by Frances Simon

Created on: May 05, 2008   Last Updated: December 09, 2008

Boston, Massachusetts: Historic sites

As the cradle of liberty, Boston is not only a great place to visit, but also a great place to learn about American Revolutionary War history. The city of Boston itself is compact, and many of the most important historic sites can be easily walked to in a day's time. What better way was there for our children to learn about American History?

Our first stop was the Freedom Trail, a walk that covers all of Boston's most famous historic sites. Visiting the kiosk in the Boston Commons we picked up a map and walked to the starting point of a two foot wide red stripe that stretched into the distance.

It seemed unimaginable that we could be this close to Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill, and the Boston Harbor, with its model of the Boston Tea Party ship. As we began our walk we passed by the Park Street church with its white spire. To the left there was an old cemetery that looked like it was home to revolutionary war ghosts.

We watched a movie about Boston's history at Fauneil Hall, and then had lunch in the nearby Durgin Park Restaurant. A throwback to Boston's traditional fare, the menu consists of traditional foods including Boston Baked Beans, Native American corn pudding, and other fare made from the native and cultivated foods that were available earlier in Boston's history.

After lunch we strolled by the U.S.S. Constitution. This is one of the historic tall ships that was used in the war of 1812 . We climbed down into the cramped below deck quarters, exploring the living space of the early Naval troops. However, the real attraction is on the deck. We had to crane our head to see the tops of the many tall masts that power this ship.

At long last, we made our way to the Bunker Hill Memorial. There's a funny story about this that most people don't know. The battle was supposed to have occurred on a different hill, but the troops got confused!

With sore feet we turn and find ourselves in Boston's historic Northend. This is the old, Italian part of the city, where you can find Italian food just like that found in Italy. The old red brick buildings and the narrow winding roads reinforce the feeling of actually being in Italy.

Later, we headed to the Public Gardens, which are next to the Boston Commons. Originally the Boston Commons was for the common people to graze their cattle. The Public Gardens was for the gentry, to enjoy as they strolled through the garden paths. There are several older statues representing revolutionary war

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