It was money well spent for 2 hours of fun. We could have spent even more time but we got hungry. Next time, we will plan on having an early lunch and then visiting.

The ship is open in the winter from 10-4, Wed- Sun (summer hours are longer). You must have a picture ID if you are over 18 to get on the ship and everybody has to pass thru a metal detector and bag screening. Tours are first come, first served.

The museum is open daily from 10-5 and no screening required. Both the ship and the museum are closed on the major holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s but are open on the 4th of July. The ship is also closed on MLK Day.

Also in the Charlestown Navy Yard, at a pier adjacent to the USS Constitution, you will find the USS Cassin Young, a Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1943. She fought in 7 Pacific battles and survived 2 Kamikaze hits. Unfortunately, the ship is not open for tours from November until April, but you can go right up to her on the pier while the Naval Yard gates are open.

If you don’t get a chance to visit during the day, you can still get a good view of the USS Constitution at night from the surrounding piers that are open 24 hours.

If you are looking for a place to eat in Charlestown, there are 3 places we liked– Warren Tavern, Blackmoor Bar and Kitchen, and Brewer’s Fork. See my paragraph at the end of this blog on “Where To Eat” in Boston.

To get back to downtown Boston from Charlestown after seeing the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill, you can either walk across the Charlestown Bridge or you can take the MBTA ferry for a fun and scenic (and cheap) tour of Boston Harbour.

The MBTA ferry leaves from the Charlestown Yard Naval Terminal which is on the opposite side of the Cassin Young from the USS Constitution. The ferry takes you to Long Wharf by the New England Aquarium. Tickets are $3.70 adults/ kids 11 and under ride free.

You can buy tickets at the booth on the pier. Ferries are every 15-30 min from 645 am- 815 pm weekdays and 1015 am- 615 pm on Sat/Sun. If you bought a 1 day or 7 day CharlieTicket for the T (more on that at the end of this blog), it is good for this ferry service as well.

# 3. Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

This is a graveyard that turned out to be more interesting than we thought it was going to be. Several famous Bostonians are buried here, such as Increase Mather and his son Cotton Mather, both of who were influential Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Cotton Mather played a role in the Salem Witch Trials and not in a good way.

The kids particularly enjoyed finding the graves marked with medallions indicating that a Boston Tea Party participant is buried there. And they really liked the bullet marked grave of Daniel Malcolm, a reputed smuggler and passionate opponent of the British Revenue Acts. During the British occupation of Boston, redcoats took potshots at his grave for luck. Malcolm requested he be buried 10 feet deep to prevent his enemies from disturbing his body, so I guess he knew how much the British hated him.

The British used Copp’s Hill to shell Bunker Hill with cannonballs during that namesake battle. You can see the obelisk from here which gives it a nice reference point to imagine the historic scene.

I thought the informative signs at Copp’s Hill were well done and interesting, so try to walk around and read them if you can. I particularly liked learning about the free African Americans buried there, especially Prince Hall, a Revolutionary War soldier, anti-slavery activist, and founder of the world’s first black Freemason lodge.

Just across from the entrance to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground is a very skinny house that is helpfully marked with a sign outside “Skinny House.” At 4 stories tall, 10 ft wide, and only 1,166 sq ft, it definitely is undisputed owner of the title “Boston’s skinniest house”. Bet you didn’t know that it is also a spite house.

Built in 1884, legend has it that while the one brother was off at war, the other built his large house on their shared land, leaving his brother only a sliver to call his own. But he purposefully built on it anyway to ruin the view and block the sunshine from his brother’s house. The kids were fascinated with this. I was fascinated that it sold for $900,000 in May of 2017.

# 4. Old North Church

Boston’s oldest church building (1723), this is the steeple from which the lantern “one if land, two if by sea” hung, made famous in Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”.

We opted to pay admission for Old North Church because we wanted to take a break by that time on our walk and go inside to warm up. I am so glad we did. There was hardly anyone else inside the church and the super nice attendant answered a billion questions from the kids who were intrigued by the individual pew boxes– that people could buy them and decorate them as they wanted. They even had one decorated as it would have been back in the day, with red silk and heated foot boxes.

The admission wasn’t too bad- $6 an adult, $2 a kid so $20 for our family of 6. It is not covered under any all inclusive or multi-attraction Boston passes.

We did not pay the extra $2 a person for the 30 minute “Behind The Scenes” tour mostly because we didn’t think we would have time. In retrospect, I wish we had done it because the kids were disappointed they could not climb the stairs to see the bells or go down to the crypt below the church.

