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Charlestown Navy Shipyard
Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-426-1812
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The Bunker Hill Monument overlooks the Charlestown Navy Shipyard, and its most famous resident, the U.S.S. Constitution. This old gal was built right here in Boston, and was launched in 1797 as part of the fledgling United States Navy. Though this frigate’s hull is actually made of oak, her ability to withstand British cannon balls during the war of 1812 gained her the nickname “Old Ironsides.” Believe it or not, the Constitution is still a commissioned Navy Ship, making her the oldest ship in the world still on active duty. A major refitting in the 1990s has kept Old Ironsides in seaworthy condition, and every once in a while, the crew takes her out for a spin. But even if you aren’t lucky enough to be here on one of those rare occasions, every evening around sunset you can join the crowd of onlookers to watch this floating piece of history roar yet again when it fires its guns.
Copley Square
Around Boylston & Darmouth
Boston, MA 02116
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Two blocks south of swanky Newbury Street lies Copley Square. On one side of the square is the Boston Public Library, which was the first library in the United States that was totally free and open to the entire public, and right across the street is the oddly (if accurately) named New Old South Church, which was designed by Trinity Church architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
Custom House
3 McKinley Square
Boston, MA 02109
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Downtown Boston is watched over by the distinctive tower of the Custom House, just a few blocks away. This 495-foot tower was added to the building in the early 20th century and it has easily become one of the most recognizable landmarks here in Boston, truly one of America’s first great cities.
5 Constitution Road
Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-242-56541
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Looming large over the Charlestown landscape is the Bunker Hill Monument, which oddly enough is not on Bunker Hill at all, but rather on the smaller Breed’s Hill, a short distance away, which makes sense, because the Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought here. This 221-foot obelisk commemorates the 1775 battle that was the bloodiest of the Revolution up to that point.
Christian Science Center
175 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-450-3790
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The ornate Christian Science Center is the headquarters of the worldwide church. This denomination was founded by Mary Baker Eddy right here in New England in the late 19th century, and this huge complex has grown to occupy fourteen acres of Back Bay real estate. The center’s main basilica alone can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers, and the 700-foot-long reflecting pool outside has become one of the best spots in the entire city for a brown bag lunch or a mid-afternoon stroll.
Concord
West of Boston
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In April 1775, this small town became one of the first battlefields of the Revolution, when a reinforced colonial militia met the British head to head here at the old North Bridge Finally, the defeated British were forced to retreat back to Boston, and thus began the American Revolution. The battlefield and the bridge are both part of Minuteman National Historical Park, right near the center of Concord. Though it played a major role in the American Revolution, Concord’s historical significance didn’t stop there. Somehow, in the 19th century, this rustic little town became home literary giants. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived here, right near the Concord Museum. And, Emerson’s grandfather built the Old Manse not far away, where Nathaniel Hawthorne once lived and Henry David Thoreau tended the garden when he wasn’t hanging around nearby Walden Pond or busy getting arrested for tax evasion. All three writers, as well as Louisa May Alcott are buried at Concord’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.