The following news release comes from the Freedom Trail Foundation:
Spring has sprung, and it’s time the Freedom Trail Foundation’s 18th century costumed guides will be out on the Trail in full force offering a full menu of fun and educational tours.
The Freedom Trail Foundation’s tours currently holds two tours daily departing from Boston Common Visitor Information Center at 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, and starting next Tuesday, April 1, the tour times from the center will be doubled to include 11:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The Freedom Trail Foundation tours will begin expanding its tour schedule on May 1 with 10 tours available from two locations: the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common and ArtsBoston BosTix booth at Faneuil Hall. These tours complement an array of events, exhibits, and activities along the Freedom Trail for adults and children, history buffs and curious visitors – commemorating the American Revolution, historic sites’ anniversaries, and more exciting chapters of the American story.
Beginning May 1, Walk Into History Tours – long the Foundation’s most popular visitor experience – are offered daily on the hour every hour from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. From the ArtsBoston BosTix booth at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Reverse Walk Into History Tours depart at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Visitors can also take the opportunity to explore the Freedom Trail further at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. from the ArtsBoston BosTix booth on the North End Tour. In July and August, two special tours will be added to the schedule, including a Walk Into History Tour offered daily at 4:30 p.m. from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, and the Pirates & Patriots Tours will be offered from Fridays through Mondays at 1:00 p.m. from the ArtsBoston BosTix booth at Faneuil Hall.
“From one end of the year to the other, Boston visitors and residents are invited to enjoy exciting tours and programs offered daily along the Freedom Trail,” said Suzanne Taylor, executive director of the Freedom Trail Foundation. “This year, Freedom Trail goers will have more opportunities than ever along the Freedom Trail from celebrating historic sites’ anniversaries with engaging programs and special events and exhibits to walking the Trail. There is something for everyone to experience on the Freedom Trail while spending time in our great city.”
The Walk Into History Tour is the official 90-minute walking tour of the Freedom Trail featuring tales of high treason, mob agitations, revolutionary actions, and partisan fights of the American Revolution, walking to 11 of Boston’s historic Freedom Trail sites to and from Boston Common and Faneuil Hall. The North End Tour features stops along the Trail including Paul Revere’s House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, and other historic places in Boston’s oldest neighborhood. The Pirates & Patriots Tour explores the underbelly of 18th century Boston, twisting and turning through the roads, alleys, and docks frequented by swashbucklers, hired guns, mercenaries, and merchants of colonial America.
The Foundation also offers an African-American Patriots Tour that tells the stories of black Bostonians who played an integral part in the Revolution, as well as the Historic Pub Crawl all about fermenting revolution in Boston’s 18th century drinking establishments. Both can be booked by reservation.
All Freedom Trail Foundation walking tours with 18th century costumed guides are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors/students, and $8 for children. The Historic Pub Crawl is $43 for adults 21 years or older. Tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Information Center on Boston Common, ArtsBoston BosTix booths at Faneuil Hall and Copley Square, Old Town Trolley locations and ticket booths, and online at TheFreedomTrail.org – tickets are discounted when purchased online. Historic Pub Crawl tickets must be purchased via a phone reservation at (617) 357-8300.
All Freedom Trail Foundation tour tickets include a $1.00 donation to the Freedom Trail Foundation Preservation Fund. Regular maintenance of 17th, 18th, and 19th century historic buildings is critical, for these sites are not immune to the New England climate, wear and tear of daily use, and the ravages of time. The 16 Freedom Trail sites have current preservation needs estimated at over $58 million. Since its inception, the Freedom Trail Foundation Preservation Fund has awarded a total of $265,000 for historic sites’ capital projects at Old North Church, the Granary Burying Ground, and Copp’s Hill Burying Ground.
The Foundation offers a roster of joint tickets for walking tours, trolley tours, and entrance into historic sites. Joint tickets are available for reduced entrance into Old State House with Walk Into History Tour tickets. A combination ticket with Old Town Trolley allows guests to hop on and off trolley tours for two days and join a Freedom Trail Walk Into History Tour any day, any time. Additionally, tours paired with other fine experiences such as a visit to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum or a Boston Harbor Cruises’ USS Constitution Harbor Sail are also available.
For more Freedom Trail information, to purchase tickets, interesting books, an MP3 player or downloadable audio tour, or other items, and to learn about special Freedom Trail hotel packages, discounts and coupons, or Freedom Trail and Granary Burying Ground smartphone applications, please visit TheFreedomTrail.org or call (617) 357-8300.
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