The church covers more than just its lantern hanging moment of fame; many important patriots and even the British general during the revolutionary days, Thomas Gage, attended church here. Each box pew has a plaque detailing something interesting about its owner or the sequence of the events leading up to Paul Revere’s ride.

* Bonus Stop Between Old North Church & the Paul Revere House

In between Old North Church and the next stop on the Trail, the Paul Revere House, you will walk by a large statue of the man himself on horseback.

The statue is nice and all but the most interesting thing about it is that when any of Boston’s sports teams are playing in a championship or people just feel like it, he gets a spiffy team shirt. (He also gets dressed up for major holidays too.)

# 5. Paul Revere House

A small house you could could walk right by if you weren’t looking for the sign outside. This is Revere’s original house, saved from demolition in 1902 by his great grandson. We almost skipped it (because it also had an entrance fee) but again, I am glad we did not.

The Paul Revere House has been restored and furnished to be historically accurate and it is really well done, from the fake food on the table to the old playing cards on the table upstairs. It is self- guided with plenty of informational signs and a museum interpreter on each floor to tell you what you are looking at.

This is another site that I found to be much better visiting in the winter than in the summer. Besides the fact that the house is not air conditioned which would make it pretty miserable in August, we were the only people in the house for a good while. We had plenty of time to ask questions of the interpreters and read all the signs without having to push thru crowds.

There is a small museum attached to the house that covers more of the details of Revere’s midnight ride. Turns out Longfellow took some creative liberties with the actual events of that night, i.e. Paul Revere did not ride off alone and he was captured by the British before he made it to Concord.

Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for kids (cash only!) and I felt it was well worth it. The kids enjoyed looking at the period furniture and gawking at how 5 kids slept in one small room with 1 double bed. That alone was worth the entrance fee.

The Paul Revere House is open 930am- 415pm in the winter. It is closed on Mondays in Jan, Feb, and March as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

* Another Bonus Stop

Between the Paul Revere House and the next stop on the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, you will go by the New England Holocaust Memorial.

The memorial is a somber and thought provoking installation consisting of 6 glass towers. There is steam billowing out of the vents within each tower, meant to evoke the gas chambers of the concentration camps. Inscribed inside each tower is a quote from survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust while the outside of the glass panels is inscribed with 17,000 7 digit numbers like the numbers tattooed on victims’ arms.

My 10 year old nephews are studying WW2 in school so even they understood the significance of the memorial. It was certainly a change of pace from the Freedom Trail’s emphasis on the colonial years and was one of the most memorable moments of the day.

# 6. Faneuil Hall

Built in 1741 by merchant Peter Faneuil as a gift to the city, the ground floor was a popular marketplace for the growing colony and the Great Hall upstairs was the site of many of speeches against “taxation without representation” by leading patriots such as Samuel Adams.

The National Park Service Visitor Center is on the first floor of Faneuil Hall and it has a gift shop, a help desk, tons of brochures about historic sites in Boston, and some history. This is where the old marketplace was located.

Look for the big printing press on the east side of the building on the first floor. If you are lucky, a period dressed docent will give a demonstration of how the Declaration of Independence would have been printed back in the day.

Our demonstrator even let my 12 year old niece work the handles. This was a huge hit with the kids. He was full of interesting trivia and very personable. Again we basically had all of his attention because there wasn’t anyone else around the printing press, very different from when I have visited in summer.

The Great Hall upstairs is where the colonists had their meetings. Even after the Revolution, Boston’s city government continued to meet there until it became too small.

The Hall was still used as a public meeting place for the community though, as abolitionists, suffragists, etc all had meetings here. JFK gave a campaign speech in the Hall in 1960. It is used by the city for immigration ceremonies today.

The marketplace was so successful, the city voted to expand it in the 1820s, which is why you will find Quincy Market just behind Faneuil Hall. More expansion lead to North and South Market Buildings on either side of Quincy Market.

Nowadays, the whole area is a bustling place full of shops, restaurants, plus a ton of temporary pushcart vendors set up in the surrounding pedestrian areas (when the weather is nice enough). It is all collectively known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The marketplace is a fun place to go shopping, even if many of the shops are exactly the same as in your mall at home and it is not exactly cheaper at this prime location. But you will find some Boston specialties, such as Best of Boston, which carries all kinds of souvenirs, food, and clothing.

