Boston, MA

Boston, a thriving modern city, has nearly 400 years of history. Walk along the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) red brick Freedom Trail to see 16 important historic sites.

Boston Common, a park established in 1634, is a good place to start touring. Ride a swan boat in the adjacent Boston Public Garden and look for famous statues of a mother duck and eight ducklings.

Head north for shopping and fresh seafood at Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The hall, topped with an iconic grasshopper weathervane, held early town meetings where dissent against the British led to revolution. See the Paul Revere House, home of the patriot who famously rode to Lexington in 1775, warning that the British were coming.

Near the north end of the trail is the Bunker Hill Monument, commemorating the first American Revolution battle. Just east near the Charlestown Navy Yard, climb aboard the USS Constitution, or Old Ironsides, which survived a famous War of 1812 battle.

Boston’s cultural sites are historic as well. In the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, opened in 1876, examine works from ancient Egypt to contemporary eras. Once a vaudeville house, the Boston Opera House now hosts operas, ballets, touring musicals and lectures.

Harvard University in Cambridge just west of Boston is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious universities. Wander through Harvard Yard, visit several museums and watch rowers train on the Charles River.

Join the crowd at Fenway Park and see baseball home runs foiled by the massive Green Monster wall along left field. For over 100 years, loyal Red Sox fans have cheered on their team, win or lose.

In the midst of Boston’s historic environment are modern sites. Blue skies reflect in the glass plates of the John Hancock Tower near Copley Square. Gaze over the city from the observation deck of the Prudential Building. See the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge beautifully illuminated at night and ride an amphibious duck boat to see the city by land and water.