A Wicked Good Time In Boston
I can see why Boston is listed by USA Today as one of the best summer
vacation locations. This city is full of history, has absolutely stunning
architecture, and is close to the water for some beaching and fresh
seafood. I visited Boston back in 2020 with my friend Kristin and not
only did I learn a lot, but I also had fun doing it! You can read
all about our time in Boston below!
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We started our day driving past the beautiful Harvard campus
and then stopping for a delicious breakfast at The Breakfast club.
This little diner was so cute and had some very clever names for their
dishes. Highly highly recommend you stop here!
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In case any of you are wondering….I did end up taking some of that home, but not before I managed to eat a good chunk of it. I was so miserably happy. Lol
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Once we finished our breakfast it was time for the main event of the day, walking the Freedom Trail.
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The Freedom Trail
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The Freedom Trail is one of the things that Boston is most well known
for. It is 2.5 miles of history that takes you past 16 different historic sites
all throughout the city. After walking this trail for the
day I have a few tips for you:
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Bring/use a good, reliable map of the sites
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While it’s true there is a red brick line you can follow (follow the red
brick road lol) there were a couple of times where we lost track of the
line and wandered around a little lost. Granted we are both highly
directionally challenged, but even if you are not I still recommend a map.
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Here is a map of the trail https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/visit/maps
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Wear comfortable walking shoes
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You will be walking MILES throughout the city so be kind to your
feet. I wore my flip flops thinking they would be good for the
journey, but y’all my feet had HUGE blisters on them from the straps
and the bottom of my feet were also insanely dirty. (So gross.) Tennis
shoes are definitely the way to go with this one.
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Bring water
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Again you will be walking A LOT and one of my biggest regrets
was not bringing a water bottle with me (we eventually decided to
stop at a convenience mart and pick up a couple of bottles cause
we were dying). Especially if you are planning your trip in the
summer I promise you will need some water.
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Now onto the sites!
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Boston Common
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Parking in an underground parking lot we began our trail walk
at Boston Common. Boston Common is America’s oldest public
park and a great place to hang out and study, read, or even just
walk through listening to a podcast. Unfortunately while we were
there a large part of the common was under construction
so we didn’t get to see it in all of its glory.
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Massachusetts State House
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After the Common we went to the Massachusetts State House and
admired the building from the street. (There were no indoor tours due to COVID.)
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Park Street Church
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Instagram: @buildingsofnewengland
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This church was the first landmark people would see when they were travelling to Boston.
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Granary Burial Ground
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Okay, so I know this is probably going to sound very weird, but
I really enjoy going to cemeteries. There is just something so
peaceful about them, something so calming, and you know I like
anything that has any type of supernatural aspect. I mean just look
at the picture below and tell me that that doesn’t look like the perfect
place to go to sit and read! No? Well guess it’s just me and
Stephen King that think like that then. Lol
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Granary Burial Ground is what a majority of Boston’s most notable
residents call their final resting place including victims of the Boston
Massacre and key signers of the Declaration of Independence. There
are many signs throughout the cemetery filled with information
about the burial grounds and the residents and I highly recommend
you stop to read them. It was one of the most interesting and
informative cemetery walks I have been on.
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In this cemetery you will also find some headstones with rather unique
designs. The Puritan churches of this time didn’t believe in religious
imagery so instead the people put their art skills to the
test and created their own. So neat!
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King’s Chapel & King’s Chapel Burying Ground
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Instagram: @augustbradbury
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This chapel was Boston’s first Anglican church and sits on the corner of the oldest English burying ground.
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Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue
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After Granary Burial Ground we visited the Boston Latin
School which is the oldest public school in America.
This school featured free education to boys and one of the most
notable students to attend this school was Benjamin Franklin
himself. There is a statue of Benjamin Franklin that stands outside
of the building and marks the site of the original schoolhouse.
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Old Corner Bookstore
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Instagram: @guijingtrip0719
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This is downtown Boston’s oldest commercial building and home
to the publishing company that put out books such as Thoreau's Walden
and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. (If I remember correctly
it now houses a Chipotle. lol)
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Old South Meeting House
The Old South Meeting House was the biggest building in colonial Boston
and said to be the place where the Boston tea party got its start!
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Old State House
This is said to be the place where the Declaration of Independence
was read for the first time in Massachusetts.
It also sits in front of the next stop on the trail….the site of the Boston Massacre.
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Boston Massacre Site
This is the infamous site where the Bostonians and Redcoats
clashed resulting in the death of 5 civilians, Crispus Attucks, Samuel
Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr.
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Faneuil Hall
This hall is where America's first town hall meeting was held and
has served as an open forum meeting hall for over 270 years.
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Also, I wasn't able to get my own picture of it, but at the top of Faneuil
Hall sits a weathervane in the shape of a golden grasshopper. A fun
fact about this well known weathervane is that it was actually thought
to be used as a way to spot spies during the War of 1812. If you were
asked what stood on top of Faneuil Hall and you didn't know the
answer people would be like “oh that’s sus” and would most likely label you as a spy.
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Old North Church
This church was built in 1723 and is Boston's oldest church. However, it is
most well known for its role in Paul Revere's famous midnight ride
and signal of "One if by land, two if by sea."
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Paul Revere’s House
Not only is this the oldest remaining structure in downtown
Boston, but also the actual home of the patriot Paul Revere.
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Copp's Hill Burying Ground
This burying ground was named after shoemaker William Copp and
houses merchants, artisans, and craftspeople who lived in the North End.
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USS Constitution
Nicknamed “Old Ironsides” during the war of 1812 this warship
is the oldest commissioned warship afloat. Unfortunately, when I was
there they were not offering any tours aboard the ship, but she was
still worth the walk to see from the outside. Beautiful ship.
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https://www.facebook.com/ussconstitutionofficial/
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You can also see the USS Cassin Young at the Charlestown Navy
Yard. She is one of 4 Fletcher-class destroyers still afloat and sits
across from the USS Constitution. Again when I was there they were
not offering any tours, but she is now open again and visitors can
explore both her top and lower decks.
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Bunker Hill Monument
Instagram: @adambnycphoto
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This monument stands in honor of the first major battle of the
Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bunker Hill fought June 17th, 1775.
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After walking around the city for most of the day with my feet
threatening to start bleeding at any moment we decided to end our
journey and not walk out to Bunker Hill. We could see the memorial
from near the USS Constitution since it stands so tall and that was
good enough for me at that point. Lol
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Instagram: @newenglandgirrl
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After we finished the trail we called an Uber (we were sooo done with
walking lol) and were chauffeured to the place where "everybody
knows your name," the Cheers Bar. This is the bar that started it all
and inspired the bar in the TV show (not where it was filmed though sadly).
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The famous Indian statue greets you at the door just like in the show.
I walked into the bar fully expecting it to look exactly like it does in
the show, but that is not the case. There is a bar that sits in the
middle of the main room with tables and booths around it, but it is
definitely a MUCH smaller space. We were ushered to a back area
where another bar sat with more booths and tables. It was a very
chill atmosphere and our waiter was absolutely amazing.
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How cool is this mug?! We actually got to keep these as souvenirs when we were done!
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Once we finished up at Cheers with full bellies we headed out to
the Cape! You can read all about our evening there using this link.
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And that was Boston! I do want to go back sometime to catch a game
at Fenway, but I was very happy with everything we did get to do and
see this trip. Have you walked the Freedom Trail? What is something you
recommend doing in Boston?
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