If you have a tweenager, chances are they will never want to leave this area. Which is fine because you can easily indulge your inner foodie at the long hall of takeaway counters in Quincy Market. Lobster rolls, bakeries, noodle shops, “chowda” specialists, etc, can all be found here.

Faneuil Hall is open daily 9-5 except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. The Great Hall upstairs is sometimes closed to visitors for city sponsored events. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace is open 10-7 M-Th, 10-9 Fri and Sat, and 12-6 on Sundays in the winter (summer hours are longer). The restaurants in the marketplace often have their own hours.

* The pedestrian areas around Faneuil Hall and the markets will be filled with performers on any day with halfway decent weather. Some of them are really good– like the dancers we saw with skateboards and their own stereo equipment. Some were not so good, like the bongo drummer who only knew one rhythm. Regardless, the kids were fascinated so we spent a lot more time at Faneuil Hall than we planned, so keep that in mind.

# 7. Boston Massacre Site & # 8. The Old State House

The Boston Massacre took place right outside the Old State House so it is easy to combine these 2 stops on the tour. They are close to Faneuil Hall as well.

Built in 1713 to house the offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Old State House is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. It also held the Council Chamber of the Royal Governor, the Assembly, and the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

Inside the Old State House, you can go thru the recreated rooms of the Council Chamber and see the exhibits covering the Boston Massacre and the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The Old State House is open from 9-5 (6 pm in summer). Admission is $12 adult and free for kids under 18.

Because of time constraints and the kids being a little museum-ed out, we did not go into the Old State House on this trip, but I have gone in the past. The best thing to do in the State House is participate in the 25 minute docent tours that are included with admission. Take advantage of the lack of crowds in the winter so you can really hear what they are saying and ask questions.

If you aren’t up for the tours, then I would probably skip the entrance fee, especially if you have gotten to explore some of the other historic sites on the Trail and feel like you are good on your colonial history. If you haven’t done any tours or gone inside any of the other places on the Freedom Trail, then I would do the Old State House. It is a great look at some watershed moments in colonial history.

There are 2 docent-led tours: a Boston Massacre Tour and an Old State House tour. The scheduled times follow each other so it is easy to do both. Check the website for your specific dates, but when we were there, the first Old State House tour started at 10 am and the first Boston Massacre tour was at 1030 am. The next tours were at 12 pm (and 1230), 2 pm (and 230), then the last tours at 4 pm (and 430). Tours take place 7 days a week.

If you only care about the Boston Massacre and the kids are over visiting any more museums, then skip entering the Old State House and look for the large medallion inset in the sidewalk just in front of the building. This marks the spot near where the event happened. (The shooting actually took place in the middle of the busy, multilane intersection next to the marker so you can see why they moved it here. Close enough, right?)

The medallion has 5 stars on the bronze outer ring to commemorate the 5 victims of the massacre and 13 cobblestone spokes for the 13 original colonies. Look for the information plaques nearby to learn more about the massacre.

# 9. Old South Meeting House

These next two sites are catty-corner to each other so it is easy to see them together.

The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house (which functioned as a church as well). Several famous Bostonians were members- Sam Adams, William Otis, young Benjamin Franklin and his family, and the African- American poet Phyllis Wheatley.

Meetings too large for Faneuil Hall were held here, including the famous one on December 16, 1775 to protest the hated “tea tax.” When a compromise could not be reached, Sam Adams gave the signal from the Old South Meeting House to begin the Boston Tea Party.

During the British occupation of Boston, they destroyed the interior of the church and turned it into a place to practice jumping their horses. The Brits knew its importance to the people of Boston and this was not an inadvertent act.

The interior of the Old South Meeting House is fairly similar to Old North Church with its pew boxes and decor except that the exhibits on the walls here are focused on the Boston Tea Party rather than Paul Revere. But general revolutionary history is also covered, plus there is a small exhibit on Phyllis Wheatley, an enslaved poet who published a book of poems in 1773 and counted George Washington as a reader.

Like other sites on the Freedom Trail, we enjoyed visiting in winter versus summer as you had plenty of time to look at the exhibits and ask questions of the docents without feeling rushed.

Admission to Old South Meeting House is minimal- $6 adult, $1 for kids (free under 5). Open 10-4 in winter (930-5 in summer) and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years. Also closed on Tuesdays in February.

