Fresh, modern, current, and thriving are all perfect descriptors for the City of Boston, Massachusetts.  Known for its world-class hospitals, cutting-edge technology, dozens of top universities, including Harvard and MIT, avant-garde restaurants, and its prominent arts and music scene, Boston is a perfect destination for anyone looking to experience the best of modern urban life in the United States.  What is really exciting about this city is not the innovation and advancement, but the beauty and richness of its past.  Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, first settled by Puritan colonists in 1630.  Boston not only played a monumental role in the founding of the United States, but in the shaping of the country as well.

Boston has to be one of my most favorite American cities.  I loved walking through the streets—exploring like the locals do—and soaking up the undeniable atmosphere of culture and history that often feels rare this side of the Atlantic.  Whether you’re visiting Boston for business, shopping, or a weekend trip to watch your favorite team play the Red Sox, no trip to Boston is complete without a trip back through time to experience the nearly 400 years of history held within this city.  To get you started with a few ideas, here are some of my favorite historical attractions around Boston:

American Revolution History

The Freedom Trail offers visitors an in-depth look at the history of the American Revolution and the significance the City of Boston played in the founding of our country.  The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile walking trail, marked by a redbrick path, which leads to 16 significant historical sites within the city center.  Along the route, you’ll explore churches, museums, meetinghouses, parks, a ship and burial grounds.

The best part - it’s free to walk the trail, and you can pick up a free map at a nearby visitor’s center.  Most of the sites are free, although a few charge an entrance fee and two suggest a donation.  If you’d rather have a guide lead you to the various sites, the Freedom Trail Foundation offers 90-minute walking tours led by 18th century costumed guides who share stories of the courageous men and women who risked everything to create a new nation.

My favorite stops along the Freedom Trail include Paul Revere’s house, which is open for self-guided tours.  The house dates back to 1680 and is downtown Boston’s oldest building.  Revere was living at this house the night he took his infamous ride to Lexington on April 18, 1775, warning of the British troops’ approach.  Revere’s midnight ride has become immortalized thanks to the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which begins: “Listen, my children, and you shall hear / of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.”

Later on the trail you can stop inside the Old North Church, the oldest standing church building in Boston, which first opened its doors on December 29, 1723. The church is famous for the two lanterns that briefly hung in the steeple, Revere’s signal that the British troops were advancing by sea, coming up the Charles River.  Another memorable stop was a visit aboard the USS Constitution.  This beautiful ship is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

Culinary History

For a culinary trip back in time, a visit to the Durgin-Park Restaurant is a must.  This Boston institution is one of the country’s oldest restaurants, dating back to the pre-revolutionary days.  The restaurant sits in a former warehouse, built in 1742 among a large market house near the waterfront. Within the same year it was built, the warehouse became home to a small restaurant that catered to market merchants and ship crews from the Boston Harbor. John Durgin and Eldridge Park purchased the restaurant in 1827, and the Durgin-Park Restaurant has been serving customers classic New England fare ever since.

When visiting this nearly 190 year old restaurant, expect generous portions of local favorites like homemade Boston baked beans, clam chowder, Yankee pot roast, Indian pudding and Boston cream pie.  Yum!  You’ll find yourself sitting at large communal tables, being served by the infamously sassy wait staff.  Play along with the grouchy waitresses, and enjoy it all as a part of the experience!

Literary History

For lovers of literature, Boston is a true treasure for its great wealth of American literary history.  Some of America’s most well-known writers and poets called Boston home at some point during their lives including Anne Bradstreet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, E.E. Cummings, Henry David Thoreau, Robert Frost, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Stop by E.E. Cummings grave in Forest Hills Cemetery, or head to Beacon Hill where you can wander past two of the homes of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, located at 20 Pinckney Street and 10 Louisburg Street and Robert Frost’s house at 88 Mount Vernon Street.

Even if you’re not interested in seeing the homes of Frost or Alcott, a walk through the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood is a treat.  Beacon Hill was settled in 1625, and as you ramble along the brick sidewalks and narrow cobblestone streets, past the lovely Federal-style brick townhouses and gas street lamps, you’ll feel yourself stepping back in time through hundreds of years of history—you can’t help but feel awed by the centuries of life this picturesque neighborhood has seen.

If you have a little extra time, head an hour or so outside Boston to Concord for a day at Walden Pond.  Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson owned 14 acres of woodland along the northwest shore of Walden Pond, and invited his friend and protégé Henry David Thoreau to spend time there for inspiration and time away from the constraints and burdens of society.  Thoreau built a small, one room house in 1845 on Emerson’s property, and he spent the next two years living at Walden Pond, studying the natural world around him.  It was during his time here that Thoreau wrote his most important work, Walden.

Visitors to Walden Pond can stop by Thoreau’s small, wooden house and enjoy the almost-unchanged natural beauty that once inspired this famous American author. You can easily spend a whole day in the park swimming, fishing, hiking, canoeing, picnicking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.  There is a $5 parking fee to enter, but a day in the park is well worth the small cost.  If you’re visiting during the busy summer months, call ahead as only 1,000 visitors are allowed inside the park at a time to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone who visits.

Don’t leave Boston without experiencing the rich history the area has to offer. Whether you choose to explore Boston’s past by visiting sites from the Revolutionary War, sampling classic New England dishes in historic restaurants, or delving into the history behind American literature, you’re sure to gain a new appreciation for this beautiful, historic city.  Patriots, pie, and poetry—take your pick!