By Damin Chu
Boston has made an indelible mark on U.S. history, as the place where the Boston Tea Party occurred and where America found its footing in the Revolutionary War. For visitors, it can seem overwhelming to take in that much history within a short span of time. Luckily, there are a number of tours that will help you learn about Boston without getting exhausted.
Beantown Trolley Tour
A beantown trolley tour will take about two hours to complete the entire loop, and is a good choice if you want to see Boston from back to front. Once you buy a ticket, you can enjoy the narration of the tour, and get on and off the tour bus at any of the twenty stops to see the sights first-hand. A ticket buys you unlimited use of the trolley for the entire day, which means that once you get off, you can get on again without paying again. A beantown trolley ticket also includes admission to a harbor cruise from the U.S.S. Constitution or from the New England Aquarium, which runs from May until October. Some of the stops include the Old State House, Haymarket Square, the World Trade Center, the Paul Revere House, the Bunker Hill Monument, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Beantown Trolley Tour
(800) 343-1328
beantowntrolley.com
The Total Boston Experience Tour
For those committed to seeing the streets of Boston and beyond, this tour gives you a thorough experience on Boston's historical sights. The tour encompasses 7 hours and will take visitors through the best of Boston, while also traveling out to the surrounding towns of Cambridge, Lexington and Concord to see the other main areas where the Revolutionary War played out. There is time on the trip for lunch and for shopping in Boston's famous Quincy Marketplace, as well as strolling alongside the classic Beacon Hill brick townhouses and cobbled streets. The tour operates from May through October, and provides pick-ups at a select number of hotels.
The Total Boston Experience Tour
(800) 301-3239
viator.com
Boston Duck Tours
For a new take on city tours, take a ride with the Boston Duck Tours. The energetic "conDUCKtors" will get you pumped up, enough that you'll find yourself quacking with the whole group by the end of the trip. Moreover, your tour guides will provide you with an informative, yet amusing history of Boston. You'll see the Boston Common, Bunker Hill, the State House, New Old South Church and the Esplanade with the Hatch Shell. Besides riding along Boston's streets, the duck tours gives you a tour of Boston's waters, and kids will especially love how the tour bus converts seamlessly into a boat. Your guide may even let you steer once you're on water.
Boston Duck Tours
3 Copley Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617) 267-3825
bostonducktours.com
Resources
About the Author:
Damin Chu is a freelance writer, whose writing has taken her down a number of avenues. In 2008, she returned from Shanghai, China, where she served as the managing editor of a China travel guide, in addition to writing travel features for the local newspaper. Her other projects have included writing for a Shanghai expat guide, a education documentary, and an environmental NGO.