# 10. Old Corner Bookstore

The Old Corner Bookstore is important because not only is the building pretty old (1718), but it housed the publishing house of Ticknor & Fields from 1832- 1865. These were some of the most important publishers in the world at the time, publishing Walden and The Scarlet Letter, as well as the Atlantic Monthly, which introduced the world to writers such as Lousia May Alcott.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Richard Henry Dana, and many others, gathered at the nearby Parker Hotel (across from the Latin School a block away) to discuss their works and exchange literary gossip at what they called The Saturday Club that met at 3pm on the last Saturday of each month. The gatherings led to the creation of the Atlantic Monthly magazine. So between this building and the Parker Hotel (now an Omni hotel), a lot of very witty people have trod.

The Old Corner Bookstore is now a Chipotle which is either a travesty, a hilarious take on the march of time, or a convenient lunch/ dinner stop on the Freedom Trail, depending on your outlook.

# 11. Boston Latin School Site/ Benjamin Franklin Statue

Just around the corner from Old South Meeting House is the location of the Boston Latin School when it opened in 1635. It was America’s first public school (and it is its oldest too because the school is still operating at its current location in Fenway).

The mosaic hopscotch board on the sidewalk marks the spot where the school stood until 1844 when it moved farther west to a bigger building.

Benjamin Franklin was a student at the school, which offered free education to boys (girls were not admitted until 1972). Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence were also alumni: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Robert Paine, and William Hooper. Franklin’s statue stands near the mosaic, just inside the fence.

Legend has it that when word spread around Boston about the battles in Lexington and Concord, the headmaster at the school announced “Books closed. School is done and war has begun!”

*Fun Kid Stop– In the same little plaza in front of the Old City Hall as Ben Franklin’s statue, you will see a lovely little donkey sculpture that the kids will immediately gravitate to. Feel free to climb on it, it is meant for that. The donkey has a strange history that you won’t find on any sign nearby. I had to look it up when we got back home. The story is definitely worth a read for its convolutedness.

# 12. King’s Chapel and Burying Ground

King’s Chapel was founded as the first Anglican church in America in 1686. The current Georgian building dates from 1754 and the bell tower rings a bell cast by Paul Revere so plenty of history here as well. After the Loyalists departed for Canada in 1776, the building became America’s first Unitarian church which it is still today.

The interior of the church is a slightly more ornate version of Old North Church and Old South Meeting House, with the familiar pew boxes and elevated pulpit.

It is free to enter but they ask for a small donation ($4 an adult). Look for the brochures for a self- guided tour and for the interpretive displays about important events in the church’s history or notable congregants.

The church is open in the winter Friday- Monday 10 am- 4 pm (130 pm- 4 pm on Sundays).

If you really want to get the most out of your visit, do the 40 minute Bell & Bones tour that takes you up to the belfry and down to the crypt. We did not get a chance to do this, but I have heard it is very interesting and that the guides are really into it. The tour costs $7 adults/ $3 kids and you need to be over 10 years old, able to climb steep stairs, and not suffer from claustrophobia. Tour times are 11am, 12 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm Fridays- Monday (Sundays 2 pm and 3 pm.)

The burying ground next to the church is the oldest in downtown Boston so it makes sense that Mary Chilton, the first woman to set off the Mayflower, is buried here along with a lot of other notable Bostonians. My favorite part is the straight rows of headstones which apparently was done in the early 1800s to make it look pretty and has no correlation to who is buried underneath.

#13. Granary Burying Ground & #14. Park Street Church

Again, these 2 places are next to each other so we combined into one long stop. The church wasn’t open in winter and it was freezing this day so it was a quick stop before we walked on to the next places on the list.

Yet another cemetery, the Granary Burying Ground is a much bigger graveyard than King’s Chapel and has the remains of some of Boston’s most famous people– Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and all 5 of the Boston Massacre victims.

The Granary Burying Ground is both pretty and free, which makes it a nice stop on the Freedom Trail if the weather is decent. It was not for us, being a cold and super windy day, so we peeked in and kept going. It is open from 9-4 in the winter.

Next door to the Granary Burying Ground, on the site of the old granary that gave the place its name, is Park Street Church. This congregationalist church, built in 1809, is on the Freedom Trail but is only open from June- Aug so we did not go in.

# 15. Massachusetts State House

Another Charles Bullfinch designed building in Boston, the State House is famous for its gold dome that was originally coppered by Paul Revere in 1802. The State House is open weekdays 9-5.

Enter through the gates by the statue of General Hooker (and yes, everyone giggles and makes the same joke.) The statue is to the right if you are looking at the front of the building, at the corner of Park and Beacon. Go up to the 2nd floor to the Information Desk.

