Last updated: August 19, 2025
Thing to Do
Ranger's Choice Walking Tour
NPS Photo M Bozio
The stories that define Boston are part of the unfinished legacy set into motion in the years leading up to and following the American Revolution.
These ranger-led tours unpack themes and questions that originated with the founding generation. While some tours focus on the Revolutionary Period, others explore how later changemakers advocated to expand the ideals, values, and sacrifices from 1776 in order to move towards a more perfect union.
Fall Evening Walking Tours
All programs being at 5:30 P.M. and last approximately 75 minutes.
August 28 - Desegregation in the Cradle of Liberty
Beginning at the African Meeting House (meet at Smith Court in Beacon Hill)
Address: 8 Smith Court, Boston, MA, 02114
Boston earned its nickname as the “Cradle of Liberty” by fostering the revolutionary ideals and values that serve as the foundation of this country. And as the home to the oldest public school in America, Boston has historically considered access to education as one of these core values. Boston is therefore home to the longest ongoing struggle for equal education in the nation. Because when the doors opened to the Boston Latin School in 1635, a site marked on the Freedom Trail – to whom were those doors opened for?
The Black struggle for equal education in Boston began in the era just after the American Revolution, with Prince Hall’s petition to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1787. Learn more about the generations of Black Bostonians who have been involved in advocating and fighting for equal education from 1787 to 1976 and the legacy of advocacy and community activism that they left behind.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
September 4 - Boston: An Underground Railroad Hub
Beginning at the African Meeting House, a one mile walk through Beacon Hill (meet at Smith Court in Beacon Hill)
Address: 8 Smith Court, Boston, MA, 02114
Did you know that Boston played a central role in the Underground Railroad? Join a National Park Ranger to explore the inspiring stories of the freedom seekers who escaped to Boston and the people and organizations here that assisted them.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
September 11 - Mysteries of the Mill Pond
Beginning in the Faneuil Hall basement education space
Address: 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA 02109
In 1828, the Boston Mill Corporation completed its work filling in Boston's mill pond to make way for new housing. It built a new neighborhood on top of an old one. The city created a desirable residential district where formely there sat an unsanitary water reservoir that powered early Boston's industrial works. Since the founding of the town in 1630, BOstonians lived and worked around the mill pond. IN the process, they created a community space with inhabitants and instiutions, creating a unique cultural identity.
But the mill pond community and its identity ceased to exist when workers dumped the final load of landfill into the mill pond. This tour will explore the people and institutions that sprung up around the mill pond and gave it its character, and how the social and environmental history of this divirse are fits into Boston's larger historical narrative.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
September 18 - Mystery, Mayhem, and Molasses - The Great Molasses Flood
This tour will begin at Long Wharf by the Middle Passage Marker at the edge of Long Wharf.
Address: 66 Long Wharf, Boston, MA, 02110
On January 15, 1919 diaster struck as gallons of molasses flooded the streets of Boston. The Great Molasses Flood became a national tragedy that pushed World War I and the League of Nations out of newspaper headlines. Wrapped up in issuses of immigration, Anarchism, worker's rights and Prohibition, the Molasses Flood came crashing down, changing Boston forever.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
September 25 - Magic and Myth in Old Boston
The tour begins at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common and will end at Government Center
Address: 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133
Learn about the dark side of Old Boston - witchcraft, graveyards, and Puritains, visiting some of the oldest sites of folklore in the city. What can we gain from telling these stories today?
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
October 2 - Taking the High Ground
The tour begins at the flagpole in the Navy Yard and ends at the Bunker Hill Monument
Address: 22 Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129
Taking the High Ground is a walking tour of the Bunker Hill Battlefield that uses modern landmarks to indicate troop position and movement. Approximately 1 mile walking and 75 mintes in length.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
October 9 - Pirates of Boston
This tour begins outside of Faneuil Hall near the Sam Adams statue
Address: 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA 02109
Did you know that colonial Boston was a hub of activity for the 18th Century's most notorious pirates? During this "Golden Age of Piracy" pirates lived in Boston, were imprisoned here, and sometimes were executed here. This program examines what led to the era's explosion of piracy, as well as what motivated the values of priate crews. Were these swashbucklers simply sea-going criminals, or did their belief in economic, social, and racial equality not only predate, but influence the later American Revolution? This program examines the lives of several of the most famous pirates who walked streets of Boston, including Captain William Kidd, "Black" Sam Bellamy, Ned Lowe, and Willian Fly.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
October 16 - Anxiety and Distress: Becoming American During the Siege of Boston
Beginning in the Faneuil Hall basement education space
Address: 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA 02109
During the Siege of Boston, an identity based on 18th century libery, equality, and intercolonial cooperation emerged. Learn how the events of 1775-1776 transformed Americansperspective from colonial dependents to American citizens on a 75-minute walking tour through historic Boston.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
October 23 - Pirates and Puritans: Cotton Mather and The Whydah Trial of 1717
The tour will meet at the basement level of Faneuil Hall and will end at the Copp's Hill Buring Ground
Address: 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA 02109
In 1717, six pirates that survived a wreck off Cape Cod were tried for piracy in Boston. The puritan minister Cotton Mather (whose earlier views on witchcraft affected the Salem Witch Trials outcome) made his presence felt, both to condemn piracy, but also offer salvation to the condemned pirates. This tour will explore the collision of the Puritan world and piracy in early Boston.
Sign up in advance on eventbrite.
Details
Duration
60-75 Minutes
Tours will vary in length.
Activity
Guided Tours
Join a Park Ranger for a special guided tour.
Pets Allowed
Yes
Activity Fee
No
These programs are free and open to the public.
Reservations
No
Season
Summer
Time of Day
Day
Accessibility Information
Depending on the topic, the tour may require a bit of walking, possibly up hills.