Quincy Market along the Freedom Trail
Few American cities are as deeply entwined with the birth of the nation as Boston. From village greens where militias first mustered to crowded wharves and meetinghouses alive with revolutionary debate, trace the dramatic opening chapters of the American Revolution. Guided by historian and author Fred Zilian, explore the landscapes, landmarks, and ideas that transformed a cluster of colonial towns into the epicenter of a struggle for independence.
Day 1: Participants arrive in Boston. Begin with a welcome orientation, dinner, and lecture at the hotel from your study leader introducing the people, politics, and pivotal events of Boston’s revolutionary world.
Day 2: Begin your Boston explorations with a morning excursion to Lexington and Concord. Stand on the village green in Lexington and at the North Bridge in Concord, visualizing how local resistance ignited a war that reshaped history. Back in Boston, a panoramic driving tour reveals the city’s evolving civic and architectural identity, from Beacon Hill to Harvard Square.
Day 3: A guided walking tour traces key sites of protest, debate, and defiance along the Freedom Trail, with time to explore Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Then move on to Boston Harbor for a cruise that highlights the city’s maritime and military significance. The day concludes in the North End with visits to Copps Hill Burying Ground, Old North Church, and the Paul Revere House.
Day 4: Conclude with a visit to the Old South meeting House, Old State House, and USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship still afloat before your airport transfer.
Know Before You Go
- This tour begins Sunday, September 13 at 6 p.m. with a welcome dinner at the hotel, and ends on Wednesday, September 16 at 4 p.m. with a transfer to Boston Logan International Airport.
- Important note: Flights are not included; participants make independent flight arrangements to and from Boston. Once the tour has reached its minimum registration, participants will be notified and encouraged to buy airline tickets. This will occur no later than 60 days prior to the start of the program. More information will be sent via email.
- Cost includes 3 nights of accommodations, bus transportation, services of a study leader and Smithsonian representative, 9 meals (3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners), gratuities, taxes, and entrance fees.
- Single-room supplement $400 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Nonmember pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is emailed to registrants about 4 weeks prior to departure.
- Participants are strongly advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.
General Information
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