Free, 45 min tours are given by a docent from 10am – 330pm. The tours take you through the beautiful atrium and both the House and Senate chambers (if they are not in session). Be sure to look out for the “Sacred Cod” in the House chambers where it has been hanging over them since 1784.

We skipped this stop too because we walked by the State House on a Sunday so it was not open. But I have done the tour in years past and enjoyed it although I would not say it is a must do. But it is free and might be a good stop if you need a place to warm up for awhile. The tours are also rated pretty highly on TripAdvisor.

# 16. Boston Common

America’s oldest public park, Boston Common originally began as a grazing pasture, militia training field, and public hanging place before becoming more like the garden we see today during the 1800s.

Always open and free admission, the Common is one of my favorite places in Boston. It is a good opportunity to let the kids run a little, besides just being a lovely open and green area after all that concrete. Even in winter, it can be a nice place to walk around as long as the wind isn’t too bad.

The Frog Pond is a kiddie spray pool in the summer that turns into an awesome ice skating pond from Nov- March. It is super fun, even for just people watching if you aren’t into skating yourself.

Skates cost $12 adults/ $6 kids/ free below 58 inches. I love the big blue seal things that kids can push around to help them with their balance. Or they can just ride the seal while you push them around which is usually how it ends up. You can see one of the seals in the picture below.

We did not skate as we were already traveling with one kid who had a broken bone and did not feel like trying our luck to see if we could make it two or more. But the skating is usually something that is a big hit with the kids.

If the weather is okay, then walk over to the west side of the park, across Charles Street, to where the big pond is. This is actually Boston Public Garden, the more formal garden compatriot to Boston Common.

At the northeast corner of the gardens, near the entrance at the corner of Beacon and Charles streets, you will find the popular Duckling sculpture, honoring McCloskey’s famous book Make Way For Ducklings. The book was set in Boston Public Garden so it makes sense. The ducklings, like so many statues in Boston, often get decked out in Boston team jerseys, especially when a championship is happening. They also like their holiday wear.

Other Tips From Our Boston Trip

Getting Around Boston In Winter

We walked everywhere on most days since we were staying downtown and sightseeing mostly in downtown as well. Boston is a very walkable city and we generally spent 20-45 minutes walking, then hopping into a historic site, museum, or restaurant for awhile before heading back outside to walk to the next place.

We did use rideshares to get back and forth from the airport as well as the subway. (We split up and two people took all the luggage in the Uber with them while everyone else took the subway.) We also used the subway from downtown to get out to Fenway Park for a tour and to explore Harvard/ MIT/ Cambridge.

Where To Stay In Boston

We stayed downtown because that made it so much easier to get around since almost everything we wanted to see was downtown. It can be more expensive at the outset but you might end up saving money over the course of the vacation by walking most places. Also saves you a great deal of time and energy each day.

All Inclusive or Multi- Attraction Passes For Boston Aren’t Needed For The Freedom Trail

None of the all inclusive passes or multi-attraction passes you can buy for Boston really make sense if you are just doing the Freedom Trail because the entrance fees (what few there are) are pretty minimal, especially for kids. Now if you are thinking about doing the Freedom Trail plus a big attraction like the Museum of Science or the Aquarium, then a pass starts to make more sense. Read my other blog “ What To Do In Boston In January” for a full breakdown of the available passes.

Self- Navigating The Freedom Trail

Print out or download the PDF brochure from the Freedom Trail and let the kids take turns driving, metaphorically speaking. The inlaid brick trail makes it easy for them to lead the way, and they will have fun playing tour guide and reading the descriptions of each site aloud for everyone.

It is easy to self-guide on the trail but if you would like to have a guide, use one from the Freedom Trail Organization. They offer a number of guided tours everyday, each focusing on a different aspect of the Freedom Trail, although some only operate during certain months (ie African American Patriots is during February) or during the busier summer months. The traditional tour, Walk Into History, is offered year round, lasts 90 minutes, and covers Boston Common to Faneuil Hall (so no Paul Revere House, Old North Church, USS Constitution, or Bunker Hill). Tours cost $14 adult/ $8 kids 12 and under/ free under 6.

Do not criticize the Patriots. The rest of the country may hate them but the people in Boston have very little sense of humor about them not making the Super Bowl. It is like joking with a TSA agent about having a 6 oz liquid in your carry-on, zero chill.